Always Consult A Doctor
Although this procedure is well-known, you still have to consult a doctor and one that you trust. Call hospitals to request appointments before getting anything done because not everyone reacts the same to specific procedures. Doing this will ensure that you are 100% right and ready for the treatment.
Get to know your physician better, see how confident they are with the procedure, and see how you feel about the process. You can ask about where the cells will come from, how long the process will take, who will perform the treatment, and what type of cell will be used on you.
With that, there is more than one kind of stem cell therapy for knees that you can do in reducing pain and damage. Having damaged knees can hold you back from doing a lot of things. For people who have a passion for doing physical activities, such as athletes, dancers, and even doctors, having knee problems can be dream-crushing.
Type Of Stem Cells Used
Not all stem cells are created equal. Each source of stem cells has different advantages, with some being able to transform into types of cells that other sources cannot. Stem cells can be derived from a number of places in your body, including bone marrow, birth tissues such as the placenta or umbilical cord, and fat cells.
That latter option produces what are called adipose-derived stem cells, or ASCs. ASCs have been widely researched and are suitable for a wide variety of treatments. They are also much easier to acquire compared to bone marrow stem cells. We produce ASCs via a mini liposuction procedure using local anesthetic.
When stem cells are properly collected and enriched, they can be highly effective. This is why we combine our stem cells with platelet-rich plasma to ensure optimal results.
How Much Does Stem Cell Therapy For Knees Cost
Typically speaking, the cost of getting a stem cell therapy procedure is significantly lower than your average treatment surgeries. Stem cell therapy procedures are pretty inexpensive compared to other methods due to the minimal requirements it has. Lets compare the factors that make knee replacement surgery more expensive.
Both procedures require you to consult a physician before getting it done, although stem cell therapy does not require pre-surgical lab work. Unlike surgical procedures, stem cell therapy does not require you to stay in the hospital after the process, as the knee pain after that ranges from mild to moderate only.
Many factors can cause stem cell treatments to be expensive, including the place where the procedure will take place, culturally expanded cells, and the location of the laboratory. There are different approaches to getting stem cell therapy, and these approaches can influence the cost of the whole procedure.
Right out the bat, a knee replacement surgery should cost you around $5,000 to $10,000, depending on the circumstances and insurance coverage. On the other hand, a stem cell therapy procedure will cost you roughly $3,000 to $6,000. Although more advanced stem cell treatments can cost you up to $100,000, this is for rare or severe cases already. From this alone, you can see why stem cell therapy is the better choice out of the two procedures. There are minimal risks, little pain post-procedure, and less recovery time.
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Safe And Effective Stem Cell Therapy
Osteoarthritis causes joint pain, stiffness, swelling, and can lead to a debilitating chronic condition. Standard treatments of physical therapy and anti-inflammatories are limited at times in controlling symptoms and improving function. The good news for patients with osteoarthritis is that there are regenerative treatment options, like stem cell therapy, to reduce pain and stimulate healing. These therapies offer a viable alternative to major surgery that requires prolonged rehabilitation. It provides hope for an improved quality of life without the risks associated with joint replacement surgery.
What Is Stem Cell Treatment
Stem cell therapy, also called orthobiologic treatment when talking about treating orthopedic conditions, is a special kind of medical treatment that uses stem cells and growth factors to reduce pain.
In the human body, most cells have one job. For example, a red blood cell cant do the same job as a skin cell. However, stem cells are a special kind of cell that have the potential to divide into any other type of cell found in the body, like a liver cell or a heart muscle cell. That means they can perform many different jobs.
In some laboratories, scientists have been able to help some patients rebuild damaged tissue using stem cells. While that success has been limited to lab settings, Dr. Murphy says doctors are still studying if it can be used to help everyday patients regenerate lost tissue. Thats because theres still a lot we dont know about stem cells and how they can be manipulated to work in different parts of the body.
Scientists arent sure if or how stem cell treatment can help patients regrow lost cartilage or bone density, which may be at the root of many cases of knee pain. However, we do know that patients suffering from knee pain may find relief with treatment.
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Can Stem Cell Treatment For Knees Really Relieve Pain
Yes! Stem cell therapy has been shown to regenerate damaged tissue in both animals and humans. While research is still under way, there is a lot of published evidence that stem cells not only relieve knee pain, but also promote the growth of new tissue within the knee joint. Several authors have reported effective outcomes with stem cell therapy
- A meta analysis that included 11 trials and 582 patients showed that MSC stem cell treatment improved pain scoring , was safe and efficacious treatment for patients suffering from osteoarthritis of the knee.
- A report by Busse et al evaluated a patient who underwent injection of stem cells into the knee joint. The patient had significantly lesser pain, and an improved range of motion. Not only that, an MRI taken six months later showed growth of the joint cartilage and meniscus.
