Regenerative medicine has great potential. It empowers the body’s own healing mechanisms to cure injuries that would normally require surgery or other invasive measures.
In this episode of Back Talk Doc, Dr. Peter Bailey discusses his work in regenerative spinal care.
Research on regenerative spinal care is steadily progressing, despite a lack of funding. Most companies fund research into drugs rather than regenerative medicine, so progress has taken time and dedication. In spinal care, regenerative treatments can improve patient pain. For this to be effective, the cause of the pain must be accurately diagnosed to ensure that the proper treatment plan and target area are selected.
Regenerative spinal care is best at targeting disc pain in ways that physical therapy and surgery cannot. “The disc is the largest structure in the body that does not have its own blood supply,” said Dr. Bailey. “When we injure a disc, it doesn't heal up very well. It creates an environment that, over time, predisposes the disc to further degenerate.”
Dr. Bailey primarily treats disc pain with platelet-rich plasma. In this method, platelets from the patient’s body are injected into the spine. Platelets are the body’s first responders to injury. By giving the injured area more platelets, the body’s healing responses are increased enough that the spinal injury can be healed well.
Regenerative medicine on its own is not enough. Dr. Bailey recommends accompanying the treatment with physical therapy and exercise to prevent re-injury of the spine.
Excited to learn more? Tune in to this episode of Back Talk Doc to discover more about regenerative spinal care.
Read the Full Show Notes on our website BackTalkDoc.com.
💡 Featured Expert 💡
Name: Dr. Peter Bailey
What he does: As a physiatrist at Carolina Neurosurgery and Spine Associates, Dr. Bailey is pioneering the field of regenerative spine care.
Company: Carolina Neurosurgery and Spine Associates
Words of wisdom: “If you have a patient who is younger to middle age, who has kind of a bad-looking disc, a surgeon doesn't really want to operate on that. Surgical outcomes for axial back pain are not that great. So it’s a great tool to have for that segment of the population that offers hope for the management of back pain, when it seems like other options aren't available. As far as the future goes, it's definitely going to be critical.”
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Back Talk Doc is brought to you by Carolina Neurosurgery & Spine Associates, with offices in North and South Carolina. To learn more about Dr. Lakhia and treatment options for back and spine issues, go to
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