While there are more than 100 types of arthritis, all of them are related to inflammation of the joints. Arthritis is more common as we get older, but it can also affect young athletes who are putting a lot of heavy and constant pressure on certain joints.
This inflammation can cause persistent pain and disability if the patient receives insufficient treatment or does nothing about it. While pain-relief medications and surgical interventions usually work for arthritis, they tend to be quite costly and have unpleasant side effects, or require a lengthy recovery period.
Therefore, any developments in treating arthritis without surgery are welcome. Stem cell therapy is one of those developments that is showing great promise in the treatment of arthritis.
How Do Stem Cells Work for Arthritis?
Medical research now suggests that stem cell therapy may be effective at treating many of the underlying mechanisms of arthritis. Let’s talk about how this emerging medical innovation might be able to treat your own arthritis:
Regeneration of Tissues
The main benefit of stem cell therapy over conventional treatments is that it is a type of regenerative medicine, which fosters your own body’s ability to heal itself. Arthritis is a degenerative disease, so stopping and reversing the damage is a key goal in treatment.
Regenerative methods address arthritis by enabling the formation of new cartilage and thereby ensuring that the joints are well-cushioned. Stem cells are believed to convert into functional cartilage-forming cells once a doctor introduces them directly into the affected joint via injection.
Minimally Invasive Treatment
Unlike surgery, stem cell treatment only requires the use of a needle to inject the cells into the affected locations of arthritis pain or disability. There is no need to create large incisions, so this procedure is a minimally invasive therapy.
During the therapy session, the doctor uses an imaging method such as an ultrasound to visualize the location of the needle and to guide it precisely to the correct spots of arthritis. The procedure is relatively quick, and the recovery period is brief.
Fewer Side Effects
Unlike medication or surgery, stem cell treatment presents almost no side effects. Patients who resort to medication typically have to keep taking the drugs regularly in order to experience their therapeutic effects. The moment that they stop taking the anti-inflammatory medicines, they’ll quickly suffer from the more intense symptoms of arthritis.
No Rejection Risk
Some surgical methods, such as joint replacement, rely on artificial implants and prosthetic materials. These implants are made of high-quality biocompatible materials to follow strict governmental medical standards.
In many cases, the human body adequately tolerates these materials. Nevertheless, the risk of rejection is always present when using foreign substances and keeping them inside your body. Stem cells harness your own cells, so there is no risk of your body rejecting the cellular material.
Stem Cell Center in Palm Beach County
While stem cell therapy is still being researched and studied, it shows promise in helping regrow damaged tissues in arthritic joints, making it unique when compared to other treatments. The procedure is also minimally invasive and offers no risk of rejection.
Conveniently located in Boynton Beach, the medical team here at Personalized Orthopedics of the Palm Beaches has helped many patients with various orthopedic problems, including arthritis. Our team successfully administers stem cell therapy to help patients with arthritis and other orthopedic conditions and injuries.
For more information or to schedule a consultation, call our office today, or complete our online form. We look forward to seeing you here and helping you get moving again.
This article is for general education and is not medical advice. For advice about your condition, talk with your physician. Request an appointment with our team.
