Your knees are not only the largest joints in your body, but they also are among the most important when it comes to your mobility. When you have damage in your knee, such as a meniscus tear, you want to help the tissue heal as healthy and as strong as possible so you can move freely. Yet, understandably, you’d rather not achieve this objective through surgery.
At Genesis Orthopaedic and Spine, our team in New Jersey excels in the use of regenerative medicine practices that help your body to heal from within to avoid surgical intervention. As an example, we routinely turn to bone marrow aspirate concentrate (BMAC) for meniscus tears. Here, we explain how it works.
About Meniscus Tear in New Jersey
Meniscus tears are among the most common knee injuries. Athletes, particularly those who play contact sports, are at risk for meniscus tears. However, anyone at any age can tear the meniscus. When people talk about torn cartilage in the knee, they are usually referring to a torn meniscus.
Meniscus Tears Aren’t All Equal
Two bones meet to form the knee joint: the femur and the tibia. The kneecap (patella) sits in front of the joint to provide some protection.
Two wedge-shaped pieces of fibrocartilage act as shock absorbers between the femur and tibia. These are the menisci. The menisci help to transmit weight from one bone to another and play an important role in knee stability.
If you incur a tear in the outer third of your meniscus, the good news is that this area heals far more readily thanks to a steady supply of healing resources delivered by your blood. If, however, your meniscus tear involves the inner two-thirds of tissue that’s devoid of blood vessels, healing can be far trickier, which is why surgery is often recommended.
BMAC as Meniscus Tear Treatment
Since access to healing resources is the primary challenge when it comes to many meniscus tears, our goal is to supply those resources through regenerative medicine. More specifically, with meniscus tears, we turn to bone marrow aspirate concentrate, which contains an ample supply of stem cells.
When you were nothing more than a fetus, your stem cells went to work to form your body, as these powerful cells have the incredible ability to become many types of cells. For example, these early stem cells became your liver cells, your brain cells, your skin cells, and more.
As an adult, you still have stem cells in your body, and they’re mostly found in your bone marrow, which is the spongy tissue inside your bones. These cells are what create your blood supply.
With bone marrow aspirate concentrate, we draw some of your bone marrow, usually from your pelvis, as this bone is large and has a good supply of accessible bone marrow. Once we aspirate your bone marrow, we reinject the stem cells into your damaged meniscus, where they go to work to heal and repair the damage, even in the white zone.
To give you an idea about the efficacy of BMAC, one report concluded that, “application of autologous BMAC in addition to a meniscus suture resulted in successful meniscus regeneration of tears in the avascular zone by a one-step procedure.” Please note that this study was conducted in rabbits and involved surgery, but the takeaway is that stem cells played a significant role in successful healing.
FAQ
How does BMAC help treat meniscus tears?
BMAC delivers a concentrated supply of stem cells directly to the torn meniscus. These stem cells have the ability to become different types of cells and work to repair and regenerate the damaged tissue, even in areas with poor blood supply (the “white zone”) where healing is typically difficult.
Is BMAC a surgical treatment?
No, BMAC is a nonsurgical, minimally invasive procedure. It avoids the need for knee surgery while helping your body heal from within.
Who can get meniscus tears?
While athletes in contact sports are at higher risk, anyone at any age can tear their meniscus. It’s one of the most common knee injuries when people refer to “torn cartilage” in the knee.
Does BMAC work for tears in areas without blood vessels?
Yes. One of BMAC’s main advantages is that it can help heal tears in the inner two-thirds of the meniscus (the “white zone”) that lack blood vessels, where natural healing is typically tricky and surgery is often recommended.
What are the benefits of BMAC for meniscus tears?
- Non-surgical alternative
- Uses your own stem cells (autologous)
- Promotes natural tissue regeneration
- Helps reduce knee pain
- May restore full knee function
Where is BMAC treatment available in New Jersey?
Genesis Orthopaedic and Spine offers BMAC treatment for meniscus tears at their offices in West Orange and Westfield, New Jersey.
How effective is BMAC for meniscus repair?
Research shows that BMAC application in addition to meniscus suture resulted in successful meniscus regeneration of tears in the avascular zone. Stem cells play a significant role in successful healing.
Nonsurgical Meniscus Tear Treatment in New Jersey
At our practice, our goal is to eliminate surgery with BMAC and physical therapy so that you can regain full use of your knee (not to mention alleviate any associated knee pain).
If you’re struggling with a meniscus tear and you want a nonsurgical solution, contact one of our offices in West Orange or Westfield, New Jersey, to learn more about bone marrow aspirate concentrate.
