What is Osteoarthritis?
Osteoarthritis, the most common form of arthritis, can occur as a result of injury, infection, from being overweight, or for some it can be heredity. Knee Osteoarthritis occurs when the cartilage in the joints breaks down causing chronic knee pain, stiffness, and abnormal joint functioning. The knee is the joint where the bones of the upper leg and lower leg meet. The largest joint in the body, the knee moves like a hinge, allowing you to sit, squat, walk or jump. When knee problems arise, they can interfere with almost all your daily activities and certainly compromise your participation in more advanced activities or sports.
Stem Cell Therapy for Knee Osteoarthritis
Traditionally, treatments have been centered around surgical and pharmaceutical interventions, which are favored by most physicians. Pharmaceuticals have the potential to allow for temporary pain relief and return to daily activities, but ultimately the cartilage will continue to deteriorate. Knee replacement surgery is often required when the knee joint has reached a point where the pain can no longer be controlled. Surgery should be used as a last resort as it is highly invasive and non-reversible should you achieve less than optimal results.
What About Prolotherapy?
A safer, non-surgical treatment is available at Utah Stem Cells for patients with knee osteoarthritis looking for relief. Utah Stem Cells specializes in an advanced form of prolotherapy, called stem cell prolotherapy.
Prolotherapy is an accurate injection of a non-toxic substance into the injured tissue, which causes a temporary and purposeful therapeutic inflammation. The resultant inflammation initiates a beneficial healing cascade causing an increase in blood supply, growth factors, and stem cells. This eventually produces an increase in collagen that essentially grows stronger tissues and cartilage.
Prolotherapy has been practiced for over 80 years by a small group of physicians with excellent results. Recent research, from Saarland University Medical Center in Germany, states stem cells have the ability to regrow cartilage, no matter where it comes from, or how it’s used. In April 2017, Chinese doctors published research on their review of the efficacy and safety of mesenchymal stem cell (MSCs) therapy in knee osteoarthritis treatment. Results demonstrated that MSCs administered into the knee remained on the surface of the damaged meniscus and embedded into the cartilage, resulting in the restoration of meniscal tissue.
Knee osteoarthritis can lead to very painful situations, and we want to ensure you are getting all the information before deciding on a therapy that is best suited for you.
Do you suffer from knee osteoarthritis? Utah Stem Cells may have a solution for you. Give us a call to schedule an appointment. 801-999-4860
