Cellular Orthopedics Blog
Stem Cells and Skiing
It has been cold, dark, and dreary for the past several weeks here in Chicago so I needed a change of scene. Too cold to enjoy the 12 to16 inches of snow accumulation over the holidays and then a sudden warm up with rain removing any chance of outdoor recreation. As...
A 2014 Announcement for the Use of Stem Cells in Care of the Aging Athlete
If you access www.ClinicalTrials.gov, a service of the U.S. National Institutes of Health, next week, you will learn of a new clinical study concerning measurement of outcomes in the minimally invasive treatment of knee arthritis. Adult Mesenchymal Stem Cells derived...
Knee Pain, Meniscal Tears and Stem Cells
What prompted the subject matter for this blog is the article appearing in the December 25, 2013 issue of the New York Times by Pam Belluck: Common Knee Surgery Does Very Little for Some, Study Suggests. What the writer is citing is a scientific article that appeared...
Who is qualified to treat arthritis with Stem Cells?
Last week, a science writer who wanted my thoughts regarding might stem cells help those with arthritis interviewed me. Then she ended the interview,” how might a patient best choose a clinician to do the stem cell procedure?” There is great promise for stem cell...
Postponing, possibly avoiding a Joint Replacement with Stem Cells
Options for treating patients with osteoarthritis of the knee are limited to pain medication, anti-inflammatories, viscosupplementation (gels), steroids, physical therapy, braces, chiropractic care or any combination thereof, and ultimately, a Total Knee Replacement....
Avoiding, at least Postponing a Joint Replacement with Stem Cells
That’s what we are trying to achieve and it has been successful in over 85% of the patients I have treated since June of 2012 when I joined the Regenexx network. As readers of this Blog have learned, I undertook the sojourn into Cellular Orthopedics after having...
Experimentation is not synonymous with stem cell clinical trials
The ongoing outcomes research is now allowing statisticians at Regenexx to provide significant data. As a member of the Regenexx network of clinicians, I contribute to that database. As an orthopedic surgeon, not only do I provide subjective data patient responses; I...
On Joint Range of Motion and Stem cells for an Arthritic Joint
My last Blog introduced the notion of earlier stem cell intervention than has been usual and customary in the informed patient. With the goals of pain relief, improved range of motion, better functional capacity, return to or maintenance of a recreational interest,...
Can we postpone or prevent arthritis with stem cells?
How should I counsel the parents of a 16-year-old daughter when she had an anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction about future osteoarthritis? What do I say about OA to the 45 year-old weekend athlete who, during the course of the follow-up visit after rotator cuff...
Increasing the Opportunity for Stem Cell Intervention in Arthritis
Too many times, I have had to say no to patients seeking help with their limitations from an arthritic joint because of the leading co-morbidity, obesity. One may define obesity in various ways. In general, a Body Mass Index of over 32.5 excludes a patient from the...
Maintaining a full lifestyle
Ski season is here and I am planning ahead. Who doesn’t want a joint replacement for arthritis? For one, count me out as long as there are other options for dealing with my symptoms. As you will learn, I was head of a joint replacement program at a major medical...
What are stem cells?
Stem cells are the body's raw materials — cells from which all other cells with specialized functions are generated. Under the right conditions in the body, stem cells divide to form more cells called daughter cells. These daughter cells either become new stem cells...