Plenty of people still think of stem cells as mysterious, or even taboo. They are simply cells that make or replenish other cells. For example, when you donate blood, your stem cells are in charge of replenishing your blood cells. Scientists have found stem cells throughout the body, each doing an assigned job. Some replenish blood cells, some replenish skin cells, while others repair heart tissue. These cells do not usually change jobs; they become specialists at making their particular cell types.
Scientists and researchers are interested in stem cells for several reasons. Although stem cells do not serve any one function, they have the capacity to serve any function after they are instructed to specialize. This makes stem cells the foundation for every organ and tissue in your body, an integral part of healing and development.
There are many different types of stem cells that come from different places in the body or are formed at different times in our lives. These include embryonic stem cells that exist only at the earliest stages of development, and various types of tissue-specific (or adult) stem cells that appear during fetal development and remain in our bodies throughout life. Therefore, stem cells extracted from embryos can be induced to become any desired cell type. This property makes stem cells powerful enough to regenerate damaged tissue under the right conditions.
All stem cells can self-renew (make copies of themselves) and differentiate (develop into more specialized cells). Beyond these two critical abilities, though, stem cells vary widely in what they can and cannot do and in the circumstances under which they can and cannot do certain things. This is one of the reasons scientists use all types of stem cells in their research and experiments.
If you’re looking for a non-surgical alternative to treat your pain, Dr. William Hefley offers platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and stem cell therapy to treat patients of all ages and activity levels. Also, known as regenerative medicine, these revolutionary orthopedic procedures use components from your own body to relieve pain and promote the regeneration of new, healthy tissue.
To learn more about regenerative medicine, stem cells, and what they can do, call board-certified orthopedic surgeon Dr. Bill Hefley at (800) 336-2412 to request an appointment, or request an appointment online.
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