.png)
What is Stem Cell Therapy?
Stem Cell therapy is a type of regenerative medicine treatment, aimed at healing your injuries by regenerating tissue. Stem cells, integral to your body, diligently orchestrate the balance between tissue breakdown and renewal. Their ceaseless activity is a testament to their indispensable role in sustaining life, as your body's very ability to self-repair hinges on their intervention. Without active stem cells, you would die as your body could not repair itself.Stem cell therapy unlocks the potential for tissue regeneration, offering a progressive approach to injury recovery and overall well-being.
How Do Stem Cells Work?
Adult stem cells possess distinctive characteristics that set them apart from other cell types. Their most exceptional attribute lies in their ability to generate entirely new tissue types. When an injury occurs, platelets serve as the initial responders, releasing crucial signaling molecules known as cytokines and essential healing proteins called growth factors. This orchestrated healing cascade prompts the activation, replication, differentiation, and repair of local stem cells.
Stem Cell Therapy harnesses this inherent potential by harvesting your stem cells from areas of relative abundance and skillfully delivering them to areas experiencing a relative deficiency. This strategic approach enhances your body's innate healing capacity, fostering more efficient and effective recovery.
What Can I Expect?
The procedure starts by sourcing bone marrow from one of your pelvic bones or extracting fat from your love handles. Rest assured, this process is far less discomforting than it may sound. The collected sample undergoes centrifugation, a high-speed spinning process, which meticulously segregates the stem cells and platelets from other components within the sample. The resulting concentrated stem cell sample is then delicately injected into the injured tissue. For precise precision, we employ ultrasound and/or fluoroscopic guidance.
These living stem cells boast exceptional qualities, housing potent growth factors and cytokines that act as catalysts for jumpstarting the healing process. Notably, scientific research has demonstrated that this method can enhance the quality of healing, surpassing traditional healing processes.
Stem Cell Therapy serves as a highly effective treatment for common orthopedic conditions. Its notable benefits are particularly pronounced when addressing injuries to tendons, ligaments, or cartilage—structures notorious for their limited blood supply. In situations where vital healing nutrients struggle to reach the injury site due to poor blood supply, Stem Cell Therapy proves invaluable. By injecting a high concentration of these healing factors directly into the injured area, we significantly expedite the recovery rate while elevating the overall quality of healing.
What Makes Us Different?
Amidst the confusion and a proliferation of claims, it's crucial to distinguish fact from fiction. At our practice, we pride ourselves on procedures firmly grounded in the latest scientific advancements. Our unwavering commitment ensures that each patient receives the highest quantity and quality of regenerative components, setting a new standard in the field.
Beware of providers who claim to use stem cells while resorting to placenta, amniotic, or umbilical cells in disguise. We believe in transparency and authenticity, relying on live cells sourced from your own body to catalyze the healing process.
Bone Marrow boasts a rich resource of both mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). Meanwhile, Adipose tissue is abundant in MSCs. These remarkable cells are instrumental in guiding tissue healing through seamless communication with their cellular counterparts. MSCs exhibit the remarkable ability to differentiate into diverse cell types, including bone, cartilage, muscle, and fat cells. HSCs contribute to the formation of white blood cells, red blood cells, and blood vessels, collectively creating an ideal environment for tissue repair. Their inherent plasticity allows them to adapt and transform into other cell types. Furthermore, they initiate the release of additional stem cells from the local bone marrow and release an array of growth factors and cytokines, facilitating a comprehensive and accelerated healing process.
How Do I Prepare?
To minimize the risk of complications, it's advisable to avoid taking Aspirin or NSAIDs (such as ibuprofen, naproxen, diclofenac, meloxicam) for at least four days leading up to your procedure. Additionally, refraining from receiving a steroid injection for a minimum of four weeks prior to your appointment is recommended. Proper hydration is essential for the success of your procedure. In the 2-3 days preceding your appointment, we encourage you to stay well-hydrated by consuming a minimum of 60 ounces of water daily. Depending on the specific area you are having treated, it is advisable to arrange for an alternative means of transportation to and from your procedure. This measure ensures your safety and comfort, allowing you to focus solely on your treatment without concerns about driving.
