Regenerative Injectable Therapies: Current Evidence

Curr Sports Med Rep. 2020 Sep;19(9):353-359. doi: 10.1249/JSR.0000000000000751.

Abstract

Regenerative medicine is a growing field of musculoskeletal treatments that focuses on amplifying the body's natural healing properties to improve function and pain after injury. Regenerative treatments are applied locally at the site of injury and work though different mechanisms, some of which are unexplained at this time. Current evidence demonstrates benefit for certain regenerative treatments, but further standardization of treatments and additional studies are required to provide additional data to support specific regenerative treatments. This review seeks to explore the evidence and discuss appropriate use of the most common regenerative treatments including platelet-rich plasma, prolotherapy, autologous mesenchymal stem cells, human-derived allograft products, and saline.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Humans
  • Injections*
  • Mesenchymal Stem Cells
  • Musculoskeletal Diseases / therapy*
  • Platelet-Rich Plasma
  • Prolotherapy
  • Regenerative Medicine / methods*