- Another larger case series evaluated 13 patients who underwent stem cell knee injections, all of whom showed a definite improvement in pain and functioning of the knee joint.
- Orozco et al followed twelve patients for almost a year after they received stem cell injections in the knee. They stated that patients had rapid and progressive improvement with regard to pain, disability and overall quality of life. They also noted an improvement in cartilage quality on the MRI scans.
Is Stem Cell Therapy For Knee Pain Effective
The doctor should evaluate whether you are a candidate for a stem cell procedure by discussing the circumstances of your injury, examining the painful knee, and reviewing the appropriate imaging during your consultation. Once the doctor has a thorough understanding of your injury, they can then make treatment recommendations specific to your case.
There are a number of research studies that have demonstrated significant improvement in knee pain and cartilage quality following stem cell therapy. There are additionally numerous ongoing studies continuing to evaluate the benefits from these procedures. A recent pilot study evaluating the use of adult stem cells for the treatment of knee osteoarthritis utilized MRI data as well as pain relief to evaluate treatment effectiveness.
This study demonstrated that the treatment is less invasive than traditional surgery, can be performed as an outpatient procedure, and provides not only pain relief, but also improves cartilage quality. The experience of our Colorado patients who have suffered from severe knee pain have demonstrated results consistent with the research findings.
Patient from Arvada, CO uses stem cell therapy to avoid a knee replacement and get back to swimming and hiking.
Individual patient results may vary. Please contact us today to find out if stem cell therapy may be able to help you.
Dr. Brandt and his entire staff are amazing! Early in the ski season I had a partial tear in my ACL and thought I would
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General Patient Type : Chronic Long
- This is a patient who may have had degenerative joint disease for many years even decades. These are the bone on bone people. They have exhausted all means of conservative care, they may have had short-term success with PRP treatments, hyaluronic acid treatments, cortisone injections, but none of these are helpful anymore.
- It is important to realize and it will be explained in this article, that it is rare that we would need to go to stem cell therapy in many of these patients. When we do recommend stem cells it would be from your own stem cell sources and mostly taken from bone marrow. We do not offer stem cell therapy, from the donated source material.
Sometimes a patient will reach out to us and suggest, I had one PRP injection it did not work, I definitely need stem cells. That is not always the case. One injection of anything Prolotherapy, PRP, or stem cells, while possibly providing relief in many patients short-term, is typically not a long-term answer. This is explained below.
How Long Does Stem Cell Therapy Last For Knees
Despite the quick treatment process, stem cell therapy injections are designed to be long-term solutions. One of the main reasons this therapy guarantees an efficient treatment for knee problems is that the new stem cells injected into your knees remain active for ten weeks. Many patients have claimed that some procedures that they went through did not provide a long-term solution.
Lets briefly discuss the breakdown of what happens during and after the procedure to understand better how long the therapy lasts. The length of stem cell therapy procedures will depend significantly on the situation of the tissue that is being treated. Stem cell knee injections usually take less than two hours, precisely 90 hours, to complete.
This procedure does not usually require any rehabilitation afterward. Since the process is not as painful as knee replacement surgeries, you will not need as much time for recovery. After being injected into specific body areas, the injection treatments will automatically begin repairing the damage. These new cells in that area of the body can keep regenerating tissues and cells for up to a year or more. Most individuals who undergo this procedure will usually start seeing results after one or two weeks.
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What Knee Conditions Can Stem Cell Injections Treat
Stem cell injections relieve any knee problem that damages your cartilage, bones or ligaments. They help your knees naturally repair themselves and maintain healthy tissue. A large number of conditions that cause knee pain involve damaged tissue that needs to heal.
Stem cell treatment can help address a number of injuries and diseases affecting the knees. Our patients come to us with a variety of common conditions, including:
- Inflammatory arthritis of the knee
- Tears in your ligaments, such as an ACL tear
- Tears in your cartilage, such as a meniscal tear
- Cartilage Injury
Stem cell treatments may not heal all knee-related injuries. In some situations, additional treatments or surgery may be required. This is determined on a case-by-case basis. Your physician will evaluate your injury, review the expectations and real-world results of available treatment options, and determine the best plan of action to proceed.
Is Stem Cell Therapy Effective For Knee Problems
Many people struggle with knee problems every day. In fact, this problem affects 25% of US citizens and can affect people of any age. Having knee complications make it hard for people to perform daily tasks, regardless of how simple or complex the job is.
People usually acquire knee problems either from too much physical activity that causes strain on the knees or, the most common reason, age. From walking and going up the stairs to standing for too long, knee problems can be a significant inconvenience.
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Questions About Our Treatments
We hope you found this article informative and it helped answer many of the questions you may have surrounding these various injection treatments. Do you want to ask about treatment for your knees? If you have questions and want to know how we may be able to help you, please contact us and get help and information from our Caring Medical staff.
