Description of Treatments
The Stem Cell (Bone Marrow Concentrate) Procedure
On the day of the procedure, Dr. Bullock will usually have you take a pain or anxiety medication by mouth about 30 minutes prior to the procedure. A small amount of blood will be extracted and processed in a centrifuge to obtain a concentrated sample of your platelets. Most of the time, you will lie on your side for the procedure. After your skin is cleaned, the doctor will use a medication to numb the skin and bone for the site of bone marrow extraction. Once a small amount of bone marrow is collected it will be processed in a centrifuge to obtain a concentrated sample of your stem cells. Next, Dr. Bullock will occasionally obtain a small amount of fat tissue from your "love handle" area. This can be used as a scaffolding or tissue graft for the bone marrow stem cells to stick to once injected.
After all samples are obtained, Dr. Bullock will use an ultrasound to guide and carefully inject the cells at the site(s) of damage.
The procedure is performed in our medical office and takes 1-2 hours to complete. Each patient usually walks out of the office with minimal discomfort.
Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) Procedure
PRP is a simple procedure that is performed in the office. We take small amount of your blood from your arm and process it in a centrifuge to obtain a concentrated sample of blood platelets to form PRP. This is then placed into a syringe. Dr. Bullock uses an ultrasound to guide and inject the PRP at the site of injury.
Risks of the Procedures
Complications from the harvesting of fat or bone marrow are rare, but may include damage to the bone, nerve or muscle in the region. Damage to the bowel during the procedure is also reported in the literature as an extremely rare complication. Dr. Bullock uses only local anesthesia, therefore avoiding complications from general anesthesia or IV medications. Some patients may get lightheaded during or just after the procedure.
There are uncommon adverse events from any injection including, but not limited to: bone or joint infection, skin infection, bleeding or allergic reaction to the local anesthetic.
After the Procedures
Most patients will have some discomfort in the areas treated for 2-3 days afterward. Although rare, pain and stiffness could last up to 14 days in some patients and may be significant enough to interfere with work, school or daily home activities. Many patients will resume normal daily activities once their post procedure pain improves. Depending on the area treated, most can start light exercise within a week.
Benefits
Benefits from the procedure include pain reduction, improvements in range of motion and function of the joint treated. After the procedure, patients will usually start to notice improvements within 2-6 weeks. Statistically, patients who respond well to the treatment will have about 75% of the improvement they will achieve by 3-4 months.
Fee for Procedures
Both the Stem Cell and PRP procedures are considered research-based at this time and are not currently covered by commercial insurance or Medicare. NorthShore University HealthSystem is a nonprofit institution and we have been able to keep the cost of these procedures relatively low. They are self-pay only procedures and payment is collected at the time of the procedure.
Stem Cell Procedure $3500.00
Platelet Rich Plasma $885.00