Got knee pain? Surgery is not the only option!
Anyone suffering with knee pain or arthritis are usually met with limited treatment options for their condition. For example, a typical treatment at the doctor’s office or physical therapy clinic will include the use of steroids, cold and hot packs, topical pain creams and pain medications, advice on nutritional changes or surgery as a last resort. However, stem cell therapy, also known as regenerative medicine, has proven to be an effective non invasive treatment for knee pain and inflammation.
What knee conditions can stem cell therapy treat?
- Knee pain due to aging
- Arthritis in the knee
- Injuries in the knee joint
What type of stem cells are used for treatment?
The type of stem cells used to specifically treat knee conditions come from adult stem cells which are taken from the adults own body or stem cells from an umbilical cord. They both have been clinically studied to be the best suited stem cells to reduce pain and inflammation in the knee.
Sourced From: www.mstrust.org
- Bone Marrow– The substance found in your bones called bone marrow is removed and reduced to separate any stem cells made available from the bone marrow. The stem cells are then injected at the affected site on your knee.
- Fat– A small amount of fat is taken from your waistline then is engaged in a procedure to separate the stem cells from the fat. Once the stem cells have been separated they are placed in a culture to cure for several days before being replaced back inside you as now activated stem cells. Although the practice is common, there are issues surrounding how to standardize this procedure in order to produce quality stem cells.
- Umbilical Stem Cells– The blood from a new born baby’s umbilical cord is taken and placed into a cord blood bag. The cord blood bag is taken to a laboratory to be analyzed and to separate the stem cells from the blood. The cord blood stem cells are then kept sealed in a liquid nitrogen storage tank at -190 degrees Celsius. Although umbilical stem cells have more stem cells than from a bone marrow it is a very slow process to transplant into an adult since the cells are not from the donors’ own body.
How Long Will Stem Cell Therapy Last?
Bone Marrow stem cell therapy treatment is mainly studied for its beneficial long term effects on many knee conditions. Several studies have shown bone marrow stem cell therapy lasting anywhere from six months to two years with pain relief on patients with both severe to non severe knee conditions. However, not many studies have been conducted to assess its long lasting effects past two years. Pain relief and the reversal of arthritis in the knees has been studied to occur as early as 24 weeks and even sooner for patients who have less severe knee conditions.
Who’s Regenexx?
Let’s look at one of the leading companies in regenerative medicine, Regenexx, to further analyze just how long stem cell therapy will last. Regenexx has over 15 years providing alternative treatments for joint pain and bone diseases. You can visit their website here Regenexx.com.
The following graph looks at a study of 2 groups of patients with knee arthritis. One group only had physical therapy for 3 months while the other group received bone marrow stem cell therapy; a one day procedure. Over two years, the study shows that the patients who received stem cell therapy had a higher score of beneficial long term effects due to their treatment. They were asked to fill a questionnaire called the Knee Score Scale (KSS) to find out how well they could walk and bend their knee during daily tasks. The stem cell therapy group reported higher KSS scores than the physical therapy group. Other studies have reported similar findings when looking at the patients expectation after one year.
The yellow line represents the stem cell therapy group and the blue line represents the physical therapy group.
Sourced From: Regenixx.com The graph depicts the benefits of stem cell therapy over physical therapy for patients with knee arthritis or knee pain.
The following graph covers the results from Regenexx patients who received stem cell treatments for knee arthritis. The graph highlights their responses to a questionnaire asked of them over the course of four years to describe the effects of their stem cell treatment. This shows that patients can get pain relief from just one injection for up to four years and beyond as indicated by the graph continuously rising over time.
Sourced From: Regenexx.com Depicts increase in graph to indicate the benefits of a one time dose of stem cell therapy over the course of four years.
Meet Laura Milano: Her Story Living With Knee Pain For 30 Years & How She Started Living Again
Sourced From: Youtube.com Laura lived with painful knees for 30 years until she received stem cell therapy and finally got the relief she needed. Click on image to watch her story,
Laura, 57, was told in her 20’s that she was a good candidate for knee replacement surgery due to the pain she continuously felt because of a surgery she had in her knees as a child. Currently, living in a home with stairs means she is always taking inflammatory drugs and icing her knees to reduce the swelling on a regular basis. After searching online for an alternative treatment for her knees she discovered stem cell therapy and made an appointment immediately.
Sourced from: Flikr by Wafi Choudhury
After 4 months she felt a big difference more especially when she went on vacation and walked everywhere without her knees swelling. She now walks frequently with her husband in the evenings and goes bike riding without fearing her knees will give her pain the next day. She now does not live her life revolving around her knee pain.
Is Stem Cell Right For You?
- Due to the nature of stem cell therapy, people who are living with cancer or any blood related disease are not a suitable candidate for stem cell therapy.
- Treatments may take up to 90 minutes. The treatment is painless and does not require physical therapy or any downtime after the injection.
- If you are looking for an alternative for knee replacement therapy, are tired of the sleepless nights, and want an effective long term solution try talking to your doctor about stem cell therapy.
Final Thoughts…
After reading this blog I hoped you learned that knee replacement surgery is not the only option you have available for your specific knee condition and stem cell therapy can be a long term solution than the traditional forms of medical treatments. Search through the links highlighted in blue to learn more about stem cell therapy and if its right for you.
References:
Kenihan, Lucinda., McTier, Lauren., Phillips,Nicole M. (2020). Patients’ expectations and experiences of stem cell therapy for the treatment of knee osteoarthritis. Health Expectations. 23(5):1300-1309. doi: 10.1111/hex.13113
Regen Orthopedics. (2021). Knee Pain Keeping You Up At Night?. https://www.regenorthopedics.com/knee-pain-keeping-you-up-at-night/
Regenexx.com. (2019, Aug. 18). How Long Does Stem Cell Therapy Last For Knees. https://regenexx.com/blog/how-long-does-stem-cell-therapy-last-for-knees/#gref
The Boston Stem Cell Center. (2021). How Long Do Stem Cell Injections Last? https://www.bostonstemcell.com/how-long-do-stem-cell-injections-last/
Ullah, I., Subbarao, R. B., & Rho, G. J. (2015). Human mesenchymal stem cells – current trends and future prospective. Bioscience reports, 35(2), e00191. https://doi.org/10.1042/BSR20150025
Youtube.com. (2019, May. 22). Knee Pain Keeping You Up At Night?. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wAf2quf5-E