Musculoskeletal

For more than a century, Mayo Clinic orthopedic researchers have been making discoveries that improve care for people with musculoskeletal diseases, which include bone, joint, ligament, tendon, muscle and nerve disorders.

Today, orthopedists at Mayo Clinic are investigating how regenerative medicine and genomic approaches can be used to create better and more personalized treatments.

Along with experts in the Center for Regenerative Medicine at Mayo Clinic, orthopedic researchers are developing methods that use bioengineered stem cells to regenerate damaged tendons, ligaments, cartilage, nerves and bone. These regenerative therapies may potentially enable physicians to stimulate diseased or injured tissues — which today must be replaced or are untreatable — to repair themselves.

Mayo orthopedists are also working to personalize musculoskeletal treatments based on genetics, as scientists have learned that the tiny variations present in your DNA can have a big impact on how you respond to a medication — or recover after surgery.

In one study, orthopedic surgeons at Mayo — in collaboration with the Center for Individualized Medicine — are performing genetic analyses to identify people who are at risk of infections and other complications after joint replacement surgery. By defining a person's risk prior to surgery, surgeons can customize the care they provide.

Answers for patients don't stop there. For people with unique and challenging musculoskeletal conditions, Mayo surgeons are devising novel cancer surgeries and performing hand transplants.

Your contribution can make a difference as Mayo orthopedic specialists explore new ways to ease the burden of musculoskeletal diseases. Please give online or call 800-297-1185 (toll-free) to discuss your gift today.