Ep.87, Your Body Was Built to Heal: PRP, Stem Cells & the Future of Regenerative Medicine, Dr. Matt Bayes, MD
ASAP Pathway: THE PODCASTShow Notes
What if some of the most powerful tools for healing are already inside your own body? In this episode of the ASAP Pathway Podcast, Dr. Stacy sits down with Dr. Matt Bayes, a primary care sports medicine physician, non-surgical orthopedist, and regenerative medicine doctor whose work focuses on orthobiologics—the use of a patient’s own cells to support healing and recovery. Dr. Bayes breaks down PRP (platelet-rich plasma), stem cells, bone marrow aspiration, adipose-derived cells, and ultrasound-guided regenerative procedures in language patients and healthcare providers can understand. He explains how platelets act as important messengers in the body’s healing process, how stem cells participate in tissue repair, and how these therapies may be used for certain ligament, tendon, cartilage, joint, and musculoskeletal injuries. But this conversation is also about knowing when regenerative medicine is—and isn’t—the right answer. Dr. Bayes and Dr. Stacy discuss the importance of diagnosis and case selection, including situations where surgery remains the appropriate treatment. The discussion also bridges medicine and dentistry as Dr. Stacy explores the growing role of regenerative approaches such as PRF in TMJ care and considers how her own experience with regenerative medicine is influencing the direction of her dental practice. And beneath all of it is a wonderfully simple message: Movement is medicine. Curiosity makes us better clinicians. Collaboration improves patient care. And sometimes the best way forward is to work with the healing capacity the body already possesses.
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CHAPTERS:📚 00:00 Welcome to ASAP Pathway 01:01 Meet Dr. Matt Bayes 02:35 From Pediatrics and the Navy to Sports Medicine 05:07 Discovering PRP and Orthobiologics 08:00 What Are PRP and Stem Cells? 11:54 How Stem Cells Support Tissue Healing 17:50 Dr. Stacy’s Personal Experience With Regenerative Medicine 21:11 How Regenerative Medicine Has Evolved 25:41 Who Is a Candidate for Orthobiologics? 31:28 Movement Is Medicine 35:20 Connecting Regenerative Medicine to TMJ Care 43:36 Curiosity, Collaboration & Becoming a Better Clinician 53:32 What Can PRP and Stem Cells Actually Treat? 57:29 Why Listening to Patients Matters 1:01:00 Teaching the Next Generation of Healthcare Providers 1:07:17 How to Connect With Dr. Matt Bayes 1:10:19 Three Random Questions With Dr. Bayes
LEARNINGS:🎓
PRP uses the body’s own platelets to support the healing process. PRP stands for platelet-rich plasma. Blood is drawn and processed in a centrifuge to concentrate platelets, which Dr. Bayes describes as important coordinators of the body's healing response. Those platelets release signals involved in recruiting and activating cells that participate in tissue repair. Stem cells and PRP aren't the same thing—but they work within the same healing system. Dr. Bayes explains that stem cells are found throughout the body and participate in repairing and remodeling tissue. In his practice, mesenchymal stem cells are of particular interest because of their relationship to tissues including cartilage, ligament, tendon, muscle and bone. Regenerative medicine may occupy an important space between conservative care and surgery. For appropriately selected patients, orthobiologics may offer another option when traditional conservative treatments aren't enough but major surgery isn't yet necessary or desirable. As Dr. Bayes describes it, there can be an important therapeutic space between “nothing” and surgery. Regenerative medicine cannot—and should not—treat everyone. One of the strongest messages in the episode is the importance of case selection. A major tear, severe deformity, advanced structural problem or other condition may require surgery. Dr. Stacy shares how Dr. Bayes evaluated her son's knees, determined regenerative medicine wasn't appropriate, and referred him for the surgical care he needed. The diagnosis has to come before the
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