Regenerative medicine
Areas of regenerative medicine are increasingly being used in veterinary medicine. The advantage lies in the use of the body's own active ingredients, which means that these treatments are characterised by very good tolerability. We offer the following therapies in our practice:
IRAP® - The original
IRAP® therapy can be used for acute and chronic joint, tendon or back disorders. Cytokines and growth factors produced in the blood inhibit interleukin-1, which plays a major role in inflammatory reactions and cartilage degeneration. This inhibits inflammation in the long term, reduces pain, interrupts the degenerative breakdown process of the cartilage or tissue and leads to partial regeneration. This therapy has been established as Orthokin® therapy in human medicine since 1998 and has also been used successfully in horses since 2005. This therapy can also be used in dogs for chronic and acute musculoskeletal disorders. This results in a long-term reduction or even elimination of painkillers.
Areas of application of IRAP® therapy:
- Osteoarthritis
- Post-operative treatment after joint surgery
- Acute joint inflammation / arthritis
- Tendon damage (acute/chronic)
- Infiltration therapy for back pain
- Cervical spine syndrome (facet joint injection)
PRP - Platelet Rich Plasma
Injuries to tendons and ligaments often heal very slowly and not always completely. PRP contains high concentrations of the body's own activated thrombocytes, from which anti-inflammatory cytokines and regeneration-promoting growth factors (PDGF, TGF, EGF, ILGF, VEGF, bFGF) are released, which are essential for the healing of the diseased structures. The immediate effect is analgesic, anti-inflammatory and decongestant. In the long term, this leads to an improvement in the quality of the new fibrous tissue and also to a reduction in the convalescence period.
The PRP is obtained directly from the patient's blood (autologous plasma), which means that there are no undesirable side effects with this therapy. The CRT PurePRP system from Companion enables the direct production of PRP and is available within a few minutes. The plasma produced can be immediately applied to the tendon, muscle or joint under ultrasound guidance.
Stem cells (MSCs, BMC)
Stem cell therapy is becoming increasingly important in veterinary medicine, especially for orthopaedic diseases such as osteoarthritis, ligament injuries or degenerative joint diseases. MSCs have regenerative properties, promote tissue healing and have an anti-inflammatory effect by reducing pro-inflammatory cytokines and supporting the body's own healing process. Studies show that dogs with osteoarthritis show improved mobility and less pain after stem cell therapy.
Companion's CRT PureBMC system enables the stem cells to be used within a few minutes after direct harvesting of the stem cells from the bone marrow. The collected stem cells are immediately applied in concentrated form (under the same sedation) to the tendon, muscle, joint or spine under ultrasound guidance.