Remember Harry Potter and the infamous, dreadful-tasting potion Skele-Gro for regrowing missing bones? Well, author J.K. Rowling was on to something, as the ability to regrow bone is likely to be in our future.
New method for treating broken bones
This superpower could become a reality thanks to decades of research and a few veterinarians who saved one pet’s leg using an innovative approach to bone healing, as seen on BBC.
After being hit by a car, two-year-old dog Eva had a broken leg that would not heal and her family feared that it would have to be amputated. But, veterinarians at the University of Glasgow in Scotland had other ideas—they wanted to try something that hadn’t yet been attempted on animals or humans.
Here’s the backstory. Find a Better Way, Sir Bobby Charlton’s organization to help amputees of landmine explosions, has devoted decades to finding better treatment options for blast survivors. Their research has resulted in development of a method for synthetically growing bone tissue. Veterinarian Dr. William Marshall heard of their innovative approach and wanted to give the new treatment option a try.
Marshall coated the affected areas of Eva’s leg bone with their synthetic bone-growing compound comprised of protein BMP-2, plastic, and fragments of bone mixed with Eva’s own bone marrow. After only six weeks of healing, they were stunned with the results—the 0.8 inch gap was gone!
The experimental treatment repaired the bone so perfectly that Eva is back to her playful self. Doctors are thrilled with the outcome and hoping to begin trials on humans within the next few years. We will certainly be watching for developments and look forward to the time when we can offer more bone repair options to our own patients.
Integrative medicine right here in Asheville
At Carolina Hand and Sports Medicine we’re always looking for innovative ways to serve our patients. While we can’t quite regrow your bones, we do have a variety of revolutionary treatment options that can rehabilitate injuries and improve an array of conditions safely and effectively.
If you are on the search for a team of qualified and skilled non-surgical specialists and orthopedic surgeons in Asheville and Western North Carolina, contact us today. We would be happy to help you live your best life using state-of-the-art techniques and unwavering care.
We look forward to hearing from you!