Brian Hutcheson, DC | Ross Hauser, MD | Danielle Steilen-Matias, PA-C
References:
1 Hauser RA, Orlofsky A. Regenerative injection therapy with whole bone marrow aspirate for degenerative joint disease: a case series. Clinical Medicine Insights: Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Disorders. 2013 Jan 6:CMAMD-S10951. 2 Anz AW, Hubbard R, Rendos NK, Everts PA, Andrews JR, Hackel JG. Bone marrow aspirate concentrate is equivalent to platelet-rich plasma for the treatment of knee osteoarthritis at 1 year: a prospective, randomized trial. Orthopaedic journal of sports medicine. 2020 Feb 17 8:2325967119900958. 3 Shaw B, Darrow M, Derian A. Short-term outcomes in treatment of knee osteoarthritis with 4 bone marrow concentrate injections. Clinical Medicine Insights: Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Disorders. 2018 Jun 14 11:1179544118781080.
This article was updated on May 12, 2021
Who Can You Trust To Treat Your Knee Pain
For the most effective, safest treatment, trust the experts at Pain Treatment Specialists. Our Harvard-trained doctors are double and triple-certified in pain medicine, and they participate in ongoing education and research. They are privy to the latest findings and most innovative solutions, including studies on stem cell therapy for knees.
Our doctors use the top technology, tools, and procedures for state-of-the-art care. We are highly sought-after authors, speakers, and instructors on pain management, and our patients seek our expertise from around the world.
Trust us to provide optimal care, guided by FDA research and proven modalities to avoid things like knee replacement surgery. We are on the frontlines of research for treatments like platelet rich plasma and stem cell injections, both in the United States and internationally. Partner with us to receive the most groundbreaking care.
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Fda Actions On Unapproved Stem Cell Products
When stem cell products are used in unapproved waysor when they are processed in ways that are more than minimally manipulated, which relates to the nature and degree of processingthe FDA may take a variety of administrative and judicial actions, including criminal enforcement, depending on the violations involved.
And in March 2017, to further clarify the benefits and risks of stem cell therapy, the FDA published a perspective article in the New England Journal of Medicine.
The FDA will continue to help with the development and licensing of new stem cell therapies where the scientific evidence supports the products safety and effectiveness.
How Long Will It Take To Get Relief
Many patients experience some immediate relief from the treatment, but typically the results get better over time. As the stem cells work in your body by replicating and forming specialized cells that facilitate healing, the damaged area repairs and regenerates for years to come. Patients typically experience relief within 48 hours, though individual results will vary.
Regenerative medicine is both exciting and revolutionary. We are moving away from a paradigm where we put a bandaid on a problem, towards a paradigm where we solve problems. Stem cell therapies have given us hope for a real solution to chronic pain, inflammation, arthritis, tendonitis, and so many more conditions that show signs of improving with these therapies. Due to advanced medical technologies, these treatments are faster, easier, and less painful than ever before.
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How Does The Stem Cell Treatment Process Work
If you choose to undergo stem cell treatment for knee pain, you can rest assured that the process will be quite simple in comparison to other treatments for chronic knee problems, such as knee replacement.
To prepare for stem cell treatment, you’ll need to stop taking anti-inflammatory drugs at least two weeks prior to the day of your procedure. When you make an appointment with Dr. Gombera, you’ll receive more specific instructions.
There are two different ways to derive stem cells for your knee injections. First, your doctor can use stem cells from donated umbilical cord blood. In this case, the procedure may begin immediately. Alternately, your doctor can obtain adult stem cells from your own bone marrow.
If it’s necessary to retrieve stem cells from your bone marrow, your doctor will numb your hip and place a specialized needle into part of your hip bone called the iliac crest. Then, after extracting a small amount of marrow from the hip bone, your doctor will send the sample to the laboratory, where it will spin for 10 to 15 minutes until a concentrated sample can be produced.
Finally, your doctor will numb your affected knee and use detailed images as a guide to place the stem cells exactly where they’re needed to facilitate healing.
The whole stem cell injection process typically takes less than one hour, so you’ll be able to return home to Beamont or Cypress from Dr. Gombera’s Houston office on the very same day.
Efficacy Of Stem Cells In Specific Conditions
Now that weve covered some of the global factors that influence the efficacy of stem cell treatment, lets look at how effective stem cells are in specific cases. Stem cells have been used to treat a variety of conditions, and research continues to pour in revealing more opportunities for their use. The Guyer Institute is always looking for new ways to put stem cell treatment to use.
We should note that although the FDA has not approved specific stem cell treatments, they are permitted because they use autologous material from your own body. Extensive research on stem cell therapy has proven it to be perfectly safe and we only use FDA-approved devices to separate the stem cells and deliver them to where they are needed in your body.
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