Knee replacement surgery, also known as arthroplasty, is a procedure that replaces the damaged parts of your knee with artificial components. Patients will choose to undergo this major surgery for many reasons, including osteoarthritis, knee injuries, disorders that may cause unusual bone growth, and rheumatoid arthritis.
Usually, when the pain, inflammation, and other symptoms interfere with daily living activities and quality of life, a patient may think it’s their only option. However, thanks to the groundbreaking field of regenerative medicine, there are viable alternatives to serious surgeries such as knee replacements that are safe and effective.
Side Effects of Knee Replacement Surgeries
With a major surgery such as a knee replacement, there are considerable drawbacks. Typically, the procedure will leave a patient hospitalized from 1-4 days, with the need for assisted walking with a cane, crutches, or parallel bars. While the patient may begin to feel an improvement in pain within the next month or so, there is usually the need for narcotics to manage pain and rounds of physical therapy to regain strength and mobility.
Other side effects of knee replacements include:
- Interactions or complications from the anesthesia used during surgery
- Infection at the incision site
- Excessive bleeding and/or blood clots
- Pain and swelling
- An allergic reaction/rejection to the components used for the replacement (most often, metal)
- Implant failure
- Deep vein thrombosis
- Wound healing problems
- Dissatisfaction and continued pain
What Alternative Treatments Do We Offer?
Our regenerative medicine treatments are suitable for treating common knee conditions including, but not limited to cartilage damage and tears (from injury or osteoarthritis), tendonitis, and joint pain. Even better, these procedures are far less risky than invasive surgeries, including little to no downtimes and the elimination of addictive pain medications.
Regenerative Tissue Therapy
Regenerative tissue has the unique ability to transform into the type of cells our bodies need to sustain and repair themselves. As our bodies age naturally over time, our cells and tissue do as well, which can, in turn, hinder our ability to heal from age-related degradation or injury.
However, injections containing Wharton’s jelly-derived tissue that are ethically and voluntarily sourced from planned cesarean sections can act as the catalyst to your body’s repair. This substance is naturally produced within our bodies and rich in growth factors, proteins, peptides, amino acids, and hyaluronic acid. Once these viable and potent factors are injected into the damaged area (in this case, the knee), they signal to your body to begin the healing process, which leads to pain relief.
Platelet-rich Plasma Therapy
Platelet-rich plasma, or PRP, therapy is another type of regenerative medicine that involves drawing a small amount of the patient’s blood. From there, the blood is placed in a centrifuge to isolate the platelet-rich plasma. The PRP is highly concentrated with platelets, sometimes four to five times what is found in your blood alone. It is packed with growth factors, proteins, and cytokines that stimulate bone and soft tissue healing. Therefore, it has been shown to provide natural relief in reducing pain, discomfort, and inflammation when injected into a damaged knee.
If you are interested in a personalized plan that targets your unique condition and symptoms, call us today at (214) 221-2525 to schedule a free consultation.