Leading in the Regenerative Health Arena
As the owner and operator of Precision Regenerative Medicine, Dr. Tammy J. Penhollow’s vision is to change the medical model of “SICK CARE” to one of preventive and well care. This is accomplished using a holistic regenerative approach that helps keep her patients out of the operating room and return them back to the activities they love.
Dr. Penhollow is a highly trained physician, a spine and sports specialist possessing advanced musculoskeletal diagnostic skills and advanced injection techniques. She is an expert at diagnosing and formulating individualized programs for patients and uses precision delivery of autologous orthobiologics, either platelet-rich plasma (PRP) or bone marrow aspirate concentrate (BMAC), for the spine, joints, and skin/hair, to bring her patients back to the level of performance and activities they long for.
She treats amateur and professional athletes with acute injuries such as herniated discs, rotator cuff tears, and medial meniscus tears to return them back to the level of play they demand — all without surgery. Dr. Penhollow also treats patients with various degrees of chronic degenerative changes due to osteoarthritis in the spine and joints to reduce pain, improve quality of life, and possibly prevent or postpone the need for joint replacement therapy or spinal fusion.
Dr. Penhollow is double board-certified in Anesthesiology and in Pain Management. She completed her Anesthesiology residency at the National Capital Consortium of Walter Reed Army Medical Center and National Naval Medical Center, and her pain medicine fellowship at Stanford University Hospitals and Clinics. In addition to owning and operating her own multidisciplinary pain practices, she also established and operated two interventional pain management clinics at the US Naval Hospital in Okinawa, Japan, and the US Naval Hospital in Rota, Spain while she was on active duty with the US Navy. Dr. Penhollow has the experience to diagnose and treat complex pain conditions of the spine (neck, mid-back, low back) and joints, and more importantly, she has the knowledge, clinical expertise, and the capability to recognize and manage any of the rare (but potentially profoundly serious) complications that can arise in patients undergoing interventional pain procedures. This sets her apart from the non-physician practitioners who are operating in the pain management and regenerative medicine space.
Innovation in Pain Management
At Precision Regenerative Medicine, Dr. Penhollow does not use modalities typically seen in traditional pain management practices. She does not use opioid medications, epidural steroids, joint cortisone injections, or radiofrequency ablations of the nerves that go to the spine or joints. She describes these interventions as destructive. (Steroids destroy the joint cartilage and cause atrophy of the muscle, suppress the body’s ability to fight infections, and maintain its blood glucose. Steroids contribute to bone loss and osteoporosis and put the patients at risk for fractures, including compression fractures of the spine and of large joint fractures such as the hip. Radiofrequency ablation [RFA] destroys the nerves that go to the painful spinal joints [facets] and the nerves that go to the small muscles of the back. MRIs of patients who previously underwent RFA to the neck, mid-back, and lower back show muscle atrophy [decreased size] to those muscles, putting them at risk for weakened spinal stabilization and a weakened core.)
Instead, Dr. Penhollow’s approach includes strengthening the Tower of Power in every one of her musculoskeletal patients. Tower of Power has been Dr. Penhollow’s signature treatment for over two decades and it is her prescription for patients in pain, focused on strengthening and treatment of the muscles of the core – the abdomen, pelvic floor, spine, and diaphragm — through advanced technology and equipment, as well as through prescribed physical therapy and exercises. Further, a strong Tower of Power and stabilized spine translates to the stability of the joints of the extremities (arms and legs). The Tower of Power is both the foundation for injury prevention and rehabilitation post-injury and post-operatively.
Core and spinal stabilization and regenerative PRP and/or BMAC procedures are CONSTRUCTIVE – they build muscle, reduce inflammation in areas of injury, and allow the body to rebuild cartilage, ligaments, tendons, and discs to return the body to a state of homeostasis or balance — and all without drugs or surgery. In the spine, Dr. Penhollow targets the degenerative discs, the arthritic spinal joints (facets), the epidural space, and the overlying soft tissues like muscles and ligaments overlying the painful area, delivered with precision fluoroscopy and ultrasound guidance. Similarly, in joints, she does not simply inject into the arthritic joint, but rather into the cartilaginous endplates and into/around the ligaments, meniscus, and overlying soft tissues, muscles, and the bursa — all precisely delivered with ultrasound guidance.
Comprehensive Consultation and Care
A comprehensive new patient consultation includes a complete medical and surgical history, a review of current x-rays or MRIs, and a detailed focused musculoskeletal and neurological examination. Other considerations include obtaining additional labs or imaging, the use of physical therapy or special bracing, and will include recommendations for core strengthening and stabilization of the spine (Tower of Power). Dr. Penhollow develops an individualized treatment plan for each patient, centered around using their body’s own blood or bone marrow to heal injured muscles, tendons, ligaments, and to address acute or chronic pain due to injury or osteoarthritis.
Prior to the regenerative procedure, Dr. Penhollow optimizes the patient’s blood and/or bone marrow with an anti-inflammatory diet, restricts oral NSAID (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory) treatments, recommends supplements to strengthen the quality of the patient’s own stem cells, and prescribes Tower of Power core stabilization exercises either on their own or using Emsculpt HIFEM therapy (High-Intensity Focused Electromagnetic therapy).
At the procedure appointment, Dr. Penhollow personally injects the PRP or BMAC under live ultrasound or fluoroscopic guidance to deliver the healing cells directly to the site of injury. With all bone marrow aspiration procedures, she sends a small specimen for analysis for the quality and quantity of the stem cells injected. A patient’s response to orthobiologics (PRP / BMAC) is directly correlated with the number of cells injected, whether that be platelet concentrate compared to baseline or total stem cells in the specimen. Those numbers are directly affected by the skills of the physician obtaining the specimen, the quality of the concentrating device, and the specimen collection kit used.
Dedication to the Highest Practice Standards
Dr. Penhollow is a passionate advocate for her patients and speaks out against scope of practice violations by unqualified players in the regenerative medicine field. Many alternative health boards turn a blind eye to their practice acts, and as a result, many chiropractors, naturopaths, acupuncturists, and even podiatrists, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners are practicing medicine beyond the scope of their practice. Her concern regarding these non-physician practitioners in performing spine and orthobiologics procedures is that it can risk the safety and well-being of the public and the unknowing patients who seek their care.
Educated at the finest universities and in the realities of solving battlefield pain, as well as through years of research and results, Dr. Penhollow has pioneered breakthrough techniques that use the body’s ability to heal itself, helping thousands of people to become pain-free so they can enjoy life to the fullest.
