Stem Cell Treatment For Osteoarthritis Of The Knees And Hips

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form ofThe adult type is embryo-free and can create a
arthritis in adults and affects roughly 40 millionspecific body part, such as tissue, cartilage and bone.
Americans. It is a disease that affects articularSo how are adult stem cells obtained? According to
cartilage, the gristle that caps the ends of long bones.Dr. Nathan Wei, “Adult stem cells are
OA is a disease of weight-bearing joints such as theharvested from the posterior iliac crest of the pelvis
neck, low back, hips, and knees.(the back of the pelvis. Using local anesthetic with
Because the ability to ambulate depends entirely onultrasound guidance, a small biopsy needle is
properly functioning legs, the impact of OA on the hipsintroduced. A syringe is connected to the needle and is
and knees cannot be discounted. In fact, it has beenused to remove stem cells from the bone
estimated that more than 100,000 Americans cannotmarrow.” Dr. Wei goes on to say, “The
walk independently from their bed to the bathroom.stem cells are then prepared and concentrated using a
The focus of treatment for this disease has beentechnique involving a specially designed
primarily on pain relief and lifestyle changes. Propercentrifuge.”
weight management, exercise, physical therapy, and“At the same time we also draw blood from
non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs have been thethe patient in order to isolate platelet rich plasma. This
mainstays of treatment. For patients with more severeplatelet rich plasma contains specific growth factors
problems, injections of corticosteroidsthat promote the regeneration of collagen, a major
(“cortisone”) and viscosupplementsconstituent of cartilage,” he adds.
have also been used.He goes on to say, “We then will enter the
Unfortunately, these measures, while temporizing, aid inknee with another small needle using local anesthetic
symptom control only. There have been no treatmentsand “tease” the cartilage and the
that have been shown conclusively to regeneratetendons that are the source of the arthritis … as
cartilage and to heal damaged cartilage.well as the source of much of the pain- all under
Glucosamine and chondroitin preparations haveultrasound guidance. When we’re done
demonstrated a modest effects in the maintenance ofwe’ll inject the stem cells and the platelet rich
cartilage… but studies have demonstratedplasma. The end result is cartilage regeneration.”
conflicting evidence in regards to the quantity ofAccording to most experts, potential side-effects are
improvement.minimal. “Most patients are surprised at how
Recently, though, there has been increased interest inquickly they are active again. The advantage of stem
the use of stem cells as a possible treatment modalitycell therapy is that it’s like getting a new set of
for this disease.tires. Unlike getting a knee replacement, you can go
The use of fetal stem cells is highlyback to aerobics and running, Dr. Wei states.”
controversial… however, there is another goodDr. Wei says, “The advantage is that the
source that escapes the controversy- adult stem cells.patient is their own donor and provides their own
So what are stem cells? They are progenitor cells,therapy. It's a lot like getting a blood transfusion for
meaning they are the earliest form of cell. Stem cellsyourself.”
(SC) are manufactured in the bone marrow and areBecause the cells aren't foreign to the body,
pluropotential. This means they can differentiate intoengineered or manipulated in any way, there's no
any kind of tissue cell. Stem cells are responsible forchance for contamination or rejection when the
growth and healing in the body.isolated cells re-enter the body.