Bone Aspiration
Summit Orthopedics’ team of experts provides innovative therapies and solutions, including stem cell therapies, for patients in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area who are seeking alternatives to traditional treatments and invasive surgery. Stem cells in your body can relieve joint pain and heal orthopedic injuries. To access these cells, your physician withdraws a bone marrow sample in a procedure called bone marrow aspiration.
What Is Bone Marrow Aspiration?
Bone marrow aspiration is a procedure to withdraw a small sample of the liquid part of your bone marrow from your hip bone. The purpose of obtaining this sample is to and extract adult stem cells and concentrate them down into a substance known as bone marrow aspirate concentrate (BMAC).
Stem cells have healing powers and can become other cells that do different things in a process known as differentiation. They can also send signals to other cells to help heal the joint. No other cell in the body has the natural ability to generate new cell types.
You may have heard of bone marrow aspiration in other contexts. For instance, a doctor may aspirate bone marrow to examine your red or white blood cells or platelets. In some cases, a doctor performs bone marrow aspiration along with a bone marrow biopsy. In this procedure, the doctor uses a biopsy needle to withdraw a small sample of the solid portion of the bone marrow. Doctors use a combination of marrow aspiration and biopsy to diagnose and monitor marrow diseases and blood cancers, including multiple myeloma.
The condition the Summit Orthopedics team typically treats with stem cells from bone marrow aspiration is osteoarthritis. Injecting your extracted stem cells into your injured or painful joints can reduce inflammation caused by your immune system, promote healing, improve function and potentially regenerate tissue.
About the Procedure
It can be a little scary for a patient to think about having a needle put into their pelvic bone. However, bone marrow aspiration is a relatively straightforward procedure with minimal discomfort.
To retrieve bone marrow for a BMAC injection, the following steps are taken:
- Your doctor will numb the tissue of your lower back to keep you comfortable
during the procedure. - Using X-ray guidance, your doctor will insert a hollow needle into your lower back
and use it to withdraw a small sample of the fluid portion of the bone marrow
from your iliac crest (pelvis). - A bandage will be placed over the area where the needle was inserted.
- Technologists will use a centrifuge to concentrate bone marrow aspirate.
The entire procedure typically takes an hour or less. After you recover from any sedation, you can go home the same day. You’ll need someone to drive you. Consult your physician about using over-the-counter pain relievers as needed for any discomfort following the procedure.
Our team is here to help you heal. Schedule your consultation at one of our Minneapolis/St. Paul locations to explore if orthobiologics treatment is right for you.
