How stem cell therapy could replace Tommy John surgery to repair muscles
Stem cell therapy could replace traditional ligament-replacement surgery as the first option to repair partial ulnar collateral ligament tears in pitchers' elbows. The Angels' Garrett Richards and Andrew Heaney each opted to undergo the 20-minute therapy procedure. If it works, they could return to play a year sooner than if they had chosen what is popularly known as Tommy John surgery.
- With the recipient under anesthesia, bone marrow is harvested from the pelvis.
- The marrow is twice spun in a centrifuge to separate the desired cells from the plasma as much as possible .
- The stem-cell-rich liquid is injected into the elbow, where it speeds up the body’s natural healing process.
Harvesting bone marrow
Separating cells from plasma
Injection
Sources: Steve Whyte, Ryan Vaughn, Felix Dunn: Acceleratedbiologics.com, Regenerative Medicine Training Institute
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