“Answering Questions on Amniotic Therapy and Accelerating Healing - Advanced Foot & Ankle Specialists of Arizona ”

Answering Questions on Amniotic Therapy and Accelerating Healing

At Advanced Foot & Ankle Specialists of Arizona, we provide a wide variety of treatment options to help our patients. These include “tried and true” traditional methods such as custom orthotics and stretching exercises, but also newer, advanced treatments such as amniotic therapy.

We are experts in so many options because no two patients’ conditions are ever exactly alike. What may be most effective for one person may not be the best choice for another.

We are proud to provide amniotic therapy as a treatment, especially for patients who need wounds to heal faster – or just begin healing at all.

Naturally, newer forms of treatment come with plenty of questions when they are brought up for consideration, and we are happy to answer some of them here.

And if you have further questions about amniotic therapy that aren’t addressed here, please do not hesitate to call us with them. We want to ensure you have all the information you need to make the best decisions about your care!

What is Amniotic Therapy?

Amniotic therapy falls under the field of treatment known as “regenerative medicine.” These are methods that use or stimulate the body’s natural resources to provide beneficial effects. Often, like amniotic therapy, these benefits come in the form of accelerated healing and relief from pain.

Amniotic therapy is a treatment made of placental-based tissue (particularly the amniotic membrane) that can be used in several ways. It can be used as a graft to cover and protect wounds, and also made into a particulate form that can be injected into the site of internal soft tissue injuries.

The natural growth factors found in amniotic therapy help your body’s cells begin to build new tissue and conduct repairs more effectively. Faster healing times translates into added protection against infection, faster relief of pain and inflammation, and reduced need for rehab.

Are There Any Ethical Concerns Surrounding Amniotic Therapy?

Concerns can be raised when terms such as “placental” and “amniotic” are used, and that is completely understandable. Is amniotic therapy created without imposing any negative consequences on babies and their mothers?

The answer to that is a resounding yes.

While amniotic therapy does use placental tissue, this is not acquired until after a healthy birth. Mothers donate the afterbirth voluntarily, and no demands or restrictions are imposed upon them at any time. In other words, they are not required to take any drugs or other preparatory measures.

Under normal circumstances, placental tissue is typically discarded shortly following a birth. But when used for amniotic therapy, it has the potential to help many people find the help and relief they need!

What Types of Conditions Can Amniotic Therapy Treat?

Amniotic therapy can have multiple potential applications, a primary one being the treatment of diabetic wounds.

Prompt and effective treatment of diabetic wounds is essential, simply because the complications of diabetes are often working against the health of the patient.

When diabetes or related complications impede circulation to the feet, it can significantly slow the rate at which the body naturally heals. This can cause a wound or other injury to remain on the foot longer, or even refuse to heal at all without outside intervention. The longer a wound lingers, the higher the risk of it becoming infected, which can lead to even worse complications.

Using amniotic therapy as part of a diabetic wound treatment can not only kickstart or accelerate healing, but also provides some extra protection for the area as well.

Yet as important as amniotic therapy may be for some cases of diabetic wounds, diabetes does not necessarily have to be in the picture to consider using it. Amniotic therapy grafts may also be considered for use on general wounds and burns.

Additionally, as we mentioned earlier, amniotic therapy can also be administered as an injectable particulate. This method of treatment can be effective in relieving pain, reducing inflammation, and accelerating the healing of various soft tissue injuries. For the foot and ankle area, some examples include:

That said, just because a particular treatment may prove effective for a particular case does not always mean it will be the first choice in every circumstance. There may be other forms of treatment that tend to be more effective or more consistent for various situations, and we never just “rubber stamp” a recommendation for each problem that comes through our door.

Our treatment recommendations only come after a comprehensive evaluation, which often includes asking questions about a patient’s symptoms, when they appear, when they are worst, and how their life is being affected, among others. The better we understand your circumstances, the more personalized a treatment plan we can recommend.

Don’t Wait for Prompt Treatment

If you have any further questions about amniotic therapy, we will be more than happy to answer them. But whether this treatment, another advanced offering we have such as laser therapy or PRP injections, or a more traditional treatment route entirely is best for you, it’s hard to tell until you come to see us for the help you need!

Schedule an appointment at our Chandler office by calling (480) 963-9000. Or, if you prefer reaching us electronically instead, simply fill out our online contact form at the bottom of this page and a member of our staff will respond during our standard office hours.