Last Friday was dedicated to an eight-hour virtual symposium: Orthobiologics in Non-Surgical Treatment of Knee Arthritis: Risks and Benefits for Your Patient; organized by the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgery. This is a milestone because the AAOS is the acknowledged leader in continued development, education, and leadership in musculoskeletal health. Until now, it has been open season without credentialing for anyone with a medical license including chiropractors, naturopaths, etc., to lay claim to the “stem cell” treatment for every malady that affects mankind. The charlatans and camp followers would charge excessive fees for “stem cells”. In an affirmative statement, The AAOS has literally partnered with the FDA for patient protection concerning the emerging discipline of Regenerative Medicine; and seized the initiative in helping to fund and accelerate research, safety, and efficacy.
One future strategy I will be pursuing, as a result of the symposium, is to modernize and advance the Platelet Rich Plasma treatment option. We think PRP and Bone Marrow Concentrate (BMC) work because of a sustained and longer expression of IL1-RA and TGF-B than other biologics (Growth Factors). Additionally, BMAC includes Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSC’s) that contain exosomal proteins indirectly responsible for anti-inflammatory regulation in a joint. Is it possible to promote cellular reprogramming by changing the processing of PRP and thus decreasing the costs and eliminating the complexity of the Bone Marrow Concentrate experience? The way that MSC’s function is by signaling with extracellular Nano-particles. Mesenchymal stem cells do not morph, they signal. If we are able to extract similar signaling Nano-particles from your Platelets, then might the PRP act not only as an anti-inflammatory but in joint regeneration? Please remember, before I offer a treatment option in my practice, FDA approval is clarified and outcomes surveillance authorized by an Investigational Review Board.
On the one hand, the video clip attached to this blog should catch your attention as to the natural history of aging. On the other hand, the World Health Organization has done new research and defined a new criterion that divides human life as follows:
Age 18 to 65 years old: youth or young people
66 to 79: middle-aged
80 to 99: elderly or senior
After watching the attached video, you may decide how to change your future. Visiting my website at www.sheinkopmd.com or schedule an appointment (312) 475-1893 to learn how Biologics with a needle followed by a short rehabilitation and not a prosthesis with a knife and long rehabilitation might relieve arthritic symptoms and restore joint function.