therapy for OsteoarthritisFive million people in the UK are said to live with Osteoarthritis, also known as degenerative arthritis or degenerative joint disease, is a group of mechanical abnormalities involving degradation of joints, including damage to the tissue between bones known as articular cartilage and subchondral bone. Symptoms may include joint pain, tenderness, stiffness, locking, and sometimes an effusion. When bone surfaces become less well protected by cartilage, bone may be exposed and damaged. As a result of decreased movement secondary to pain, regional muscles may atrophy, and ligaments may become more lax. While Osteoarthritis is very common in middle-aged and older people, up to two thirds of people suffering from osteoarthritis are of working age, and its symptoms can range from very mild to very severe. The disorder most often affects hands and weight-bearing joints such as knees, hips, feet and shoulders, but can affect almost any joint in the body.

 

How Regenerative Therapy can be used to treat patients with Osteoarthritis?

The majority of complications in Osteoarthritis patients are related to the deterioration of cartilage that cushions the ends of bones in your joints. Cartilage is a firm, slippery tissue that permits nearly frictionless joint motion. In Osteoarthritis, this surface become rough. Eventually, if the cartilage wears down completely, patients will be left with bone rubbing on bone.

Regenerative Treatments provided by Medica Institute is designed to target these areas within the joints to help with the growth of new cartilage cells. Stem cells are multi-potent and have the ability to differentiate into cartilage cells (Chondrocytes).

It works like this: Under local anaesthesia, a bone marrow and/or adipose tissue sample is collected from the patient and a blood sample is withdrawn and placed into a centrifuge to produce a rich concentrate. Those cells are then injected back into the patient’s damaged joint or given to the patient using a standard IV dip to help kick-start healing. Regenerative therapy induces the production of natural anti-inflammatories which can assist with Osteoarthritis pain and swelling in the joint area.

The procedure is performed in an outpatient setting and only takes a few hours. No general anaesthesia is required and most patients don’t need post-operative pain medication. Also, patients typically return to work within a week or two and they resume physical activity much faster than after invasive surgery. Extracting the cells directly from patients reduces the risk of rejection; many report feeling marked improvement in their joint within one to three months.

Over 6 months following the treatment and possibly after more than one treatment session, improvements are slowly noticed with build-up of healthy tissue and slowing down of the inflammatory process resulting in symptoms being decreased or reversed, this is only possible with Regenerative therapy.

Benefit is most achieved with early treatment and strictly following instructions given by the physician, with consideration of individual cases, patient’s state, his or hers analysis and disease history.

Orthobiologic Regenerative Therapy for Osteoarthritis is being studied for efficacy in improving the complications in patients through the use of their own cells. These procedures may help patients who don’t respond to typical drug treatment, want to reduce their reliance on medication, or are looking to try Regenerative therapy before starting drug treatment.

 

Research theories (1) are, when stem cells are injected into an arthritic joint, they might:

  • Develop into much needed cartilage cells to replace damaged cartilage
  • Suppress inflammation that can make arthritis and associated pain worse
  • Release proteins (cytokines) that slow down cartilage degeneration and/or decrease pain

In a  most recent study by the Mayo Clinic  (2) , published in the American Journal of Sports Medicine, findings showed that  patients not only had a dramatic improvement in the knee that received stem cells, but also in their other knee, which also had painful arthritis but received only a saline control injection. Each of the 25 patients enrolled in the study had two bad knees, but did not know which knee received the stem cells.

The musculoskeletal system is a single complex consisting of bones, joints, ligaments and muscles, which provide support to the human body, and movement of its individual parts. The symptomatic therapy for inflammation and pain consists of non-steroidal and steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. These drugs temporarily relieve the pain and eliminates inflammation in the joints, but in no way does it contribute or initiate recovery of the affected cartilage tissue. Long term use of such drugs might result in compromising the kidney functions and contribute to developing osteoporosis.

Regenerative therapies are proving more and more successful in alleviating symptoms by promoting cartilage cell growth as well as suppressing the inflammation resulting in pain relief. Regenerative therapy is a powerful tool which can eliminate the cause of the condition and its consequences. Diseases of the musculoskeletal system of both degenerative and inflammatory nature can equally benefit from stem cell therapy.

Degenerative changes of the articular surfaces, cartilage and surrounding tissues as in osteoarthrosis is followed by sclerosis of joint surfaces with the growth of osteophytes, which ultimately leads to the development of strains, sprains and joint dysfunction. Therapy by Regenerative treatments can help all of these problems. Osteoarthritis is the most common joint disease, affecting around 70-80% of all the joint pathology patients. Over the years stem cells therapy has revolutionized treatment of osteochondrosis, a family of orthopaedic diseases of the joint that occur in children and adolescents.

