What is stem cell therapy?
What is stem cell therapy and what are its advantages? This is a question we hear from our patients who are suffering from chronic joint pain, back pain and knee pain. On this page, we’ll try to answer your questions.
Stem cell therapy is part of the future of medicine. For the first time, medicine is helping the body repair itself naturally. This is accomplished with several techniques that involve injections rather than surgery. The goal is to relieve painful symptoms and repair damage whenever possible.
With these treatments, special cells are used to stimulate and repair damaged or diseased tissue. This can help promote bone growth where there’s been a break. It can help repair ligaments and cartilage.
Stem cell therapy for knees is one of the most sought-after procedures. Eager to avoid surgery and a long recovery, knee pain patients prefer this minimally invasive treatment.
What is a Stem Cell?
A stem cell is a building block within the human body. Unlike many cells, stem cells aren’t limited to a specific function. In fact, they actually mimic the functions of other cells that they join with. When applied to damaged or diseased tissue, stem cells can stimulate cell growth and help restore function to the affected area.
Who can benefit from stem cell therapy?
A wide range of musculoskeletal conditions will respond to stem cell treatment. This includes parts that are damaged due to injury or disease. It even includes nerve damage and spinal cord problems. If you are a patient who is suffering from one of the following, you may be a candidate:
- Advanced arthritis damage
- Bad back
- Degenerative disc disease
- Bad knees
- Sciatica
- Shoulder pain
- Soft tissue injuries
- Neuropathy
What to Expect at Your Stem Cell Treatment
This is a simple, yet effective procedure. It is done in a series of steps, but not all of them involve the patient.
- You or a donor may be the source of the stem cells.
- The harvested cells are sent to a lab for preparation expressly for you.
- An injection targets the painful, damaged area (knee, back, etc.)
- There is no preparation before the procedure and no downtime after it.
- The stem cells do their work as you continue to live your life. Over time, the cells boost cell growth and increase tissue repair.
- The final outcome should be healing and less pain.
- This may be done in conjunction with other therapies such as physical rehabilitation.