When we age or get injured, our connective tissues become damaged. This causes pain and inflammation, as well as poor mobility. Conventional approaches to musculoskeletal injuries often fall short and advances in medicine today have made it possible to harness the healing power of our own bodies.

Regenerative medicine is an emerging branch of medicine that has the potential to provide a solution to restore organ and/or tissue function in patients whose own bodily responses aren’t sufficient to bring about healing. 

New regenerative therapies, like BioRenew PTM therapy and Regenexx, provide an alternative to medication, steroid injections and/or surgery. However, not all treatments are created equal and it is important to find out which ones are the least invasive and most beneficial. 

What is BioRenew PTM therapy?

BioRenew PTM therapy is an all-natural biologic therapy. It can potentially assist your body in its natural ability to improve connective tissue problems. The procedure focuses on the regenerative viability of the most nutrient-rich source known to humans for its viable biomolecules, growth factors and collagen. The rich fluid matrix supplements the injured or damaged tissues.  

No moral or ethical issues exist when using this placental tissue, which contains no tissue from the child or the mother. It is non-immunogenic, anti-inflammatory, and anti-microbial. The procurement, harvesting, processing, sterilization, storage and distribution are all conducted under strict FDA-guidelines.

What is Regenexx?

The doctors who founded Regenexx were the first in the U.S. to begin using stem cells in the treatment of orthopedic conditions. They have worked on creating a network of clinics that offer same-day cell treatment applications.

Bone marrow concentrate or BMC and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) are used to treat orthopedic applications. Other providers may place stem cells somewhere in the vicinity of where they can do some good but Regenexx prides itself on using the image-guided injection-based treatment in its clinics. 

How do they differ?

BioRenew PTM therapy is an off-the-shelf option and costs as much as 50% less than Regenexx. It does not require an anesthetic and only takes between five and ten minutes. 

No tissue is harvested using invasive needles as this therapy does not rely on patient cell viability. Patients usually experience results after only a single treatment and start to feel relief after about 3-10 days.

Regenexx therapy requires the administering of a local anesthetic and relies on patient cell viability. The problem with this is that patients may not yield any viable cells if they already have co-morbidities or injuries.

The use of adult stem cells requires intervention to harvest the stem cells. One procedure is used for extracting the cells and another for reinserting them into the target area, which increases the risks and costs. Before reinserting them into the target area, they are isolated, treated and amplified.

Why BioRenew PTM therapy works

Our bodies contain many stem cells but most of them are inactive. If stem cells could act on their own, they would simply repair the damage due to injury or aging. We wouldn’t need doctors or surgeons. But this is not how it works. 

Stem cells have the ability to replicate but they need support. All that’s required is to initiate the repair process of the connective tissue. Most stem cells in the body are inactive and need some kind of message to become active, along with the supportive materials necessary for proper tissue repair and engineering. 

BioRenew PTM therapy is the only PTM Therapy registered with the FDA that’s intended to treat the tissues of ligament, cartilage, tendon and bone injuries. It uses placental tissue, which has an extra-cellular matrix (ECM) containing three key components: Growth factors, bioactive molecules and a collagen scaffold. 

These are necessary to support effective and consistent repair and regeneration of connective tissue. Adding a rich ECM provides the body with the support it needs to successfully remodel tissue and reduce the risk of failure and complications. 

Stem cells lack these three components and adult stem cell therapy providers, such as Regenexx, have added a second procedure to their adult cell therapy, called Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP).

The patient’s blood is drawn and spun in a centrifuge to separate the red and white cells from the plasma, which is then used in combination with the adult stem cells. This is a good addition because it contains growth factors but it still does not contain bioactive molecules and the collagen scaffold.

The bottom line

When looking into stem cell and regenerative treatments, it is important to find out about the advantages and disadvantages of the different sources. If you choose stem cell-based regenerative therapy, it may provide you with only one particular component instead of providing a complete biologic solution with all the components you need for success. 

You may also pay far more for a procedure that doesn’t offer the results you expect and is not covered by insurance. BioRenew therapy is not covered by insurance either but it is a more affordable option with proven results.