The answer is both yes and no; it is age dependent.
Received last week from a woman in her late 20s at the time of injury:
“Dr. Sheinkop-
I wanted to follow-up with you in terms of my success with the stem cell treatment for my full ACL tear in March 2016. I cannot even begin to thank you for what your treatment did for my life.
Since the October after the procedure, I have been playing in competitive women’s basketball leagues twice a week- WITHOUT the need for a clunky knee brace. I have ZERO instability. Only once in a while do I notice a difference between my two knees, really only when the weather is changing, etc (and even then, it’s negligible.)
I would be more than happy to give a more elaborate testimonial if you were interested. I’ve been recommending you to every person I hear who injures their knee! “
From an 86-year-old man with Osteoarthritis receiving intervention in early December:
“My knee has been better since the procedure. I have been in Florida for the last two
months.”
In the ACL scenario, tissue regeneration and cartilage protection were the goals. In the case of the 86-year-old, pain relief and improved function are the goals with less emphasis on regeneration.
Let’s go back to basics as the terms Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cells are not necessarily synonymous. The Adult Mesenchymal Stem Cell population in your bone marrow diminishes with age; such is not the case with Growth Factors. As far as other sources of stem cells outside of your bone marrow, adipose tissue or fat requires a treatment with an enzyme to liberate the stem cells and the enzymatic digestion of fat to liberate stem cells is not FDA compliant. As well, fat does not contain growth factors; the latter needed to block inflammation and cartilage destruction. Amniotic fluid once harvested, sterilized, processed and fast thawed for injection has no living stem cells and further is not FDA compliant as it is not autologous. Cord blood and Wharton’s jelly from an umbilical cord are potential sources of biologic tissue for which we have no clinical information concerning an effect on joints and ligaments; here again are the FDA compliance questions of Autologous and Homologous use?
Growth Factors and precursor cells block inflammation and cartilage destruction while reversing bone resorption and cartilage degradation. It is the Growth Factors and precursor cells that are providing pain relief and increased function for the 86-year-old playing golf in Florida while the stem cells resulted in restoring Anterior Cruciate integrity in the very athletic young woman allowing for return to baseball and basketball. The above are anecdotes from my practice but the scientific outcomes study in which I performed a 56-patient clinical trial for Regenexx using Bone Marrow Concentrate with up to a four-year orthopedic follow up-I am still one of the only orthopedic surgeons, for that matter physicians, practicing evidence based Cellular Orthopedics-will be submitted for publication in the next several weeks.
As a patient seeking symptom relief and improved function, exercise evidence-based judgement when you choose a Regenerative Medicine Center of Excellence
Call 312 375 1893 to schedule a consultation. You may visit my website and watch my webinar at www.ilcellulartherapy.com