INTRADISCAL PRP IS THE FUTURE TREATMENT FOR BACK PAIN
DiscCath™ and the Intradiscal PRP Procedure
The Regenerative SportsCare Institute founder Dr. Lutz was one of the first spine physicians in the world to perform intradiscal specialized platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections. Through his research and experience performing more than 1,000 intradiscal orthobiologic procedures, Dr. Lutz invented an optimized intradiscal procedure called DiscCath™.
RSI+ continues to innovate and reinvent the way musculoskeletal care is delivered. Patients come to the expert team at RSI+ for this proprietary treatment.
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
THE RSI+ INTRADISCAL SPECIALIZED PRP
RSI+ is the first interventional orthobiologic practice in the world that offers a groundbreaking, proprietary intradiscal procedure that provides superior cell extraction and unsurpassed delivery precision. The DiscCath™ Intradiscal PRP Procedure was developed to help patients heal painful tears inside their discs. Invented by RSI+ founder Dr. Gregory Lutz and his team, this outpatient procedure takes less than one hour to perform.
INTRADISCAL SPECIALIZED PRP
Intradiscal specialized PRP treatment involves drawing the patient’s blood and processing it to isolate the cells and proteins that hold the most regenerative potential. This specialized PRP is then injected precisely into painful discs that are in need of repair. Our proprietary approach for PRP preparation and injection is providing our patients with significant pain relief and functional improvement after just one treatment, and takes approximately one hour or less to perform.
BENEFITS
For many patients, Intradiscal specialized PRP offers not only significant pain relief, but also remarkable improvement in function. RSI+ has helped many patients not only avoid more aggressive spinal fusion surgery, but also eliminate the need for long-term opioid medications.
SAFETY
Patients' own cells are used to promote tissue repair
EFFECTIVENESS
Intradiscal PRP has the most supportive clinical data when compared to other orthobiologic options
EFFICIENCY
The outpatient procedure is performed in approximately 60 minutes
COST EFFECTIVE
Intradiscal PRP may eliminate the need for invasive and more costly surgery
PATIENT CASE STUDIES
PATIENT CASE: SPINE RESULT USING INTRADISCAL SPECIALIZED PRP
Before
After
Before and two months after: MRI Images of a professional golfer treated with their own cells that healed their L5-S1 disc and allowed them to return to golf.
PATIENT CASE: SPINE RESULT USING INTRADISCAL SPECIALIZED PRP
Chronic right foraminal disc protrusion L4-5 (patient had symptoms of low back pain into the right leg for 8 years.
One month after - DiscCath™ we see interval remodeling of the area.
Three months after - DiscCath™ the protrusion and tear healed and patient symptoms resolved.
REDUCING JOINT PAIN FROM OSTEOARTHRITIS WITH YOUR OWN CELLS
"OUR GOAL IS TO PRESERVE YOUR JOINTS"
Dr. Christopher Lutz, Spine + Joint Orthobiologics Specialist
At RSI+, we treat the patient—not their MRI or X-ray. Every visit begins with a hands-on, total-body evaluation because an accurate diagnosis is the first key to a successful treatment.
In his clinical practice, Dr. Lutz specializes in fluoroscopic and ultrasound-guided injections of the spine and joints. Over the course of his career, he has co-authored a number of research studies focused on determining the safety and efficacy of intradiscal biologic injections for the treatment of discogenic low back pain. Currently, Dr. Lutz is leading studies that evaluate the efficacy of intra-articular and intra-tendinous injections of concentrated bone marrow aspirate for the treatment of knee osteoarthritis and ligament tears.
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
PATIENT CASE STUDIES
PATIENT KNEE CASE STUDY TREATED WITH BONE MARROW CONCENTRATE INJECTION
Before and five years after treatment with autologous bone marrow concentrate: MRI Images of a patient treated with their own cells demonstrated increased knee joint space. The patient is 73 years old and recently completed a half marathon.
PROCEDURES & TREATMENTS
THE RSI+ CLINICAL EVALUATION
Our regenerative orthopedic medicine specialists with decades of clinical experience evaluate the patient’s medical history, perform a thorough physical examination and interview the patient about the location, type and intensity of the pain he or she is experiencing. To further aid in the assessment, diagnostic tests may be used to determine the source of the pain, helping to inform the best course of treatment. These tests can include X-rays, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and/or ultrasound examinations—all of which are efficiently performed on-site.
BENEFITS
SAME DAY DIAGNOSIS + TREATMENT
We believe patients should not have to wait days and weeks to coordinate MRI appointments with physician consultations and treatment. So we built RSI+ to accommodate consultations, imaging, and procedures all at the same site. This enables us to diagnose and treat many of our patients in the same morning or afternoon, and at one location. In other words, depending on scheduling and availability, a patient experiencing acute pain can be evaluated, receive an MRI and proper diagnosis, and then get treated with a fluoroscopic or ultrasound-guided injection in the span of only a few hours.
FLUOROSCOPIC AND ULTRASOUND-GUIDED PROCEDURES
The regenerative orthopedic medicine specialists at RSI+ perform a wide array of fluoroscopic and ultrasound-guided procedures to diagnose conditions and provide patients with relief from painful symptoms. These procedures — which include spinal, joint, and tendon injections — offer highly-effective and yet minimally-invasive methods not only for achieving pain relief, but also for helping your physician to determine the source of pain.
