Joint and musculoskeletal problems, as well as tissue defects (damaged or injured) affect people of all ages and genders and are becoming more frequent. The impact on the quality of life of those who are affected has negative consequences and can prevent normal day to day functions.
The Conservative Approach
The conservative approach can include:
- Change of habits aimed at stimulating the articulation or the affected tendon as little as possible;
- Physiotherapy;
- Chondroprotective drugs;
- Analgesic therapy through the administration of NSAIDs (Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs), of steroidal anti-inflammatories and painkillers; infiltration (in the case of joint problems) through injection of hyaluronic acid and steroidal anti-inflammatories);
- Infiltrations (in the case of joint problems) through the injection of hyaluronic acid and steroidal anti-inflammatories;
- Medical procedures designed to help repair, reconstruct and replace the damaged or injured tissue..
The Surgical Approach
The surgical approach involves the implantation of a partial or total joint prostheses. Arthroprosthetic procedures are performed only if conservative therapy has not given any result. Surgery is not without risks and is not always feasible which drives patients to look for alternatives.
Lipogems® System: the natural alternative
The Lipogems® system procedure is an advanced technology to process body fat without altering it, eliminating the pro-inflammatory oily and blood components. Our cutting-edge system fully exploits the regenerative potential of adipose tissue, which plays an essential role in the correct functioning of the body and in healing processes. Over the years, numerous studies have been conducted on the healing properties of fat, revealing the presence of an essential network of reparative cells which, within the adipose tissue, operate in synergy as a single functional entity.
The amazing power of fat
The Potential of Fat
Adipose tissue is a versatile tissue that plays an essential role in various physiological processes., the most important of which is the healing process, as it contains a major network of reparative cells operating as a functional unit. Several studies, over decades, have encouraged scientists to investigate the healing properties of fat.
The Advantages of Lipogems®
Lipogems is a minimally invasive procedure using the patient’s own adipose tissue. The processed tissue from the Lipogems system is called micro fragmented adipose tissue (MicroFat).
Micro fragmented adipose tissue provides cushioning to support the healing process of damaged or injured tissue or tissue that needs to be repaired, reconstructed, or is missing.
Lipogems micro fragmented adipose tissue may be injected in multiple sites in the same setting for patients suffering from orthopaedic and soft tissue injuries.
Since autologous tissue is being used, there is minimal risk of rejection or infection. For most patients, there is minimal recovery and opioids can be used post procedure.
What is Adipose Tissue?
Adipose tissue, also known as “fat”, has a complex structure made up of a variety of cells including adipocytes, reticular cells, mesenchymal cells and perivascular cells. All these cells coexist in a specific environment called niche. However, adipose tissue properties go beyond its purely structural function, playing an important role in thermal insulation, protection from trauma, hormonal regulation and as an energy reserve.
How Can Fat Help Us
The medical procedure used by the Lipogems® system exploits an advanced technology that washes, rinses and resizes body fat without altering it, supporting the natural healing processes of the tissues. The processed adipose tissue is then injected directly into the affected areas, acting as a structural and protective support to aid the repair of damaged tissue
Lipogems® procedure
The Lipogems procedure uses an innovative technology that processes body fat without altering it, thus preserving its beneficial properties to support the repair of damaged tissue.
The adipose tissue obtained is injected into specific areas of the body, near damaged tissues, to help create an ideal environment for their repair.
This process requires only local anesthesia (a minimally invasive procedure) lasting about an hour in a surgical clinic and is typically performed by harvesting fat from the patient’s abdomen.
Through a simple incision a small quantity of adipose tissue is taken, generally from the waistline (the so-called “love handles”) of the patient himself.
The harvested adipose tissue is then processed through a special device that washes it using a sterile saline solution and micro-fragments it into small clusters, thus maintaining the beneficial structural properties.