By Liv Tyree
The typical job of a joint cartilage is to encourage smooth movement of joint surfaces and shield the bones from friction. The procedure lets for shock absorption 20 times the body weight. Physical movement is important in athletics, particularly in athletics. Osteoarthritis is a very common chronic degenerative disorders and it impacts the knee that ruins the joint cartilage over time. Osteoarthritis can also start as a cause of knee injury like ligament tear, tendon damage, or a fracture. During damage, the joint is rendered unstable and wears down the articular cartilage. Then from there, the bone can withstand the damage too apart from the synovial joint lining, ligaments, tendons and muscles. Knee pain therapy with stem cells is minimally invasive. It is a process that can reduce inflammation, slow and fix all kinds of damages from arthritis and keep the knee replacement surgery at bay.
Stem cell knee injections
The adult stem cells are obtained from the bone marrow or fat via the simple methods. Then it is injected into the knee. The experts believe that stem cell therapy for the knee is successful by:
- developing into essential cartilage cells
- getting rid of the inflammation that can exacerbate arthritis
- secreting proteins known as cytokines that slow down the degeneration of cartilage and reduce pain
More research goes on to determine which stem cell knee therapy is the most effective.
Precautions
Albeit stem cell therapy can cause serious risks when done on other body parts like the eyes or the spine but it is super safe to be done on the knees. Stem cell therapy with the help of the adult stem cells is the safest way as the stem cells are accumulated from the patient’s own body. This brings down the risk of a bad reaction. The risks are more if:
- various types of stem cells are used
- stem cells are taken from the patient himself but grown in the lab further
- they are mixed with other chemicals
As this concept is still new, so the research goes on. FDA approves this because it includes embryonic stem cells for treating blood or immune system disorders.
Alternative treatment
When you are going through knee pain or limited knee mobility, you can also go for alternative initial treatments like opioid pain meds, anti inflammatory meds or physical therapy. And alternative treatments like hyaluronic acid, steroids or platelet rich plasma. You can also go for surgical options like subchondral bone drilling, arthroscopy or microscopy.