DIGITAL IMAGING
RSI+ has the unique advantage of having a comprehensive suite of imaging technologies in-house. This capability allows our regenerative orthopedic medicine specialists to diagnose and treat many of our patients in the same day.
OPEN MRI
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a technique used to create detailed images of the human body. MRI continues to be the standard of care for imaging ligament, cartilage and bone abnormalities. RSI+ has its own in-house, environmentally-engineered, open architecture MRI designed to reduce claustrophobia by creating space above the patient’s head and body. Moreover, this particular unit does not require cryogens to cool the magnet, reducing its environmental impact.
DIGITAL X-RAY
RSI+ employs the latest low dose X-ray imaging on site to allow for rapid diagnosis. Patients may take their images with them at no additional cost.
ACUTE TREATMENTS
For the sake of every patient’s comfort and time, we perform a pain assessment and strive to provide the appropriate treatment that will give the patient relief as soon as possible—often during the initial consultation. This essential part of RSI+’s musculoskeletal health protocol also helps confirm our initial diagnosis and rule out referred pain caused by an issue in a different part of the body.
"WE CREATE THE GAMEPLAN FOR PATIENTS"
Dr. Jennifer Solomon, Spine + Joint Orthobiologics Specialist
Dr. Jennifer Solomon’s love for sports and living an active lifestyle has driven her 25-year career in sports medicine. With an emphasis on women's sports health, preventative care, rehabilitation and regenerative treatments, she has served as a team physician for the United States Tennis Association (USTA) and is a sought-after physiatrist for elite athletes.
Dr. Solomon’s philosophy as a non-operative specialist is to properly diagnose the injury, identify the root cause of a patient’s pain and pursue a proactive treatment plan. Whether utilizing non-operative procedures, physical therapy or a specified strength and conditioning plan with preventative care, Dr. Solomon works with the patient every step of the way so they can return to a pain-free, injury-free, active lifestyle.
ORTHOBIOLOGIC TREATMENTS
RSI+ is a leader in interventional orthobiologic treatments, and we have an unparalleled history of successful results as well as a high patient satisfaction rate. Decades of clinical experience, research and proven science allow us to provide safe, effective, regenerative medicine solutions that are personalized to meet each patient’s unique needs and goals. We harness the natural healing power found within each patient’s body to optimize spine, joint and tendon health. In this era of personalized medicine, there is nothing more personalized than using your own cells to heal yourself.
SPECIALIZED PLATELET-RICH PLASMA (PRP)
Specialized PRP treatment involves drawing the patient’s blood and processing it to isolate the platelets that hold the most regenerative potential. These cells are then injected precisely into the soft tissues that are in need of repair. Our proprietary approach for PRP extraction and injection has been shown to provide superior pain relief and functional improvement in a vast majority of patients after just one treatment, and takes approximately one hour or less.
AUTOLOGOUS CELL THERAPY
Autologous cells found in our bone marrow can be harvested safely under light sedation and then concentrated on the same day of your procedure. Our cell count research has led to improved techniques to optimize this process. This higher concentration bone marrow is a therapeutic, biocompatible treatment that promotes self-healing in injured tissues to provide relief when physical therapy, anti-inflammatory medications and even surgery have not. Our goal is to preserve your joints so surgery can be delayed or avoided.
PATIENT CASE STUDIES
TENDON
The MRI image on the left is a side view left ankle showing a large tear of the Achilles tendon (arrow).The area of white inside the black tendon is the tear. The MRI image on the right is the same left ankle six months after his PRP injection showing a completely healed Achilles tendon (arrow). A normal tendon should look completely black on the MRI.
"THE HEALTHIER YOU ARE THE BETTER YOUR CELLS WILL WORK"
Dr. Elizabeth Manejias, Functional Medicine Specialist
Dr. Elizabeth Manejias is a board-certified longevity and functional medicine specialist, and an instrumental part of our personalized approach to patient care. Fellowship-trained and board-certified in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation as well as Primary Care Sports Medicine, she is also an IFM Certified Practitioner in Functional Medicine. She was an Assistant Attending Physiatrist at the Hospital for Special Surgery for 14 years, and is currently a consulting physician for musculoskeletal injuries at The Juilliard School.
SPINE
Whether a patient is dealing with acute (short-lived) or ongoing chronic pain, RSI+ is a global leader in spine health. Our intradiscal specialized PRP therapy has been clinically proven to decrease the need for spinal fusion surgery—and has over an 80% patient satisfaction rate*.
JOINTS
Joint pain can result from years of repetitive motions, intermittent yet intense stress endured during recreational activities, and/or age-related decline due to osteoarthritis. RSI+’s science-driven orthobiologic treatments for joint pain optimize healing and patient comfort.
TENDONS
RSI+ offers safe, effective, non-surgical, orthobiologic treatments for rotator cuff, elbow, hamstring, quadricep and Achilles tendon injuries. Our unique regenerative medicine approach helps patients avoid many of the risks associated with surgery—and get back in action with less downtime.