Rheumatoid arthritis is a long-term condition that causes pain, swelling and stiffness in the joints. The symptoms usually affect the hands, feet and wrists.

There may be periods where symptoms become worse, known as flare-ups or flares.

A flare can be difficult to predict, but with treatment it’s possible to decrease the number of flares and minimise or prevent long-term damage to the joints.

Some people with rheumatoid arthritis also experience problems in other parts of the body, or more general symptoms such as tiredness and weight loss.

 

Causes of rheumatoid arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease. This means your immune system – which usually fights infection – attacks the cells that line your joints by mistake, making the joints swollen, stiff and painful.

Over time, this can damage the joint itself, the cartilage and nearby bone.

It’s not clear what triggers this problem with the immune system, although you’re at an increased risk if:

    • you are a woman
    • you have a family history of rheumatoid arthritis
    • you smoke

Read more about the causes of rheumatoid arthritis.

 

Treating rheumatoid arthritis

There’s no cure for rheumatoid arthritis. However, early diagnosis and appropriate treatment enables many people with rheumatoid arthritis to have periods of months or even years between flares. This can help them to lead full lives and continue regular employment.

The main treatment options include:

    • medication that is taken in the long-term to relieve symptoms and slow the progress of the condition
    • supportive treatments, such as physiotherapy and occupational therapy, to help keep you mobile and find ways around any problems you have with daily activities
    • surgery to correct any joint problems that develop

 

Complications of rheumatoid arthritis

Having rheumatoid arthritis can lead to several other conditions that may cause additional symptoms and can sometimes be life-threatening.

Possible complications include:

    • carpal tunnel syndrome
    • inflammation of other areas of the body (such as the lungs, heart and eyes)
    • an increased risk of heart attacks and strokes

Ensuring that rheumatoid arthritis is well controlled helps reduce your risk of complications such as these.

 

How can Regenerative stem cell treatment help?

Using cell products based on multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells (MMSCs) as a method of arthritis therapy gives a chance to reverse the symptoms (pain, swelling, local redness, stiffness and restriction of movements) and improve the function of damaged joints.

In the therapy, MMSCs are the cells that:

    • improve the overall regenerative potential of the body , triggering the healing process;
    • provide local and systemic anti-inflammatory effect  which reduces inflammation and pain;
    • activate the patient’s own stem cells which may result in the repair of the joint tissues and to the recovery of its function.

As MMSCs have anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects, the use of these cells can slow or stop the progression of diseases, associated with tissue damage, including autoimmune diseases (such as rheumatoid arthritis). Stem cell therapy enhances immunity decreasing common causes of joint damage.

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:

Read more..

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 Regenerative therapies?

In general, Regenerative Medica Institute Regenerative 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 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 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!