A physical therapy Connecticut offers stem cell injections to treat muscles and tendons that have been severely injured as well as joint arthritis. Stem cells are cells that do not have specific characteristics and can be transplanted into areas of the body where they will take on those characteristics, divide and multiply. The technique involves harvesting stem cells from different sources in the person’s body. There are three main areas of the adult or child's body where stem cells can be harvested. The first one is the bone marrow, which is collected by drilling into the bone. Stem cells are also present in the adipose, or fatty tissue, and can be extracted through liposuction.
The third most prominent source of stem cells is in the blood, which can be drawn can and put into a machine to extract the stem cells. After the extraction, the remaining blood is then returned to the donor. The collected cells, which are highly concentrated, are then injected into the damaged areas of the same person’s body. Unlike embryonic stem cells, this method uses strictly adult stem cells and are not transplanted into a different body.
Stem cells are able to take on the characteristics of the part of the body where they are injected and help rebuild and regenerate healthy tissue. The stem cells found in adults are cells that help repair and maintain tissue where they are located. One of the richest sources of adult stem cells is the bone marrow. Those stem cells have already been collected and used to treat such diseases and ailments as spinal cord injuries, end stage heart failure, chronic limb ischemia and liver cirrhosis. There has also been great success in the treatment of leukemia and other blood and bone cancers by transplanting the bone marrow. Although the number of stem cells in a person’s body lessens with age, they are still collectable using special techniques such as those used at clinics specializing in physical therapy New Haven.
Although the introduction of stem cells into damaged areas of the body has shown great success, there is still an intense amount of research being conducted. It is hoped that as time goes on, different sources of stem cells will be developed with more advanced applications, such as in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, diabetes and heart disease.
