What are stem cells?Although the general public and majority of the medical field considers stem cell therapy an innovative, cutting-edge treatment, the fact is that this kind of therapy already has a lengthy history. In the past, however, stem cells were difficult and very expensive to obtain. Luckily, the advent of improved equipment and techniques has meant that stem cells can now be acquired through a simple procedure.
Stem cells are mother cells that have the remarkable potential to change into different type of cells during early life and during rapid growth of the human body. These stem cells are used for tissue repair and regeneration. Stem cells are programmed to develop into functional cells that may be implanted directly to diseased organs.Diseases that can be treated by transplanting cells generated from human embryonic stem cells include Neurologic diseases like Parkinson's disease, diabetes, traumatic spinal cord injury, Duchenne's muscular dystrophy, heart disease, and vision and hearing loss.
Stem Cells in Orthopedic and Sports Medicine
Stem cell application is a rapidly growing field of medicine that is likely to influence the future of orthopaedic surgery. Stem cells are associated with great promise and great application. For the orthopaedic surgeon, stem cells may change the way that orthopaedic surgery is practiced and the overall approach of the treatment of musculoskeletal disease. Stem cells may change the field of orthopaedics from a field dominated by surgical replacements and reconstructions to a field of regeneration and prevention.
Diseases that was deemed incurable and millions of patients suffering from chronic pain may be helped with stem cell therapy. Professional athletes that may have lost their careers due to injuries may come back once again with renewed hope and succeed in their sports. The best example of this is the New York Yankees pitcher Bartolo Colon. The professional pitcher had a torn rotator cuff and was sidelined for several months. He then sought the treatment of Dr Joseph Purita, a world renowed Orthopedic Surgeon and one of the pioneers in Stem Cell therapy and the director of the Regenerative and Molecular Orthopedics in Boca Raton, Fla. Dr Purita used the stem cells of Bartolo Colon and injected it to his own rotator cuff thereby accelerating the body's healing process and tissue regeneration. Where before the advent of this therapy healing would take months to years now it would only take weeks for complete healing.
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