The Power of Fat in Orthopaedics: New Treatment Options
Maryland is home to many people participating in sporting activities.Whether it’s the young athlete participating in high school sports or the adult weekend warrior athlete, more activities yields more injuries.
Thankfully, Dr. Jason Hammond from MedStar Orthopaedics is a leader in orthopedic care for joint issues ranging from acute sports injuries to chronic conditions. MedStar Orthopaedics is world renowned for their leadership in sports medicine and providing high quality care to patients.
Dr. Hammond developed an early interest in emerging technologies in orthopedic medicine
Dr. Hammond was born at Johns Hopkins Hospital and raised in Hampton,Virginia.He attended Morehouse College in Atlanta and returned to medical school at the John Hopkins School of Medicine.
He stayed to complete his orthopedic surgery residency at Johns Hopkins, and completed a fellowship in sports medicine at MedStar Union Memorial Hospital. He has also spent time as an associate physician of several colleges and professional teams,including the Baltimore Ravens. He is now a team physician Baltimore Brigade (AFL team) and several schools, including Gertstell Academy and Manchester Valley High School in Carroll County.
The Truth About Reparative Medicine
Medicine Surgeon | MedStar Orthopaedics
“Over the past 15 years, there has been a large advancement in orthopaedic medicine with reparative medicine. We transitioned from using bone marrow to fat cells.Bone marrow has been and is a very good source of cells but surprisingly there is strong basic science that shows that fat has a higher number of reparative cells. Fat is also easier to get from the patient.”
“I started offering this to my patients that were frustrated with the current conservative treatment options. Conservative treatment options can only do so much and we need to manage the patient’s pain and lessen the impact that it has on their daily activities.
“Many patients are suffering from orthopedic pain and are not ready for invasive surgery like a total joint replacement. They are also looking for longer lasting options to cortisone injections and that have less side effects. This is why using an individual’s own fat tissue to help them heal is appealing.”
Dr. Jason Hammond is the first physician in the area to use the Lipogems system where a patient’s own fat tissue is used to help support the reconstruction, repair, or replacement of damaged or injured tissue. “Your own fat has so many reparative cells that may assist with the healing of your orthopaedic condition.
The fat is used to provide cushion and support into the area. We chose the Lipogems system because this simple and minimally invasive option that can be performed in the clinic or operating room. The simple procedure cleans the patient’s own fatty tissue using only saline and concentrates the fat tissue cells into smaller clusters to help heal their muscle and joint conditions. Our goal is to treat different types of patients and help them get back to their lives. The Lipogems system is cleared by the FDA for use in orthopaedics and has strong science behind the technology.”
The Power of Fat
Fat is crucial for your health and the reparative cells help to promote a healing environment in response to a tissue injury. Inside of your own fat, there are many different types of cells that are used for healing (including pericytes, adipose derived stem cells, adipocytes, etc). All of these cells need to stay
together to work as a functional unit like it does naturally in the body.
Simple and Minimally Invasive Procedure
Fat is usually harvested from around the belly area. If the patient does not have enough fat in the belly, the love handles can be used.The entire Lipogems procedure usually takes less than an hour and is performed in an office setting using local anesthesia.
A tiny puncture through your skin is made and a small section of fat from either your midsection or“love handles”is harvested. The collected fat is then processed in the special Lipogems device using sterile saline solution.This occurs through a very gentle process called micro-fragmentation, during which
your fat is washed, rinsed, and resized into smaller clusters while maintaining the natural beneficial properties of your fat. Blood and fatty oils are removed as the desirable remainder of your fat is concentrated. The resulting tissue is injected into the treatment site. The Lipogems difference is that the cells inside of your own powerful fat stay intact and act harmoniously in the body to repair, restructure, replace to cushion and support the tissue during the repair, replacement, or reconstruction of damaged or injured tissue.
“My patients say that they can easily tolerate the harvesting procedure because I use a local anesthetic.This eliminates the need for general anesthesia.The recovery from the procedure is minimal compared to an invasive surgery,said Dr. Hammond,” Lipogems has strong basic science and it’s a minimally invasive option for patients that are not ready for an invasive surgery.”
Working Together to Find A Solution That’s Right For You
“I work with my patients to offer the right options for them and develop a conservative treatment plan. Adding the Lipogems procedure as a treatment option has given patients another choice when it comes to managing their orthopaedic condition. I offer this technology to anyone who is seeking conservative care. LipoLove is giving patients freedom and hope again” said Dr. Jason Hammond.
Many clinics run by chiropractors are offering treatments at high prices. In addition, they may be offering adipose derived stem cells that are not compliant by the FDA standards. At MedStar, our goal is to offer the right treatment options for the patient at a reasonable price with solutions that have strong science behind the technology and are cleared by the FDA.