PHX Reporter

Banner Health is now offering orthobiologics, a form of regenerative medicine, to aid in the healing of athletic injuries and reduce pain without surgery. This treatment utilizes a patient's own plasma and bone marrow to treat conditions such as broken bones, injured muscles, tendons, or ligaments.

The process involves using platelet-rich plasma (PRP), which is derived from the patient's blood. The blood is spun at high speeds to separate out red blood cells before being injected into the injury site. "Injuries like tennis elbow, or knee osteoarthritis can really benefit from PRP treatment and physical therapy," stated Dr. Rafael Buerba, sports medicine surgeon at Banner Health. He added that while immediate pain relief might not be felt, PRP aids in natural healing over time.

Another component of orthobiologics is bone marrow aspirate concentrate (BMAC), which involves extracting bone marrow from the patient's pelvis and injecting it into the injury for healing. Dr. Elizabeth Batterton, a sports medicine primary care physician at Banner Health, commented on the effectiveness of stem cell injections: “The stem cell injections have the power to generate greater, longer-lasting pain relief than other traditional injections."

Orthobiologics treatments are available for patients ranging from 13 to 98 years old; however, these treatments are not covered by insurance.

Banner Health operates one of the largest secular nonprofit health care systems in the United States with services including hospitals, an academic medicine division, outpatient surgery centers, urgent care locations among others. They offer virtual visits with all employed doctors and provide various facilities across Arizona as well as other states including California and Colorado.

For further details about Banner Health's offerings and services visit bannerhealth.com.