Regenerative therapies can slow down the disease progression and help relief associated pain hence improve the patient’s quality of life. In addition to being a source of inflammation in the body, progression of arthritis brings on complete destruction of the joint possibly resulting in impaired patient mobility and worsening in the quality of life. It is imperative that treatment of arthritis with Regenerative therapy is started as early as possible.

Regenerative therapy procedures are quickly becoming a first line of treatment for chronic pain, degenerative joint disease, like arthritis or osteoarthritis, providing a minimally invasive option to avoid invasive surgical repair, and other various conditions. There are many Medica Stem Cell patient testimonials on our website who have experienced significant improvements on their condition for You to view.

 

References:

  1. Burke J, Hunter M, Kolhe R, Isales C, Hamrick M, Fulzele S. Therapeutic potential of mesenchymal stem cell based therapy for osteoarthritis. Clin Transl Med. 2016; 5(1):27.
  2. Shapiro SA, Kazmerchak SE, Heckman MG, Zubair AC, O’Connor MI. A Prospective, Single-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial of Bone Marrow Aspirate Concentrate for Knee Osteoarthritis. Am J Sports Med 2017 Jan; 45 (1):82-90 Epub 2016 Sept 30. View PubMed

 

What are the top Benefits of Non-surgical Regenerative Treatments?

With so many options out there, you may be wondering what benefits choosing Non-surgical Regenerative Treatments provides.  Over all Regenerative treatments are minimally invasive, non-surgical same day procedures with no risk of rejection, minimal recovery time and minimal worry. You are fully awake and ready to go home within a few hours after injections in the affected area.

 

Here are the top benefits to be aware of:

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Avoid surgery and its risks and many complications

Regenerative Therapy is a minimally invasive, non-surgical procedure, which gives patients an alternative to painful surgery and lengthy recovery. The procedure is performed in an outpatient setting and only takes a few hours. No general anaesthesia is required and most patients don’t need post-operative pain medication. Also, patients typically return to work within a week or two (unless told otherwise by the doctor) and they resume physical activity much faster than after invasive hip surgery.

 

Minimal post-procedural recovery time

One of the most time consuming factors of any injury is not always the treatment itself, but actually the recovery time. With Regenerative therapies, there is far less risk involved than surgery and recovery time is much shorter compared to surgery.

 

No use of general anaesthesia

Do you not like the way general anaesthesia makes your feel? Or do you simply get anxious at the thought of being put under? Regenerative therapy may be just what you need as it does not require the use of general anaesthesia. It provides a safe increasingly effective non-surgical alternative to treating medical conditions using the body’s own natural ability to repair itself without the use of medication.

 

Same day procedure

The best part, after comprehensive examination and review of your case, blood tests & radio-imaging scans are done to establish a baseline for your pre-existing condition, is that our Regenerative Therapies are a non-invasive treatment and an outpatient same day procedure, where the Consultant will decide which line of Regenerative Therapy is most suited to your case. In certain cases it may be a combination of more than one treatment protocol. For some patients however, the complete protocol is a series of injections in several treatment sessions.

 

Safe procedures with No risk of rejection and No communicable disease transmission

Your immune system has no reason to attack your cells and there is no risk of contracting a transmittable infectious disease from a donor patient also. In fact, studies thus far have indicated no safety issues with fat-derived autologous (from self) cells. Because they are your own cells, the risk of rejection is eliminated.

The increased risk of heart attack, as found to be associated with hip replacement surgery, is not present with Regenerative therapies, either. Like any procedure, there is a minute risk of infection at the sample collection and at the hip injection site. To minimize that risk the procedure is carried out under strict sterile conditions.

Am I a candidate for the Medica Institute therapies?

In general, Regenerative Medica Institute Therapies can be utilised by anyone, regardless of the age, race, or gender. However, in order to determine if you are a good candidate and will benefit the most from Regenerative treatment, you will need to schedule an appointment with our Clinic to have an assessment done by our Consultant, who will review your medical records and determine if you are a qualified candidate for our therapy. The choice of treatment is then at the discretion of the Consultant and is based on your unique case.

 

Regenerative Therapy for Osteoarthritis may help patients who don’t respond to typical drug treatment, want to reduce their reliance on medication, or are looking for safe treatment alternatives. Regenerative treatments are not suitable for all conditions and all patients. The consultant will be able to advise if you are a suitable candidate.

Your first step to exploring your treatment options for Osteoarthritis is scheduling a consultation with our Consultant. To do so call us on 020 8168 2000 or alternatively book a consultation online or request a call back today!