Regenerative Therapy: A Non-Surgical Breakthrough for Lower Back Pain

Jordan Pysz / IFoundMyDoctor.com
Michelle was experiencing severe back pain that was diagnosed as “bone-on-bone arthritis” in her spine. Not wanting surgery or to take pain medication, she gained relief through regenerative medicine treatments.

While Michelle Hazeltine was a teen, she was dual enrolled in high school and what is now Suncoast Technical College, where she studied animal husbandry, the controlled cultivation, management and production of domestic animals. But a chance encounter in one of her classes completely altered her career path. “I was taking some crop production classes when I met my future husband, who was really into horticulture,” Michelle recounts. “We began dating and started a little plant nursery together. After both of us graduated, we got married and started our own landscape design and build company. “I’ve been in the business since 1984, and now, my two sons are both working with us in our company. We design everything from the paint to the outside of the client’s house, including driveways, pool cages, pools, all the landscaping, night lighting, even the outdoor audio.” When she’s not working, Michelle does fundraising and volunteer work for nonprofit organizations in her community, including Habitat for Humanity and the YMCA. “I call that my hobby,” she jokes. “But over the past couple of years, I’ve backed off on my nonprofit work to spend extra time with my grandkids. I’ve got four grandchildren now, and for fun, we fish. That’s what we do as a family, boating and fishing.” Michelle, 56, is a very active person who regularly works out at the YMCA. However, during one of those workouts recently, she injured her lower back. “I was in a barre class and did something wrong and hurt my back a little bit,” she says. “At first, I thought I pulled a muscle or something. Two days later, I went back to the same class because I was feeling a little better, but I experienced that same feeling in my back. “The next day, I got the flu, and wound up in bed for three days. By the third day, though, I could hardly get out of bed because I was really tight and all hunched over because my back was killing me. The pain felt like a really bad pinch in my lower back, and even if I wasn’t doing anything, it registered a five or six on a scale of one to 10. “That pain was there all the time, so I was sleeping with a heating pad on my back and putting on Biofreeze® patches. That helped a little, but as soon as I did anything like pick up a grandkid, move a plant out in the nursery or just twist the wrong way, the pain would go up to an eight or nine.” In the hope of gaining some relief, Michelle visited Dr. Jeffrey P. Johnson, the principal provider at Johnson Medical Center, a comprehensive medical practice in Venice. Dr. Johnson performed a complete workup on Michelle, including an ultrasound and x-rays. Those tests revealed that the facet joints at three vertebrae in her lower back were lacking the protective cartilage that cushions the joints and that she was suffering from what Dr. Johnson described as “nearly bone-on-bone arthritis.” “At first, Dr. Johnson did some spinal treatments on me,” Michelle recalls. “After that, they did a laser treatment and then we did some stretching. I did that routine for probably six weeks, but as soon as I started to feel better, I would go to pick up one of my grandchildren or something, and my back would start hurting again. “At that point, I was frustrated and wanted to try something else. I was really scared to talk to a back surgeon because I didn’t want to get cut on. And I don’t like taking pain medicine. Then I read that Johnson Medical Center was doing regenerative therapy. After Dr. Johnson explained that procedure to me, I said, I want to try it. Let’s do it.”

Healing Factors

A novel treatment in Dr. Johnson’s arsenal against pain, regenerative therapy works by harnessing natural healing factors in the body to provide cushioning to degenerated and injured joints to help relieve pain and improve function. These healing factors, which can help stimulate the body’s ability to heal, are either collected from a patient’s ’s own blood or supplemented by utilizing amniotic fluid collected during healthy baby deliveries. “With the growth factors, we inject another material called micro human tissue, which contains a high concentration of the vibrant substances that promote the body’s healing ability.” The micro human tissue is obtained from umbilical cords donated by mothers following healthy births. The umbilical cord has protective tissue that surrounds the arteries and veins and is a vital component of fetus development. Johnson Medical Center’s regenerative therapy protocol begins with a thorough evaluation to determine if the patient is a good candidate for the therapy. Dr. Johnson also seeks to identify any other contributing conditions that may need to be addressed to ensure favorable outcomes. “Our best protocol requires a single injection of a mixture of purified amniotic fluid and micro human tissue,” Dr. Johnson explains. “These are the most effective tissues we use to treat joint conditions and promote healing. “Depending on the patient, our protocol may also include physical medicine to help improve the person’s function, and IV nutrition and/or IV ozone therapy to help boost the immune system and improve the person’s ability to heal faster.” “In Michelle’s case, she received a combination of purified amniotic fluid, micro human tissue in conjunction with IV nutrition therapy,” added Dr. Johnson. Injections are less invasive than surgery and patients recover much faster, Dr. Johnson points out. Further, there is a very low risk for complications such as bleeding and infection, which can occur with joint replacement and other types of surgery. “Regenerative therapy provides an option for patients with conditions that I would have previously referred for surgery,” Dr. Johnson declares. “It’s been a terrific addition to our practice, where we also use rehabilitation therapy, laser therapy, chiropractic and other modalities to assist with the process of rehabilitating damaged joints. The goal is for the treatment to be a long-term restorative event, not just a short-term fix. “Most importantly, it works. We’re seeing tremendous results with our regenerative therapy protocol. Within weeks of beginning treatment, patients are experiencing terrific relief from their joint pain. In a matter of months, we’re seeing an increase in the cushioning and true healing of the joint. You don’t see that level of healing with joint replacement or other surgery.” At Johnson Medical Center, regenerative therapy injections are administered by Mahendra Poonai, RN, APRN, FNP-BC, under ultrasound guidance, which ensures appropriate placement of the regenerative material at the site of the degeneration and/ or injury. “Mahendra has traveled across the country to receive the best training in regenerative medicine techniques,” Dr. Johnson maintains. “He has developed expertise in using ultrasound to get the enriched plasma and micro human tissue exactly where they need to be for the treatment to be the most effective. It is a very precise technique, and Mahendra does it well.”

“It Changed My Life”

While Michelle’s facet joints were severely damaged by the arthritis, she still had some natural tissue in the joints that could be built on, Dr. Johnson reports. That made her an excellent candidate for his regenerative therapy protocol. Michelle completed the treatment protocol earlier this year. Three weeks after friend’s wedding. “On the way there, I wore Biofreeze patches on my back and a back brace because I was still in a little pain,” she remembers. “But seven days later, there was no back brace, no patches, no Tylenol®, no nothing. And I’ve been good ever since then because the back pain is totally gone, and I feel fantastic. “As far as my back goes, I’m having no problems whatsoever, and because of that I’m slowly starting to exercise again. I’m not pushing myself because I want to get back to doing everything I was doing before I hurt my back, and I don’t want to hurt myself again somewhere in the process.” Besides gaining relief from her back pain, Michelle received some additional benefits from the regenerative therapy protocol. “I’ve seen a huge improvement in my health since I had the injections,” she enthuses. “My fingernails are growing like crazy and so is my hair. “I feel very healthy. I haven’t been sick; I haven’t taken any medicine for allergies; I’ve been sleeping great; and I feel like I have more energy. And I’ve done nothing else different.” Michelle has high regard for Dr. Johnson and the regenerative therapy protocol he offers. “Dr. Johnson is a very honest and caring person. He wants you to get better, and he wants to do whatever he can to help you,” Michelle raves. “The other day in his office I told him, I’m going to be your biggest salesperson for regenerative therapy because it changed my life.”