The regeneration of the joints and spine may seem like a thing of the future, but it’s not. It is happening today.

For patients who have been told they need to have a joint replacement because they have severe arthritis, a degenerated joint, bone-on-bone, or worn away cartilage…there is now another option…stem cells! Stem cells are an exciting field because they have the potential to regenerate cartilage and repair the damaged joint. It’s no wonder regenerative therapies are growing in popularity in the medical world!

Stem cell is a type of non-surgical therapy called regenerative orthopedics, which include treatments like stem cells, PRP, and prolotherapy. These treatments are so effective, they can be used as an alternative to joint replacement. It is a very exciting time in the field of regenerative medicine.

With Regenerative Orthopedics, You Can Avoid the Problems That Come with Surgery

I am not against surgery. But I am concerned about excessive orthopedic surgeries. Many times, they have little or no effect. And sometimes they have disastrous results. The rush to “cut first and ask questions later” approach should be avoided, especially when there are alternatives that people are demanding. Regenerative orthopedics, like stem cells, PRP, and prolotherapy are effective options to avoid joint replacement. Remember that once surgery is done, it cannot be undone.

There is more good news! Following a regenerative orthopedics procedure, patients are not only able to continue with exercise, but movement is encouraged. Sure, there are a few days of rest, but motion is encouraged. Slowly returning to normal activities is expected.

With regenerative stem cell treatments, there is no down time, no wound infection, no antibiotics, no multiple doses of prescription narcotics, and no physical therapy for rehabilitation necessary.

These treatments allow the body to heal itself. There are none of the problems associated with total joint replacement such as the wound not healing, device failure, bleeding into the wound, and none of the worst post-surgical problems – more pain!

Did you know that joint replacements only last 8 to 12 years? That means many patients will need to have the procedure done several times during their lifetime. On the other hand, with stem cell therapy, in the majority of the cases, the treatment only has to be done once if properly per- formed.

The Gold Standard in Stem Cell Therapy

In our practice, we use The Gold Standard in Stem Cell Therapy, which combines several different regenerative treatments to effectively repair joints. We treat the entire joint! Besides stem cells from bone marrow, we use stem cells from fat (lipoaspirate), along with PRP (platelet rich plasma), which provides growth factors to help the stem cells grow. In addition, we treat the outside of the joint with the above as well as apply dextrose prolotherapy to the soft tissue areas where many of the problems originated.

That means we treat the cause and the effect; not just the effect as many others do. We repair the source of the problem, so you have the results you are looking for! These regenerative treatments, along with dextrose prolotherapy in and around the involved joint, offer the benefits of pain relief, regenerative results, and cartilage repair.

Stem Cells from Bone Marrow. Bone marrow is a rich source of stem cells in the body. These stem cells are also termed mesenchymal stem cells and progenitor cells, among other names. Harvesting them from one’s own body eliminates the possibility of cross reaction or rejection. These autologous (obtained from oneself) stem cells can regenerate and repair tissue such as cartilage, tendon, meniscus, and ligament.

After extraction and concentration, the stem cells are then injected straight to the area that has a cellular deficiency. Stem cells aid in fibroblastic proliferation where cell growth, proteosynthesis, reparation, the remodeling of tissues, and chondrocyte proliferation occurs.

Studies show stem cells from bone marrow are very effective in the treatment of osteoarthritis. Slovenian researchers compared bone marrow aspirate to other treatments and found bone marrow to be more effective in the treatment of symptomatic knee osteoarthritis, especially in the patients with more severe degenerative changes.¹

Although studies have shown great results with stem cells alone, in our experience we have discovered that the combination of solutions used in The Gold Standard of Stem Cell Therapy provides the best results.

Adipose Stem Cells. Adipose tissue is also a rich, but different, source of adult stem cells. These cells, harvested from one’s own fat, have an extensive proliferative capacity. And they too can regenerate ligaments, cartilage, muscle, and other tissue. Adipose stem cells are now being used in musculoskeletal medicine to not only regenerate tissue but also to provide a scaffold to hold stem cells in place and allow them to grow.

Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP). Not all injuries require stem cells to heal. Studies show the effectiveness of PRP in soft tissue injuries, such as moderate to severe ligament and tendon damage, as well as tears in a meniscus or labrum. In a study in the Journal of Orthopedic Surgery and Research, the authors concluded that “PRP renders similar results to that of corticosteroids in most clinical aspects among patients with rotator cuff tendinopathies; however, pain and range of motion may show more significant improvement with the use of PRP.” This is especially important to point out “considering that the use of corticosteroids may be contraindicated in some patients and may be associated with the risk of tendon rupture.” The researchers suggested the use of PRP in place of corticosteroid-based injections among patients with rotator cuff tendinopathy.²

Dextrose Prolotherapy. Dextrose prolotherapy is a technique that is used to aid the body in healing by promoting growth of soft tissue like ligaments and tendons that have mild to moderate damage. Various trials and studies have shown the effectiveness of dextrose prolotherapy in treating osteoarthritis, as well as ligament and tendon injuries.^3-5 Since these regenerative treatments are effective at repairing ligaments and tendons, treatment earlier on in the arthritic process has the potential to prevent damage and help to avoid the lifestyle adjustments that often transpire with the disease. In many cases, prolotherapy alone is sufficient to bring the pain relief and repair needed.

Dextrose prolotherapy involves the injection of a hyperosmolar dextrose solution into an injury site to elicit localized inflammation, which is the first step in healing the damaged area. The dextrose solution acts as a proliferant via the induction of local inflammatory and wound healing cascades, including fibroblast cells that make collagen.

What Is the Expected Outcome?

The success rate with traditional prolotherapy, alone or with PRP, is very good for most patients. However, for those cases of advanced arthritis or aggressive injuries, stem cell treatment may be needed to regenerate the defective joint.

In our clinic, patients are treated with The Gold Standard in Stem Cell Therapy, which is using stem cells in combination with PRP and prolotherapy, as well as treating the outside of the joint to accelerate healing and to strengthen and stabilize the surrounding joint structures. These patients report significantly decreased pain, remarkable gains in function and quality of life, boosted exercise ability, increased range of motion, as well as losses in stiffness and crepitus.

These regenerative therapies are safe and effective treatment options with the potential to slow down the progression of degeneration while promoting the regeneration of articular cartilage. The treatment is essentially a new paradigm in the treatment of osteoarthritis, and one that decreases the need for surgical joint repair and replacement.

Adult Stem Cell Injections, NOT Embryonic Stem Cell Injections

The stem cell therapy done at OrthoRegen® has nothing to do with embryonic stem cell therapy. Most research and studies have shown that cord blood does NOT have many, if any, stem cells. We only use the patient’s own adult stem cells. We take the bone marrow from the patient’s own tibia or iliac crest bones and use fat from the abdominal or buttock areas so that the stem cells are the freshest. Additionally, there is no cross contamination this way! After concentrating these cells, we then inject them into the defective joint.

Stem Cell Therapy at OrthoRegen®. When degeneration is advanced, which in most cases means bone on bone, cartilage degeneration, or a recommendation to have the joint replaced, or any combination of these, we use The Gold Standard in Stem Cell Therapy and integrate the regenerative components of blood, fat, and bone marrow, while also treating the outside of the joint. Many clinics use only one or two of these procedures, but we have discovered that this combination acts as an amazing regenerative solution to reverse the damage of a degenerated joint.

Our goal with The Gold Standard in Stem Cell Therapy is to give the patient’s joint the best possible chance of repairing itself and to improve treatment outcomes in patients with advanced degenerative conditions. All solutions are centrifuged and concentrated to get a solution with the most concentration of stem cells.

The Gold Standard in Stem Cell Therapy is a great solution for regeneration that addresses the whole joint. Regenerate First; Surgery Last!

References

1. Hussein, Mohsen, van Eck CF, Velikonja NK. Bone Marrow Aspirate Concentrate Is More Effective Than Hyaluronic Acid and Autologous Conditioned Serum in the Treatment of Knee Osteoarthritis: A Retrospective Study of 505 Consecutive Patients. Applied Sciences. 2021;11(7): 2932

2. Dadgostar Haleh, et al. Corticosteroids or platelet-rich plasma injections for rotator cuff tendinopathy: a randomized clinical trial study. Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery and Research. 2021;16(1): 1-8.

3. Wang Jun, et al. Meta-analysis of clinical trials focusing on hypertonic dextrose prolotherapy (HDP) for knee osteoarthritis. Aging clinical and experimental research. (2021): 1-10.

4. Sit, Regina Wing-Shan, et al. Efficacy of hypertonic dextrose injection (prolotherapy) in temporomandibular joint dysfunction: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Scientific reports. 2021;11(1): 1-13.

5. Rabago D, Ralston B, Zaharoff A. Prolotherapy: An Evidence-Based Adjunctive Therapy for Knee Osteoarthritis. American Family Physician. 2021;103(7): 395-395.