Regenerative Medicine Specialist

Leia Rispoli, MD

Interventional Pain Medicine located in Newport Beach, CA & Marina Del Rey, CA

Regenerative medicine offers an effective alternative to surgery and may either help injuries heal more quickly, or mitigate pain caused by inflammation when oral medications and steroid injection are not enough or not tolerated. At her office in Marina Del Rey and Newport Beach, California, fellowship-trained pain specialist Leia Rispoli, MD, uses stem cells and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) to promote tissue repair for patients with numerous musculoskeletal conditions. Alpha-2-macroglobulin injections are also utilized as a natural alternative to steroids, for longer-term reduction in inflammation in joints and certain spine conditions. If you're looking for a better solution to pain that tackles its underlying cause, call Leia Rispoli, MD, or book an appointment online today.

Regenerative Medicine Q & A

What is regenerative medicine?

Regenerative medicine employs naturally occurring biological substances (specific cells) to either stimulate your body’s ability to repair itself or to reduce the chronic inflammation cycle. These cells are naturally occuring in your body, and are used when you suffer any kind of tissue damage. They arrive in your blood to make repairs and generate replacement tissue that heals the damage.

Dr. Rispoli harvests healthy cells from your body and introduces them to tissues affected by injury or disease. The concentration of healing cells may enable your body to repair badly damaged areas that might not heal properly without help.

What kinds of regenerative medicine are available?

Dr. Rispoli uses three kinds of regenerative medicine — stem cell therapy, platelet-rich plasma (PRP), and alpha-2-macroglobulin (A2M).

Stem cell therapy

Stem cell therapy uses special cells that your body stores in its fatty tissue and bone marrow. These stem cells can become any other kind of cell that your body needs, including muscle, bone, and cartilage. Dr. Rispoli collects tissues containing stem cells from your body and then extracts the cells before injecting them into your damaged tissues.

Platelet-rich plasma

PRP uses growth factors from the platelets in your blood to repair damaged tissues. Dr. Rispoli draws a sample of your blood and spins it at a high speed in a centrifuge machine. That process separates the plasma (the liquid part of the blood) and platelets from the rest of your blood. Dr. Rispoli can then inject the concentrated platelets into your body.

Alpha-2-macroglobulin

A2M uses protease enzymes in your blood, produced in the liver, that can slow down, or halt the inflammation cycle that may contribute to your chronic pain. This injection may be utilized in the hip, knee, shoulder (or any) joint, or spine as a natural alternative to steroids, to reduce chronic pain and hopefully delay or avoid surgical options. The process is similar to PRP involving drawing a blood sample, centrifuging, separating the enzymes, and then injecting them into a targeted region.

To ensure accuracy and safety when injecting stem cells, A2M, and PRP, Dr. Rispoli uses either fluoroscopy (live X-ray) or ultrasound technology to view the injection site.

What conditions can regenerative medicine treat?

Stem cells and PRP can help heal a variety of musculoskeletal pain problems, including:

Sprains and strains
Tendonitis/tendinopathies
Torn ligaments
Torn Cartilage
Degenerated disc disease
Myofascial pain syndrome
Pelvic Pain

Regenerative medicine treatments are particularly popular among athletes to speed up the healing of sports injuries.

Alpha-2-macroglobulin can help reduce symptoms and increase function in a variety of chronic pain issues, such as:

Osteoarthritis
Chronic hip pain
Chronic knee pain
Chronic shoulder pain
Pelvic pain
Chronic ankle pain
Chronic neuropathies
Neck pain
Back pain

Alpha-2-macroglobulin treatments are particularly popular among patients that cannot tolerate or wish to reduce injections with steroids, or patients suffering chronic pain that wish to avoid surgical options.

Is regenerative medicine safe?

The substances used in regenerative medicine come from your body, so there’s very little chance of any adverse reaction. Dr. Rispoli has used them successfully for years without any problems, and in many cases, they help patients avoid having to undergo surgery for their condition.

If you’re interested in finding out what regenerative medicine could do for you, call Leia Rispoli, MD, and schedule a consultation or book an appointment online today.