Stem Cell Therapy
Treatment Areas
1
Meniscus Tears
Stem Cell treatments have been shown to increase meniscus volume and repair some meniscus tears. Especially effective in the absence of mechanical symptoms (locking/buckling etc) (4)
2
Rotator Cuff Tears
Studies of full-thickness tears undergoing repair showed better healing (100% healing on MRI vs 67% for non-stem cell treated) and lower retear rates at 10 years (13% vs 56% re-torn) (5)
Compared with exercise therapy alone for partial rotator cuff tears, patients undergoing stem cell injection showed 89% at 2 years. Most follow up MRI showed healing of the rotator cuff (6)
3
Hip Osteoarthritis
4
Shoulder Osteoarthritis
Patients with symptomatic rotator cuff tears and arthritis of the shoulder underwent stem cell procedure noticed a 48.8% improvement at 2 years (9)
5
Hip Bursitis
Stem cell injection with bone marrow aspirate provided better and longer lasting relief when compared to cortisone injection for hip bursitis (23)
6
Lateral Epicondylitis/Tennis Elbow
Patients with tennis elbow experienced significant improvement in their pain following stem cell treatment (10)
7
Knee Osteoarthritis
One of the most studied uses for stem cells. A French study comparing patients with one knee replaced and stem cell treated knee showed that 70% of the patients preferred their knee which received stem cell therapy. (1) Another recent study showed that patients who had stem cell injections into their knee, 97% were able to avoid knee replacement in the first year, and 87% had still avoided knee replacement at the two year follow up (2). For patients with osteoarthritis undergoing stem cell injection, there was improvement in pain and function scores, as well as improvement seen on follow up MRI imaging. (3)
References
​
1. Hernigou P, Bouthors C, Bastard C, Flouzat Lachaniette CH, Rouard H, Dubory A. Subchondral bone or intra-articular injection of bone marrow concentrate mesenchymal stem cells in bilateral knee osteoarthritis: what better postpone knee arthroplasty at fifteen years? A randomized study. Int Orthop. 2021 Feb;45(2):391-399. doi: 10.1007/s00264-020-04687-7. Epub 2020 Jul 2. PMID: 32617651.
​
2.Prodromos, Chadwick & Finkle, Susan. (2020). Autologous Biologic Treatment with Fat, Bone Marrow Aspirate and Platelet Rich Plasma Is an Effective Alternative to Total Knee Arthroplasty for Patients with Moderate Knee Arthrosis. Medicines. 7. 37. 10.3390/medicines7060037.
​
3. Y.S. Kim, Y.J. Choi, S.W. Lee, O.R. Kwon, D.S. Suh, D.B. Heo, Y.G. Koh. Assessment of clinical and MRI outcomes after mesenchymal stem cell implantation in patients with knee osteoarthritis: a prospective study, Osteoarthritis and Cartilage, Volume 24, Issue 2, 2016, Pages 237-245, ISSN 1063-4584, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joca.2015.08.009.
​
4. Vangsness CT Jr, Farr J 2nd, Boyd J, Dellaero DT, Mills CR, LeRoux-Williams M. Adult human mesenchymal stem cells delivered via intra-articular injection to the knee following partial medial meniscectomy: a randomized, double-blind, controlled study. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2014 Jan 15;96(2):90-8. doi: 10.2106/JBJS.M.00058. PMID: 24430407.
​
5. Hernigou P, Flouzat Lachaniette CH, Delambre J, Zilber S, Duffiet P, Chevallier N, Rouard H. Biologic augmentation of rotator cuff repair with mesenchymal stem cells during arthroscopy improves healing and prevents further tears: a case-controlled study. Int Orthop. 2014 Sep;38(9):1811-8. doi: 10.1007/s00264-014-2391-1. Epub 2014 Jun 7. PMID: 24913770.
​
6. Centeno C, Fausel Z, Stemper I, Azuike U, Dodson E. A Randomized Controlled Trial of the Treatment of Rotator Cuff Tears with Bone Marrow Concentrate and Platelet Products Compared to Exercise Therapy: A Midterm Analysis. Stem Cells Int. 2020;2020:5962354. Published 2020 Jan 30. doi:10.1155/2020/5962354
​
7. Centeno CJ, Pitts JA, Al-Sayegh H, Freeman MD (2014) Efficacy and Safety of Bone Marrow Concentrate for Osteoarthritisof the Hip; Treatment Registry Results for 196 Patients. J Stem Cell Res Ther 4: 242. doi:10.4172/2157-7633.1000242
​
8. Darrow M, Shaw B, Darrow B, Wisz S. Short-Term Outcomes of Treatment of Hip Osteoarthritis With 4 Bone Marrow Concentrate Injections: A Case Series. Clin Med Insights Case Rep. 2018;11:1179547618791574. Published 2018 Aug 10. doi:10.1177/1179547618791574
​
9. Centeno CJ, Al-Sayegh H, Bashir J, Goodyear S, Freeman MD. A prospective multi-site registry study of a specific protocol of autologous bone marrow concentrate for the treatment of shoulder rotator cuff tears and osteoarthritis. J Pain Res. 2015;8:269-276. Published 2015 Jun 5. doi:10.2147/JPR.S80872
​
10. Singh A, Gangwar DS, Singh S. Bone marrow injection: A novel treatment for tennis elbow. J Nat Sci Biol Med. 2014;5(2):389-391. doi:10.4103/0976-9668.136198
​
11. Lin, Junhong. International Journal of Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics; Munich Vol. 56, Iss. 8, (Aug 2018): 366.
