Understanding Artificial Disc Replacement

Spinal care is more important than many people nowadays may even realize. If you think a great deal about your spine, then you may be familiar with artificial disc replacement as a concept. Spinal discs are similar to many different parts of the body in that they’re vulnerable to fatigue with the passing of time. Injuries and repetitions are just two examples of things that can contribute to the tiring out of these otherwise sturdy discs. If you experience a substantial degree of degeneration, then it may make your vertebrae or discs move. Routine exercise sessions can often help this situation. The same thing applies to physical therapy. If you discover that your degeneration dilemma is particularly severe, then exercise and physical therapy may not be adequate. Surgery may actually be the superior pathway for you.

Doctors often determine that disc replacement surgery is optimal for people who have spinal disc troubles. Artificial disc replacement can be beneficial for individuals who wish to avoid spinal fusion operations. Spinal fusion involves connecting a pair of vertebrae as a means of eliminating disc pressure and keeping movement at bay. Although fusion can often help disc difficulties, people sometimes do not consider it ideal. This is partially why artificial disc replacement is becoming a force to be reckoned with all over the map. While spinal fusion previously was the standard, things may be changing rapidly.

The Advantages of Artificial Disc Replacement

Artificial discs are made to emulate spinal discs that function optimally. That’s how artificial disc replacement can lead to superior mobility. Although fusion operations restrict the movement of the spine, artificial disc replacement does nothing of the sort. It actually promotes flexibility and motion.

Artificial discs may offer longevity. They’re remarkably safe as well. The implantation process isn’t a risky one. The discs themselves are especially resilient and sturdy. Individuals who get artificial disc replacement do not have to think about disc breaking and having to get additional surgical procedures at later times.

Again, artificial discs promote the spine’s normal flexibility. That’s how they can better the functioning of different spinal discs. Fusion operations, on the other hand, can raise the pressure that nearby vertebral discs experience.

Osteopenia is a condition that’s characterized by low bone density. If you have it, your doctor may discuss artificial disc replacement and other treatment options with you.… Read the rest

How Regenerative Medicine Works

Regenerative medicine is a promising field that focuses mainly on replacing the damaged tissue or organs instead of just treating the symptoms. It boosts your body’s natural healing process and helps it heal better. When it is combined with standard medicine strategies such as physical therapy it can eliminate pain, regenerate joints, and even help you avoid surgery. If you are interested in knowing more about this medical field and its techniques such as stem cell therapy Los Angeles, keep reading.

How Regenerative Medicine Works

The main goal of regenerative medicine is to restore the structure and function of damaged tissues, even if the damage is permanent. It focuses on these techniques:

Tissue Engineering

Regenerative medicine focuses on healing organs or tissues that are severely damaged, therefore no need to replace the whole organ. One of the strategies they use is tissue engineering where they implant biologically compatible scaffolds in places of your body where tissue needs to be generated, the scaffold has to be in the geometric shape of the tissue and be capable of attracting new cells in order to speed up the regeneration process.

Cellular Therapy

This strategy is done by using stem cells, they are the building blocks of our cells and trigger the healing process as well as reconstruction of the tissue under the right circumstances. It also stimulates the release of growth factors and other natural compounds that decrease inflammation, thus reducing pain.

These cells are collected from different parts of the body such as umbilical cord tissue of living newborns, bone marrow, skeletal muscle, dental pulp, etc. Scientists are working on refining the methods of harvesting stem cells such as stem cell therapy Los Angeles and injecting them into the damaged tissue.

Medical Devices

In some cases, the organ fails or there is a disease that doesn’t allow it to function properly. When this happens, it is necessary to transplant the organ to the patient but this strategy has many challenges such as the availability of finding a donor, the immunosuppression drugs that the patient must take and have serious side effects, and the method used to support the failing organ while finding a donor. Regenerative medicine is working on replacing the organs, an example of that is a group of scientists who were able to grow human bladder sacs in a laboratory and successfully transplanted them into people. This is just a small part of what regenerative medicine is going to be able to do.… Read the rest