From Kim Kardashian getting a vampire facial to Hines Ward's extraordinary knee recovery in the weeks leading up to the 2009 Super Bowl, regenerative medicine has gained a tremendous amount of interest in both the lay population and the scientific community. This medical-assisted self-healing process has helped athletes including Tiger Woods, Kobe Bryant and other high-profile celebrities not only overcome injuries but increase their recovery times.

On this special one-year anniversary episode of Back Talk Doc, Dr. Lakhia welcomes Dr. John Lesher to discuss regenerative spine and orthopedic medicine, including the use of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections and stem-cell therapy. Dr. Lesher is board certified in physical medicine and rehabilitation with subspecialty certifications in sports medicine, electrodiagnostic medicine, and certification in musculoskeletal ultrasound.

Dr. Lesher shares his experience and knowledge in regenerative spine and orthopedic medicine from a personal and professional perspective. Given his background in athletics, he also discusses regenerative medicine and its applications in the sports arena.

Highlights from the episode:

• What we mean when we say “regenerative medicine” (8:32)
• Examples of medical-assisted self-healing (9:47)
• Stem Cells 101 (14:01)
• Joint arthritis: the difference between corticosteroid injections vs stem cells or PRP (20:22)
• Effectiveness of regenerative medicine options: joints and tendons (23:34)
• The role for regenerative medicine in spine care (32:45)
• The future of regenerative medicine (43:26)
•  Dr. John Lesher’s personal health tips (46:19)
• Dr. John Lesher’s podcast recommendations (48:03)

Resources mentioned on this episode:

• Prospective study of disc repair with allogeneic chondrocytes presented at the 2012 Joint Spine Section Meeting by Coric D, Pettine K, Sumich A,
• Mesoblast Study by Mesoblast the regenerative medicine company
•  Cell-based therapy for spinal disc regeneration by Coric D.
• Clinical Study to Evaluate the Safety and Preliminary Efficacy of IDCT, a Cell Therapy to Treat Moderate, Symptomatic Lumbar Degenerative Disc Disease by Silverman L, Coric D, Foley K,
• British Journal of Sports Medicine
• Outside podcast
• The Peter Attia Drive Podcast
•  The People's Pharmacy

For more information on Dr. Sanjiv Lakhia’s practice, visit BackTalkDoc.com

If you enjoyed this episode of Back Talk Doc, check out our episode Introduction to Spinal Artificial Disc Replacement Surgery with Dr. Dom Coric.

Back Talk Doc is brought to you by Carolina Neurosurgery & Spine Associates, with offices in North and South Carolina. To learn more about Dr. Lakhia and treatment options for back and spine issues, go to backtalkdoc.com. To schedule an appointment with Carolina Neurosurgery & Spine Associates, you can call us at 1-800-344-6716 or visit our website atcarolinaneurosurgery.com.