Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of arthritis. It is a disease that affects articular cartilage.
Cartilage is a complex tissue that consists of a matrix substance made up of water, collagen, and proteoglycans (proteins mixed with sugars). In addition, cells, called chondrocytes, sit inside the matrix and are responsible for manufacturing the matrix.
The development of OA is a complicated process that is hastened by genetic factors, trauma, and aging.
The exact sequence of events that leads to OA is still a subject of conjecture. However, because it is the most common form of arthritis and affects so many people (approximately 20 million Americans), it is the subject of intense investigation.
Unfortunately, the treatment of OA, to date, is poor. It consists primarily of symptomatic relief.
Anti-inflammatory medicines, ice, injections of cortisone and viscosupplements (lubricants), physical therapy, and eventually joint replacement are the current forms of treatment.
The ideal treatment for OA should, of course, include pain relief. But also, slowing down the rate of cartilage loss or even reversing it by building new cartilage should be a major goal. And so is avoidance of joint replacement surgery.
That is why the use of autologous stem cells (a patient's own stem cells) has garnered so much interest. Here are the results of a patient who underwent an autologous stem cell procedure for OA of the knee at our center last year...
- Started having considerable pain in my right knee in January 2010
- Diagnosed with irreversible arthritis of my right knee in October 2010 by both Rochester (Michigan) Knee and University of Michigan Orthopedists
- Knee stem cell procedure on December 10, 2010 performed at the Arthritis Treatment Center
- 3 months recovery and physical therapy
- Bay Shore Marathon May 2011
- Solstice 10 miler in June 2011
- Peterborough 70.3 July 2011
- WAM 300 mile /3 day bike tour July 2011
- Crim 10 miler August 2011
- Ironman Wisconsin Sept 2011
- Completed the Marine Corp Marathon October 2011
While these results aren't meant to show the typical outcome, many of the active "Boomers" who have undergone this procedure at our center have done well and been able to return to a high level of activity.
Our results involving the first 22 patients with OA of the knee, which is what we specialize in, are reported here.
(Wei N, Beard S, Delauter S, Bitner C, Gillis R, Rau L, Miller C, Clark T. Guided Mesenchymal Stem Cell Layering Technique for Treatment of Osteoarthritis of the Knee. J Applied Res. 2011; 11: 44-48)
Who knows...someday... joint replacement surgery may be a thing of the past.
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