​
12. Kothari SY, Srikumar V, Singh N. Comparative Efficacy of Platelet Rich Plasma Injection, Corticosteroid Injection and Ultrasonic Therapy in the Treatment of Periarthritis Shoulder. J Clin Diagn Res. 2017;11(5):RC15-RC18. doi:10.7860/JCDR/2017/17060.9895
​
13. Peerbooms JC, (2010) Positive effect of an autologous platelet concentrate in lateral epicondylitis in a double-blind randomized controlled trial: platelet-rich plasma versus corticosteroid injection with a 1-Year follow-up. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20448192
​
14. Gosens T, et al. (2011) Ongoing positive effect of platelet-rich plasma versus corticosteroid injection in lateral epicondylitis: a double-blind randomized controlled trial with 2-year follow-up. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21422467
​
15. Mishra A, et al. (2014) Efficacy of platelet-rich plasma for chronic tennis elbow: a double-blind, prospective, multicenter, randomized controlled trial of 230 patients. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23825183
​
16. Sanchez M, et al. (2007) Comparison of surgically repaired Achilles tendon tears using platelet rich fibrin matrices. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17099241
​
17. Dragoo JL, Wasterlain AS, Braun HJ, Nead KT. Platelet-Rich Plasma as a Treatment for Patellar Tendinopathy: A Double-Blind, Randomized Controlled Trial. The American Journal of Sports Medicine. 2014;42(3):610-618. doi:10.1177/0363546513518416
​
18. AkÅŸahin, ErtuÄŸrul, et al. “The comparison of the effect of corticosteroids and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) for the treatment of plantar fasciitis.” Archives of orthopaedic and trauma surgery 132.6 (2012): 781-785.
​
19. Ragab, Ehab Mohamed Selem, and Ahmed Mohamed Ahmed Othman. “Platelets rich plasma for treatment of chronic plantar fasciitis.” Archives of orthopaedic and trauma surgery 132.8 (2012): 1065-1070.
​
20. Doaa H. Ibrahim, Nagat M. El-Gazzar, Hanan M. El-Saadany, Radwa M. El-Khouly, Ultrasound-guided injection of platelet rich plasma versus corticosteroid for treatment of rotator cuff tendinopathy: Effect on shoulder pain, disability, range of motion and ultrasonographic findings. The Egyptian Rheumatologist, Volume 41, Issue 2, 2019, Pages 157-161, ISSN 1110-1164, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejr.2018.06.004.
​
21. Dadgostar, H., Fahimipour, F., Pahlevan Sabagh, A. et al. Corticosteroids or platelet-rich plasma injections for rotator cuff tendinopathy: a randomized clinical trial study. J Orthop Surg Res 16, 333 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13018-021-02470-x
​
22. Begkas D, Chatzopoulos ST, Touzopoulos P, Balanika A, Pastroudis A. Ultrasound-guided Platelet-rich Plasma Application Versus Corticosteroid Injections for the Treatment of Greater Trochanteric Pain Syndrome: A Prospective Controlled Randomized Comparative Clinical Study. Cureus. 2020;12(1):e6583. Published 2020 Jan 7. doi:10.7759/cureus.6583
​
23. ROSÁRIO, DAVI ARAÚJO VEIGA et al. COMPARISON BETWEEN CONCENTRATED BONE MARROW ASPIRATE AND CORTICOID IN GLUTEAL TENDINOPATHY. Acta Ortopédica Brasileira [online]. 2021, v. 29, n. 1 [Accessed 1 December 2021] , pp. 26-29. Available from: <https://doi.org/10.1590/1413-785220212901236828>. Epub 10 Mar 2021. ISSN 1809-4406. https://doi.org/10.1590/1413-785220212901236828.
​
24. Tang, J.Z., Nie, M.J., Zhao, J.Z. et al. Platelet-rich plasma versus hyaluronic acid in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis: a meta-analysis. J Orthop Surg Res 15, 403 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13018-020-01919-9