Here is Jane’s story: Jane is an active middle age lady. She works as a chef in a small restaurant in the seaside resort. She enjoys walking her dogs on the beech and cycling along the country lanes. Her job is demanding. She spends long hours on her feet in the restaurant. A few month ago she noticed some pain on the side of her knee. She ignored it and carried out as usual. But the pain was getting worse. She skipped her biking on Saturdays and shortened her walks with the dogs. Two months later she had to take time off work as she was unable to carry on with her job. She tried simple pain killers and her GP sent her for physiotherapy. It didn’t help and her pain got gradually worse. She had an appointment with orthopaedic surgeon who arranged a knee MRI scan for her.
He explained that she had her meniscus torn and suggested an arthroscopy. He said that he would remove a part of the meniscus and it should help her pain. Jane wasn’t convinced. She did some research and came across the clinic which offered stem cells injection into the knee. She booked a consultation. The specialist reviewed her MRI scan and advised that she would be a good candidate for stem cells treatment. She decided to give it a go and now, three months after her treatment she says:
“After 6 weeks I went for the first time for a small walk and I had no pain, though my knee still felt little bit weak. Since that day my knee has gotten stronger and faster when I walk longer distance. I have no pain when I go up the stairs and little by little I got my life back!! I’m so happy!!”.
Jane has managed to go back to work and she enjoys her life as she used to. She is one of many patients who have decided to try stem cell treatment instead of surgical intervention. Regenerative medicine, i.e. stem cell and platelet rich plasma (PRP) treatments has gained a massive popularity and interest in the last ten years. There is a growing evidence that stem cells are safe and effective in the treatment of many orthopaedic conditions such as mild and moderate arthritis, torn ligaments, sport injuries and so on. On the other hand there are many papers published recently which ques-tion the rationale of surgical interventions in many cases such as shoulder decompression, menis-cus surgery and spine fusion.
What exactly is stem cells and PRP treatment?
Stem cells are present in every part of our body during our life. They regenerate and replace dam-aged cells and are responsible for our good health. They bore a unique ability to develop into almost any kind of cells. For example stem cells stored in our bone marrow easily develop into a new carti-lage, muscle, ligament or tendon.
With age the number of stem cells present in various parts of our body, such as joints drops down. This is one of the reasons why we have more pains and aches when we age. The good news though is that the number of stem cells in our bone marrow remain unchanged! Hence a skilled doctor can take them from there and place where they are most needed, like in an aching knee. Obviously sometimes the damage is beyond repair, for example in the severe arthritic joint. In such case stem cells might not help.
PRP is a different story. We all know that platelets are those tiny cells in our blood responsible for clotting. But this is only part of the story. Platelets though contain dozens of enzymes and proteins which bore incredibly potent anti-inflammatory ability. They are able to kill the inflammation in the joint and other tissues much faster and better than any anti-inflammatory painkiller or injection.
Modern regenerative orthopaedics was born sometime twenty five years ago. Since then several thousands of patients have had successful treatments and have avoided surgery. It has been prov-en that stem cells and platelet rich plasma (PRP) treatments are safe for patients providing they are carried out by a reputable provider. It is worth the while to do a thorough search before committing to the treatment. A reputable provided should be able to prove their training and be able to present their results. In case of any doubts it is better to walk away and search for another one.
Regenerative orthopaedics is an interesting alternative to many surgical interventions.
