Bone Marrow Aspirate Concentrate (BMAC)
Bone marrow is the soft spongy tissue that is found in the center of your bones. In adults, marrow in the large bones are the production center for your red bloods cells, white blood cells and plasma components. Since this is where new cells are being produced you find cells at all their various stages of development and immature forms of these cells, called stem cells, will be found here.
Bone Marrow Aspirate Concentrate (BMAC) Therapy, also known as Bone Marrow Concentrate (BMC) Therapy, is a leading-edge regenerative therapy which can be used to help accelerate healing in moderate to severe osteoarthritis and tendon injuries.
While similar to Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) in its ability to harness the body’s ability to heal itself through the aid of growth factors, BMAC also utilises regenerative cells that are contained within a patient’s own bone marrow. The marrow contains a rich reservoir of “pluripotent” stem cells that can be withdrawn from the patient’s hip bone and used for the procedure. Unlike other cells of the body, stem cells are “undifferentiated”, meaning they are able to replicate themselves into various types of tissue.
In a similar fashion to the PRP procedure the consultant removes a small amount of the patient’s bone marrow and spins it in a centrifuge in order to generate a powerful concentrate of these stem cells that is injected into the injured area. In the past, these types of cells were often very difficult and expensive to obtain from the body. With recent medical advancements, the cells can be easily obtained, and the procedure can be done with minimal discomfort as a simple day case procedure.
