The shoulder consists of a complex connection of joints, ligaments and muscles that work together. While you probably use this important joint in a variety of ways for your daily activities, this is one joint that you tend to take for granted – until it starts to hurt. Every year, more than two million Americans visit their physician complaining of joint pain in this area. What can you do about it? At Spectrum Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Center, we offer you the best of cutting-edge technology – stem cell therapy for shoulder arthritis, to help you get rid of chronic pain.
When you experience pain for the first time in this joint, some rest and the right kind of exercise may be all that you need. If it recurs, however, you are often given a course of anti-inflammatory drugs and painkillers. While these might reduce the pain, long term intake of anti-inflammatory drugs can cause several side effects, including gastritis and renal toxicity. Surgical options are often recommended for long standing pain, to explore, debride and repair the damaged tissue in the this joint.
At our Spectrum Regenerative Medicine Center, we believe in avoiding invasive procedures if we can help it. That’s why we aim at regenerating your body tissue, rather than repairing it. Scientists believe that this ‘biological’ form of therapy will have more long-term benefits than surgical repair. Stem cell therapy for shoulder pain will help achieve exactly this objective, without any scarring, so that you can be pain-free naturally!
The efficacy of stem cell shoulder treatment in repairing damaged tissues has been well established in several animal models (Valencia Mora et al., 2015). Microscopic examination of these models has revealed that, after injection, there is development of fibrocartilage, which is needed at the junction between the tendons and the bone. The clinical efficacy of stem cell therapy for shoulder pain has also been established in humans. Centeno et al. investigated 102 patients who underwent stem cell therapy for rotator cuff tears. They found that there was an improvement in both pain and disability scores, which continued for up to two years after treatment.
For minor, one-off pain that is probably due to a strained muscle, rest and physiotherapy may do the trick. But if your pain recurs, and is affecting performance of daily activities and lifestyle, it is time to look at other options.
If your answer to most of the above questions is ‘yes’, it is time to explore stem cell therapy for shoulder injuries. Nagging, frequent pain is often a sign of damage in this joint region. This could be due to inflammation or tear in muscles such as the rotator cuff or pectoralis. Stem cell treatment for torn rotator cuff not only reduces inflammation but also promotes healing of damaged tissue. Early arthritis, which also presents as chronic pain, can benefit with this regenerative therapy for the shoulders as well.
When you schedule an appointment at our medical center to be considered for stem cells for shoulder pain, you may be required to undergo a series of tests, such as X-rays and an MRI image of the joint. This is done to ascertain the joint status and locate the exact anatomical cause of your pain. Our doctor will then consult with you one-on-one, and, based on the results of your scans, and your physical status, will determine whether stem cells are the right option for you.
Regenerative injections for the shoulder do not require hospital admissions and general anesthesia. It can be done right here at Spectrum's outpatient clinic. The entire procedure takes a few hours. Although the areas we work on will be numbed with local anesthesia, we can offer you anxiety-reducing nitrous gas to make you happy and comfortable throughout the process.
The first step is harvesting the specialized cells from your body. For stem cell shoulder injections, the mesenchymal stem cells are usually harvested from the bone marrow at the back of your hip. Unlike the bone marrow biopsy, which you may have heard of as being painful, this is procedure is comfortable and a low amount of pain. The tissue harvested from your hip is then taken to our state-of-the-art laboratory, where it is processed in a centrifuge. The regenerative cells for the procedure are separated from the remaining tissue. We also process a small amount of your blood and isolate a component called platelet rich plasma. This has abundant growth factors that help the stem cells do their job.
The area over this region is then prepared and numbed with local anesthetics. To visualize the damaged area accurately, our doctor uses advanced imaging technology such as ultrasound and fluoroscopic imaging. Through guided imaging, the needle is gently inserted precisely into the area of damage. The stem cell for the rotator cuff tear or arthritis are then delivered to this area, along with platelet rich plasma, so that they can begin their healing process.
The following reasons might help you decide in favor of stem cell treatment for a shoulder injury over other options:
Stem cell injections for shoulder arthritis or rotator cuff tears do not take up much of your time. There are no lengthy laboratory work-ups required, and you do not need to remain overnight for any procedure. You will need a single initial appointment for consultation and imaging, and a follow-up appointment after the procedure, but the actual procedure is over in a single sitting of three to four hours.
These regenerative cells by themselves are absolutely safe and do not cause any adverse reactions in the areas into which they are introduced. We only use ‘autologous’ stem cells, which means the cells we inject into you are strictly the ones taken from your body, and not from other donors. This removes the chance of allergic and inflammatory reactions. Since these cells work on your biological mechanisms, they are absolutely safe.
As with any minor procedure, stem cell injections for shoulder arthritis may cause slight soreness and mild swelling at the site of injection. This is harmless and will pass in a few days.
We take precautions to maintain complete sterility and hygiene. All procedures are done using strict asepsis protocols. Therefore the risk of developing an infection is extremely minimal. A rare few patients, who have compromised immunity, may develop infection at the injection site. However, this can be dealt with promptly by the use of antibiotics.
If you have questions, comments, concerns, and/or compliments to share, we would love to hear from you!
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