LONGEVITY MEDICINE

We specialize in non-surgical, functional, and regenerative medicine treatments for orthopedic pain conditions and sports injuries. Dr. Vivek Babaria, DO, RMSK, offers a unique, patient-specific protocol of orthobiolgic medication depending on your injury.

Regenerative medicine treatments can strengthen, repair, and regrow injured tissue using substances that are naturally derived from the human body. 

This includes

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy

For PRP therapy, the team uses an advanced centrifugation process to treat a tube of your own blood. This produces PRP, which has 5-10 times the concentration of platelets than your blood normally has.  

Those platelets release growth factors, which are proteins that support cellular growth and healing. With a large amount of growth factors surrounding your injury, you heal much faster, and this relieves chronic pain.

Other Orthobiologics

Stem cells are human cells that can produce any tissue your body makes. Depending on their location, stem cells can help you grow new tendons, ligaments, or other tissue, which makes them ideal for injuries. 

As with PRP therapy, an injection of stem cells can start a rapid healing process inside your body. Stem cells come from a variety of sources, including your own fat or bone marrow, placental tissue, and umbilical cord tissue, among others. 

The Orange County Spine and Sports Physicians team includes leading pain management and regenerative medicine specialists who can use one or both of these methods to harness and amplify your body’s self-renewal powers. 

When might I need regenerative medicine?

Regenerative medicine treatments can be a great option for both sports injuries and age-related tissue degeneration. Some of the many conditions that regenerative medicine can treat include:

• Whiplash
• Back pain
• Neck pain
• Knee pain
• Tendinitis
• Torn muscles
• Tendon tears
• Ligament injuries
• Rotator cuff injuries

PRP and stem cell therapy may also help with many other conditions. If you have chronic pain or an injury that’s not healing naturally, ask your Orange County Spine and Sports Physicians specialist about regenerative medicine as a treatment option. 

How do regenerative medicine treatments work?

Before administering your treatment, the Orange County Spine and Sports Physicians team performs a dynamic ultrasound evaluation. This highlights the injured areas of soft tissue with great precision, which allows them to plan your customized treatment. 

The experienced specialists use ultrasound guidance to deliver the PRP or stem cell formula into the appropriate area. Because they use an extremely thin needle, the process is usually well-tolerated. 

One of the biggest advantages of regenerative medicine treatments is that they’re a same-day procedure. Over the next month or two, your body rebuilds tissue and stimulates rapid healing. 

You may notice symptom improvement in as little as a month, but the maximum benefits usually appear 3-4 months after the procedure. You may notice continued improvements for up to six months after your regenerative medicine procedure. 

Dr. Vivek Babaria, DO, FAAPMR customizes your rehab protocol after your PRP or stem cell therapy to ensure excellent results. 

To learn how regenerative medicine can help you, call Dr. Vivek Babaria, DO, FAAPMR to set up a discovery call. 

If you are struggling with a partial-thickness rotator cuff tear, you may have heard of Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) and cortisone injections as treatment options that various healthcare professionals have offered. Both have their pros and cons, but recent research (and our experience at OCSS HEALTH) suggests that PRP offers significant advantages over cortisone, particularly when it comes to reducing tear size and improving function. In this article, I wanted to break down the latest findings to help you understand why PRP may be the better choice for your shoulder injury.

The Study: Comparing PRP and Cortisone for Supraspinatus Tears
A recent study conducted by Tanpowpong et al. compared the effects of PRP injections and cortisone injections on patients with partial-thickness tears of the supraspinatus tendon. The researchers followed 29 patients over a six-month period and used MRI imaging to assess changes in tear size and improvements in shoulder function.

Tear Size Reduction: The results showed that PRP was significantly more effective in reducing tear size. In the coronal plane, patients who received PRP had an average tear reduction of 3.39 mm, compared to only 1.10 mm in the cortisone group. In the sagittal plane, PRP reduced tear size by 2.97 mm, whereas cortisone achieved just 0.76 mm reduction.
Functional Improvements: The study also assessed functional outcomes using the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) and Constant-Murley Scores (CMS). PRP-treated patients showed significant improvements in these scores compared to those treated with cortisone, indicating better overall shoulder function and less pain.
Why PRP is Superior to Cortisone for Rotator Cuff Tears
PRP injections involve taking a sample of your own blood, concentrating the platelets, and injecting them into the injury site. These platelets contain growth factors that help promote natural healing and tissue regeneration that can be used for many injuries not just rotator cuff tear treatments. On the other hand, cortisone injections are primarily anti-inflammatory and provide temporary pain relief but do not promote healing.

Here are some of the key reasons why PRP may be a better option than cortisone for treating partial rotator cuff tears:

Promotes Healing: PRP works by enhancing the body’s natural healing processes, helping to repair damaged tissue and reduce tear size. This is a critical advantage, as reducing tear size can prevent the condition from worsening and avoid the need for surgery.
Long-Lasting Relief: While cortisone can provide short-term pain relief, the effects tend to fade, often requiring multiple injections. PRP, however, offers long-term improvements by addressing the root cause of the pain rather than just masking it.
Lower Risk of Tendon Damage: Repeated cortisone injections can weaken the tendon over time, increasing the risk of tendon rupture. PRP is derived from your own body, making it a natural and safer option without the risk of long-term tendon damage.
PRP injection procedure for rotator cuff tear

What This Means for Patients with Rotator Cuff Tears
The findings of this study are promising for patients looking for effective, minimally invasive treatments for rotator cuff tears. PRP therapy offers an opportunity to heal the tear, improve shoulder function, and reduce pain without the risks associated with surgery or repeated cortisone injections. It’s important to note that PRP treatment quality can vary between clinics, so it’s essential to choose a provider with experience in regenerative medicine.

Interested in Learning More About PRP?
At our clinic, we specialize in regenerative orthopedics and use only the highest quality PRP to help our patients achieve the best outcomes possible. If you are dealing with a rotator cuff tear and want to explore alternatives to surgery or cortisone, contact us today to learn more about how PRP therapy can help you regain your mobility and live pain-free.