Adipose/Fat therapy is a gentle process that uses your body’s own fat tissue to cushion and support areas of injury or damage as your body heals itself. The adipose or fat is usually obtained from the stomach or thigh areas using a local anesthetic.

Adipose/Fat therapies rinse, cleanse, and re-size the patient’s harvested fat. This harvested fat (referred to as MFAT which means micro fragmented adipose tissue) is then precisely injected into the patient’s injured areas with the use of ultrasound guidance. It is especially effective for areas where there are soft tissue defects such as partial rotator cuff tears, patella tendon tears, labral tears, meniscal tears, and arthritis of the knee.

Some of the different Adipose MFAT (micro fragmented adipose tissue) therapies include Lipogems, IntelliFat, PureGraft, and NanoFat.

The Lipogems device was awarded as one of the Eleven Best Sports Medicine Technologies for 2016 by Orthopedics This Week and received further FDA approvals on July 5, 2018. I am involved with the New Jersey Regenerative Institute is in ongoing data collection regarding the results of this treatment.  We also use the FDA approved Pure Graft device as well with similar outcomes.

Adipose tissue is the scientific name for fat; it is crucial for your health.

Fat is very rich in regenerative cells, growth factors, and healing proteins known as cytokines. Cytokines affect other cell’s actions and behaviors by telling them what to do (specifically regenerative cells).  Fat has a high concentration of reparative cells.

There are
 many different types of cells in your fat that are beneficial for healing including adipose-derived MSC’s, perivascular cells, adipocytes, etc. that are held together in a structural matrix.

Using local anesthesia, your physician will make a tiny puncture through your skin and collect a small amount of fat from either your midsection, “love handles”, or buttock. The fat is processed and concentrated in the Lipogems device or similar device using sterile saline solution. Your physician will use a small needle to inject into treatment site(s) A compression bandage is applied to the fat collection area.

Procedure time: approximately an hour in an office or outpatient surgical setting.

Adipose transfers aim to relieve pain and inflammation while simultaneously addressing the underlying cause of the condition. This outpatient procedure uses your own tissue(autologous) which limits risk of rejection. Adipose tissue can be injected into multiple areas in the same procedure. Adipose procedures typically take about an hour to perform with minimal discomfort to the patient.

PRP often allows the following:

Reduction of pain / Restore normal or improved function / Reduce the need for possible surgery or enhance surgical recovery / Avoid long periods of inactivity and deconditioning.