St. Louis-area Doctor who Helped Pioneer Stem Cell Treatment to Repair Injured Tissues Celebrates 10 Years Helping Patients

Kristin Oliver, M.D., one of the pioneering doctors behind the development of groundbreaking regenerative therapy to repair injured tissues, is celebrating her 10th anniversary as a provider of the innovative treatments that have changed the lives of thousands of patients. Dr. Oliver, who has practices in Chesterfield and Columbia, Missouri, has personally helped 15,000 patients over the past decade to overcome debilitating pain and get back to living the active life they want, all without surgery or extended downtime. And with numerous other doctors across the country now offering the treatment she helped to develop, countless others are living pain free.

Regenerative therapy has become recognized as a game-changing area of medicine with the potential to fully heal damaged tissues and organs. The therapy harnesses the power of a patient’s own stem cells and platelets to treat various injuries and conditions, helping to repair muscle, tendon, ligament, cartilage and nerve. It is a proven method of healing injuries by growing new, healthy tissue back.

“When someone is no longer gaining relief from cortisone shots but would rather avoid surgery because they don’t want to have the recovery time and possible side effects, including infection, regenerative therapy is proving to be a popular and effective alternative,” notes Oliver. “People want to avoid missing work or having to put their active lifestyle on hold, and we’ve seen over the past 10 years that regenerative therapies address both of those concerns."

Oliver focuses on two primary treatments: stem cell therapy and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) Therapy. Stem cell therapy is one of the most common forms of regenerative medicine and has been recognized by the medical industry worldwide as the biggest breakthrough in natural healing. Stem cells have regenerative power; when they are injected into an area that needs healing, the body’s natural response is to accelerate the process and repair the damage. It is a non-surgical procedure involving the extraction and injection of a patient’s own naturally occurring stem cells to treat ailments such as tissue injuries, rotator cuff tears, knee arthritis, back pain and joint damage.

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy, another non-surgical treatment, involves an injection of a patient’s own platelet-rich plasma that gives the body a natural boost to accelerate the healing process. Platelets play a critical role in healing wounds, soft tissue injuries, and fractures by activating stem cells to regenerate new, healthy tissue. PRP can help orthopedic conditions like arthritis, tendon injuries, and ligament injuries anywhere in the body.

Both treatments benefit people who are not candidates for surgery or want to avoid surgery due to age, health or other concerns. Oliver notes patients seeking these treatments at her practice typically fall between 45 and 80 years of age, and come from every walk of life, including professional athletes, Olympians, physicians, celebrities and regular folks seeking proven solutions. Jim Seidel, 57, a former Chesterfield resident who now lives in Wright City, was among the first patients Oliver treated, and after undergoing just a single PRP treatment for a debilitating shoulder injury, within a matter of days his pain was gone and stayed away.

“For four or five months following a shoulder injury sustained while exercising, I was in constant pain to the point where I couldn’t get my wallet out of my pants pocket or remove a container of milk from the refrigerator,” notes Seidel, a sales manager for a company based in Brentwood, Mo., who also happens to love snowskiing, waterskiing and range of other activities. “One week to the day after I had the treatment, it was like the injury had never happened. I’m a very active person, and it enabled me to keep doing things I love to do.”

Seidel recently returned to Dr. Oliver for treatment for a muscle tear in his hip area incurred over the past summer’s waterskiing season. In this case, the injury was best treated with stem cell therapy and he notes it delivered similar results.

Oliver says the treatment has evolved and improved over the years. “When we started, we were using mostly platelet rich plasma; now we are able to harvest and concentrate the stem cells from bone marrow,” says Oliver. “The quality of the system we use to do the concentration had advanced dramatically, allowing us to truly customize our application while working within the FDA’s regulations on cellular therapy.”

Regenerative therapy has also become the solution for a wider range of injuries over the years. Initially, it couldn’t be used to treat end-stage knee arthritis, degenerative lumbar disc disease or nerve injuries. Now many of those patients can be treated successfully.

Exams, X-rays and other services associated with diagnosing a patient’s exact injury and determining if they are a candidate for regenerative therapies are billable to insurance. At this time, however, the actual stem cell treatment and PRP are not covered. Costs vary based on the extent of the injury being treated and the number of treatments necessary. Most patients experience pain relief with just one treatment, and the results can last for years, in some cases permanently.

About Kristin Oliver, M.D.

Dr. Kristin Oliver is a partner in Bluetail Medical Group, a national leader in orthopedic regenerative medicine with primary locations in Columbia and St. Louis, Missouri, and affiliates nationwide. Board certified in family medicine and fellowship trained in sports medicine, Dr. Oliver has extensive knowledge of regenerative orthopedics using percutaneous stem cell grafts, supporting matrices, and musculoskeletal ultrasound for both diagnostic and needle-guided techniques. In 2007, she was one of the first doctors in the nation to pioneer the technique of using a patient’s own stem cells and platelets to repair injured tissues. Visit bluetailmedicalgroup.com