This stem cell therapy has made recent headlines in the baseball world, where it has helped injured New York Yankees pitcher Bartolo Colón make a full recovery from a serious shoulder injury and pitch his first full season since 2005.  The treatment required no artificial hormones, and 38-year-old Colón’s athletic performance since the treatment rivals that of players in their early twenties.

Stem cells are body cells with the potential to develop into any specialized type of cell.  By introducing the body’s own stem cells – harvested from body fat over the oblique muscles (the “love handles”) – the treatment helps the body recover by regenerating the damaged joint tissue.  The procedure is low-risk, minimally invasive, office-based, and can be completed in only 90 minutes.  The patient can leave the office that same day, and substantial recovery is typically seen within 6-8 weeks.  The treatment is very effective because it utilizes the body’s own natural regeneration materials to rebuild damage in areas that unavoidably receive less blood flow, thus receiving fewer stem cells.  By introducing stem cells at the site of injury, doctors can give the body a boost by delivering the patient’s own natural regenerative materials directly to the afflicted joint.

At Spine and Joint Center, Dr. Noto is one of the few doctors in the New York area who perform this procedure – and he’s seeing an extremely high success rate as well as an increase in patients interested in the procedure.  “This is something we couldn’t have offered before,” says Dr. Noto, “and now we have this as an option.  We used to have to replace things with hardware, but now we can stimulate the body to produce new tissue.”  Stem cell treatment offers new hope and a fast, full recovery to patients with orthopedic injuries and patients who have tried surgical procedures without success.

About Spine & Joint Center
Headed by Dr. Damon Noto, Spine & Joint Center offers comprehensive care for joint problems, back pain, and neck pain in Bergen County, New Jersey.  For more information on joint and back pain Bergen County treatment options, visit http://www.spineandjointcenter.com/.

• Overuse or injury of the lower back muscles.
• Pressure on the spinal nerve roots in the spinal canal, caused by a number of conditions – including fractures to the spine or deformities like scoliosis.
• Osteoarthritis, or a degeneration of the small facet joints of the spine.
• A herniated (or “slipped” disc), which involves one of the spine’s cushioning discs slipping out of place due to athletic activity or strain from improper lifting.
• Damage to the facet joints and sacroiliac joints, often caused by injury.
• Spinal stenosis, which is a narrowing of the spinal canal that typically worsens in late adulthood.
• Fractures in a spinal column weakened by osteoporosis, common in post-menopausal women.

For more information on lower back pain, visit Spine & Joint Center online.