Stem Cell Therapy For Knee Pain in Wisconsin

We combine stem cells with extracellular matrix to get great results for knee arthritis.

Every year, knee pain affects millions of people in the United States. The most common cause of chronic knee pain is osteoarthritis, which affects almost 37% of the population. Sports and athletic injuries can also cause debilitating pain. A lot of people learn to live with pain, believing their only options are invasive surgery or steroid injections. This is not the case! At Spectrum Regenerative Medicine Center, we believe in offering you the most advanced options in regenerative medicine for knee arthritis.

Can Stem Cell Treatment For Knees Really Relieve Pain?

Yes! Knee stem cell therapy has been shown to regenerate damaged tissue in both animals and humans. While research is continuously ongoing, there is a lot of published evidence that these specialized regenerative cells not only relieve knee pain, but also promote the growth of new tissue within the knee joint. Several authors have reported effective outcomes with stem cell therapy

A meta-analysis that included 11 trials and 582 patients showed that MSC stem cells for arthritic knees improved pain scoring (WOMAC), and was a safe and efficacious treatment for patients suffering from osteoarthritis of the knee.
A report by Busse et al (2008) evaluated a patient who underwent injection of these cells into the knee joint. The patient had significantly less pain and an improved range of motion. Not only that, an MRI taken six months later showed growth of the joint cartilage and meniscus.

Another larger case series (Koh et al, 2013) evaluated 13 patients who underwent orthobiologic injections for knees, all of whom showed a definite improvement in pain and functioning of the knee joint.
Orozco et al (2013) followed twelve patients for almost a year after they received knee stem cell therapy. They stated that patients had rapid and progressive improvement with regard to pain, disability and overall quality of life. They also noted an improvement in cartilage quality on the MRI scans.

Of course, we have the experiences of thousands of patients at Spectrum Regenerative Medicine Center, who have enjoyed pain-free days since they visited us for regenerative therapy of the knees. Our doctors have vast experience with stem cell therapy for meniscal damage and the procedures have improved the lives of countless patients.

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How Do Stem Cells Heal The Knee Joint?

Stem cells are ‘undifferentiated’ cells. This means that they do not have any defined role, but when the need arises, they can turn into any specific cell type. When they are introduced into damaged tissue they naturally attempt to repair that tissue by taking the form of cells that participate in the regenerative process.

Knee pain commonly occurs because there is damage to the cartilage and meniscus of the joint. Your knee already has the capacity to repair damaged cartilage, because joint fluid has regenerative cells that can differentiate into chondrocytes, cells that repair and lay down cartilage. However, the number of cells available in the joint is limited, and the process can take time.

When stem cells for an arthritic knee are injected into the damaged knee, the regenerative process moves along much faster. They can convert into cells that lay down cartilage and bone, thus accelerating the repair process. Regenerative knee treatment not only relieves pain, it improves the function of the joint as well. One patient who had undergone stem cell knee injections (Centeno et al, 2008) was evaluated using an MRI scan before and after knee treatment. The scans showed a significant decrease in cartilage defect size after stem cells for knee pain were provided.

Where Do These Cells Come From?

At Spectrum Regenerative Medicine Center, we use autologous mesenchymal cells, which means that the stem cells for the knee treatment are taken from your own body. The source of these cells includes adipose tissue, or body fat, and bone marrow concentrate. Bone marrow has been found to have a large number of specialized regenerative cells for knee treatment, and is easy to harvest in the posterior pelvic region from the hip. We also use sources of growth factors, such as platelet-rich plasma (PRP) to stimulate tissue regeneration. Adipose tissue has also been found to be rich in these cells and extracellular fiber matrix, in which case bone marrow aspirate does not contain this. Fiber matrix has potent effects on tissue regeneration as it provides structural components and important cellular signaling.

Good Looking Nice Aged Man Holding His Knee and Looking at His Doctor

Am I The Right Candidate For This Treatment?

Stem cell therapy for knee pain is a viable option for the most common causes of knee pain – athletic injuries and degenerative arthritis. These include:

Acute injuries to the knee joint, such as ligament and meniscus tears
Long-standing knee pain, such as osteoarthritis, if there is still viable cartilage present.

These regenerative cells for knee pain and arthritis may only promote healing, or the regeneration of tissue, if there is some viable cartilage or tissue present. Therefore, this might not be the right option if your osteoarthritis is in an advanced stage, or if you have a completely torn meniscus – these might require more invasive procedures.

To determine if you’re the right candidate for this regenerative therapy for knee arthritis, you’ll need a consultation first, with one of our doctors. You may also need imaging studies like an x-ray and MRI of your knee joint if you haven’t had one in the last 3-4 years. One of our doctors will determine the extent of damage, and take that into consideration along with your overall health and physical status.

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Will It Hurt? What Does The Procedure Involve?

The entire process is carried out under local anesthesia. While your knee will be numbed, you can choose to have nitrous gas to make you less anxious, minimize pain and provide more comfort with the procedure.

If adipose mesenchymal stem cells have been chosen as the orthobiologic, then it will be taken from the midsection region. Both are done under local anesthesia. If we need bone marrow, this will be taken from the back of your hip using a non-traumatic needle. The harvested stem cells will be processed in a laboratory using high technology equipment, and then prepared for injection.

The stem cell knee injection will be done under sterile conditions, and your leg will be prepared accordingly. One of our doctors will then inject the cells into the affected knee joint. We use x-ray guidance, with advanced imaging capabilities, to make sure the defect is located correctly, and the injections are precise. This helps the cells reach the area where they are required the most for the regeneration of the knee meniscal cartilage.

It is possible in some rare cases that you might require more than a single injection of orthobiologics into the knee, depending on the extent of damage that it has sustained.

Why Is This Therapy for Better Than Other Treatment Options?

We use extracellular matrix with great results as a scaffolding fiber for stem cells.

The other alternatives to regenerative therapy – usually recommended by most doctors, are arthroscopic surgery to repair torn tissues, or a total knee replacement. The biggest benefit of stem cells instead of knee replacement is that you get to keep your own joint instead of a prosthesis. Unlike arthroscopic surgery, it allows natural healing of tissues and so there is no scar formation.

Here are the benefits of stem cell treatment for the knee over more invasive procedures:

The entire process is a lot quicker. The journey from consultation to treatment and recovery can be as short as a couple of days.
You don’t have the burden of additional costs due to hospital stay, missed work, and post-surgical rehabilitation.
You don’t need to use supports such as crutches after the procedure. You can return to normal activities within a few weeks

Do The Treatment Have Any Side Effects?

Stem cell therapy for knee pain comes with minimal side effects. A recent meta-analysis (Yubo et al, 2017) has shown that the few minor effects that do occur, happen in all forms of knee treatment. More importantly, regenerative therapy for knees has not been linked with any major adverse events.

Pain: As with any medical procedure, there is a risk of post-procedure pain. the benefit of this procedure is that it does not create severe pain that can be associated with knee surgery. The post-procedure pain can be managed with ice, compression, elevation and tylenol.
Swelling: Swelling is an absolutely normal reaction to the regenerative stem cell therapy, and it will last for about a week. The use of ice packs, and compression bandages may give you some relief. If the swelling increases rapidly, and is warm and painful to touch, please see your doctor immediately.

Infection: Spectrum Regenerative Medicine Center follows strict aseptic guidelines and all injections are done under sterile conditions. There is, however, a slight chance of infection, if your immunity is low.
Asymmetry: There is a small risk of abdominal asymmetry due to harvesting the regenerative cells from this site. The amount removed, however, is so small that usually not noticeable.