The body has a natural talent for tissue regeneration. This can be especially beneficial when you have a cut, scrape, or minor burn. But what about the 7 million in America alone who suffer from chronic wounds each year?
For whatever reason, the body cannot properly heal affected areas and regenerate enough tissue to solve those issues. In this and other cases, the body may need some extra help.
In the following article, we look at how the body regenerates tissue as well as the link that it can have to shockwave therapy. Let’s begin!
How the Body Regenerates Tissue
Wound healing is one of the best examples of the body regenerating tissue. When you have a cut on your finger, the body’s immune system will fight off any bacteria that might enter the wound (ideally).
Your skin replaces the injured area in time, and the worst you may be left with is a scar. This is just one example. The body can also regrow portions of the liver that have been damaged.
In regenerative medicine, scientists find themselves asking how they can stimulate these natural responses. How can they give the body an extra nudge when it needs one to regrow and rebuild?
Often this is handled through the introduction of stem cells, which encourage activity from affected areas. There are different ways to encourage this cell growth, but some options are more invasive than others.
Surgical Treatments and Their Side Effects
Tissue repair through surgical treatments can be effective. It can also be quite invasive. For example, skin grafts take skin from one “healthy” area to support damaged areas.
This can be an appropriate “kickstart” for continued cell growth without doing too much harm to the “source” area. It will still result in permanent scarring, however, which is why most doctors try to take from a region that isn’t commonly seen (the leg or buttocks, for example).
Cell growth happens, but it comes at a cost. The question then becomes, how do you mitigate that cost?
How Shockwave Therapy Works
Shockwave therapy is an increasingly popular option when it comes to things like tissue regeneration and wound healing. It can be used as a non-invasive scar treatment without damaging one area to help another.
It is commonly used for wound care by applying a shockwave therapy device to the affected area. The goal is for the electrical impulses to trigger enough of the surrounding tissue to kick some of those damaged areas back to life.
The technique has been in practice for decades, but technology has improved over time to result in more effective outcomes. A string of studies proving the efficacy of shockwave therapy for wound care and soft tissue regeneration is readily available through the National Library of Medicine.
Shockwave Therapy Can Help Tissue Regeneration
Tissue regeneration, wound care, and blood flow are three areas where patients are benefitting from the use of shockwave therapy. As the technology has developed over the last 30 years, it has become even more effective at triggering the body’s natural healing abilities. Do you think you could benefit from the use of shockwave therapy? Contact Oceanus today with any questions you may have. We’re happy to help!