Stem Cell Treatments May Help Fight Osteoarthritis

Your joints are subject to a lot of wear and tear throughout the years. Cartilage within the joints (especially the knees and ankles) can begin to break down over time. This loss of viable cartilage tissue is a major contributor to the chronic pain that accompanies osteoarthritis.

If you don't want to rely on prescription medications to help you manage your chronic pain, then you might want to talk to your doctor about the possibility of introducing stem cell therapy into your osteoarthritis treatment plan.

The Adult Stem Cell Collection Process

Stem cells can be harvested from adult patients and used to provide valuable treatment for osteoarthritis symptoms. Adipose fat tissue has an abundance of healthy stem cells. A doctor can utilize a small suction device to collect adipose fat tissue while you are under sedation.

Stem cells are then extracted from this tissue and injected into your arthritic joints to help you experience much-needed relief from your chronic osteoarthritis pain.

The Stem Cell Treatment Process

To understand how stem cell treatments can be used to help alleviate arthritis pain, you need to have an understanding of what stem cells are. A stem cell is a human cell that has the potential to develop into many different cell types.

When your doctor injects viable stem cells into an arthritic joint, the stem cells develop into chondrocytes. Chondrocytes are the only types of cells found in cartilage tissue.

With increased the number of chondrocytes cells in your joints, your body can begin to repair the damaged cartilage in the joint. This repair process can offer significant alleviation from your chronic arthritis pain.

Stem Cell as an Alternative to Surgery

Surgical procedures to replace damaged or deteriorated cartilage have been used in the past to try and offer osteoarthritis sufferers some relief from the pain they experience each day. Unfortunately, the effects of cartilage replacement surgery are only temporary, and the recovery period for these surgeries can be extensive.

Stem cell therapy can be completed in a matter of hours. You will have to endure a simple injection of stem cells into your affected joints, but there will be no ongoing physical therapy or post-procedure requirements after a stem cell treatment.

The minimally invasive nature of stem cell therapy makes this type of treatment a great alternative for those patients who are too busy or frail to undergo surgery.

To learn more about stem cell treatments, consult a resource in your area.