Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis. Millions of people suffer from this condition globally. Patients who have this condition often suffer from joint pain. This is caused by the wearing down of protective cartilage in the joints.
Osteoarthritis can affect any joint in the body. Common examples of joints that are affected include:
- Spine
- Hips
- Knees
- Hands
Common symptoms from this condition include stiffness, pain, tenderness, and decreased flexibility. However, some patients have found that innovative stem cell therapies can reduce their osteoarthritis pain, as well as many of their other symptoms.
Understanding Stem Cells
Mesenchymal stem cells have the potential to differentiate into a variety of human tissues. Adult stem cells can be used to treat many different illnesses and conditions, such as:
- Alzheimer’s disease
- Multiple sclerosis
- Sports injuries
- And more
Some research suggests that injections of concentrated adult mesenchymal stem cells can encourage healing and recovery. Scientists are continuing their investigation to learn about the effectiveness of stem cell therapies. However, these treatments have been proven to be safe for use by patients.
How Stem Cells Treat Osteoarthritis
Patients with many orthopedic conditions can choose to use stem cell therapies. This includes patients suffering from osteoarthritis. Medical professionals collect stem cells by obtaining a fat or bone marrow sample from a patient. The stem cells are extracted and concentrated with the use of specialized centrifugal technology.
After concentrating the cells, the physician injects them into the problematic areas. For instance, suppose that an osteoarthritis patient was experiencing severe knee pain. In this case, the treatment provider would reintroduce the stem cells into the damaged tissue of the knee. These simple cells have the potential to encourage the growth of new connective and cartilage tissues.
Many patients have experienced significant reductions in pain following stem cell injections. Some researchers believe the pain relief that patients experience is due to anti-inflammatory factors.
Promising Results
More research is needed to understand the full healing potential stem cells have to provide patients facing osteoarthritis. Still, these innovative treatments have been proven to be safe. They present very low risks of side effects or infection. In large part, this is because treatments use stem cells drawn from the patient’s own body. Although further research is needed, many osteoarthritis patients have experienced beneficial results with stem cell therapies.
This post was written by a medical professional at Stemedix Inc. At Stemedix we provide access to Regenerative Medicine for osteoarthritis, also known as stem cell therapy for Osteoarthritis. Regenerative medicine has the natural potential to help improve symptoms sometimes lost from the progression of many conditions.
