History of regenerative medicine in the field of orthopedics

Abstract

The demand and surge of regenerative medical treatments for various musculoskeletal disorders and injuries have increased exponentially in the recent past. We have reviewed the evolution of these treatments, from the past to the present times. This era has seen a paradigm shift from the replacement to regenerative methods of treatment for many orthopedic disorders. The regenerative medicine helps in restoring the natural tissue in the body at the diseased area. From the ancient methods of provoking tissue healing by noxious stimuli, now, many sophisticated and scientifically proven techniques of regeneration of tissues have come up and are being used globally. Cell therapies have been used as a treatment for a variety of musculoskeletal pathologies including osteoarthritis, cartilage defects, tendinopathies, delayed union and non-unions, non-union of fractures, and treatment of avascular necrosis of femoral head and other bones. Cellular therapies, with or without tissue engineering, seem to the future of regenerative medicine and these may make the replacement of a diseased joint or bone redundant in the near future.