Conditions

Orthopedic

Stem cell therapy and other regenerative therapies such as platelet rich plasma (PRP) are gaining popularity for the treatment of various orthopedic conditions such as osteoarthritis, musculoskeletal pain, soft tissue injuries, sport injuries, etc. Due to quick recovery time after the procedure, minimal side effects and sustained long term results including pain reduction and improvement in function, these therapies are often considered as an alternative to conventional treatment such as pain relievers, cortisone injection and surgery.

Conventional treatment using over the counter and prescription pain medications are commonly used to reduce symptoms, however have been shown to have significant side effects when used long term. Cortisone injections are also a commonly used conventional treatment to reduce pain and inflammation, but also have significant side effects. Furthermore, cortisone injections do not stimulate the repair of injured tissue. Surgery and/or joint replacement can be beneficial but are associated with potential surgery related complications and often involves a lengthy recovery time of many weeks if not months.

Unlike, medications, cortisone injections and surgery, regenerative therapies support the natural repair process of injured tissues. Since chronic pain is often due to injured or damaged tissues treatment with regenerative therapies ultimately results in reduction of pain, inflammation and improvements in function. In addition, patients often find they are able to reduce their use of over the counter and prescription pain medications.

Based on the early human clinical trials we present there appears to be a strong argument for the safe and effective use of stem cell therapy in the treatment of orthopedic conditions. While we wait for phase II/III trials the current data is encouraging and supports use of stem cell therapy in the clinical setting.

PROVEN BENEFITS FROM EARLY HUMAN TRIALS OF STEM CELL THERAPY IN ORTHOPEDIC CONDITIONS:

• Significant improvement in pain in people with knee osteoarthritis (Freitag et al, Lee et al, Pers et al, Jo et al, Yokota et al, Matas, Iijima et al)
• Significant improvement in joint function in people with knee osteoarthritis (Freitag et al, Lee et al, Pers et al)
• Regeneration of articular cartilage and increased cartilage volume in people with knee osteoarthritis (Jo et al)
• Significant cartilage repair and improved cartilage thickness in patients with knee osteoarthritis (Hong et al, Bansal et al)
• Decreased pain medication requirement in patients with knee osteoarthritis (Bansal et al)
• Improved cartilage defects and range of motion in patients with hip osteoarthritis (Mardones et al)
• Effective in managing local and radiating low back pain originating from intervertebral discs, facet joints and sacroiliac joints (Sanapati et al)
• Significant improvement in pain, function and overall subjective improvement in patients with lower back pain and disc degeneration (Centeno et al)
• Significant improvement in pain, range of motion and strength in people with thumb osteoarthritis (Murphy et al)
• Superior tendon healing and quality of repaired tendon in people receiving stem cell therapy with rotator cuff surgery (Hernigou et al)
• Significant improvement in pain and function in patients with rotator cuff injury (Kim et al, Centeno et al, Jo et al)

For additional information on stem cell therapy in orthopedic conditions and more details regarding these studies please visit see our RESEARCH ARCHIVE.