What Science ACTUALLY Says About Stem Cell Injections for Arthritis

imagine a future where a simple treatment could repair your damaged joints solve chronic pain and restore Mobility stem cell therapies promise just that for those suffering from arthritis yet among soaring expectations and bold claims there remains an essential lingering question does the actual effectiveness of these therapies match their groundbreaking potential today we're going to take a dive into the world of stem cell treatments for Osteo arthritis we'll discuss the science scrutinize the evidence and I'll give you my recommendations on whether this novel treatment is the Breakthrough we've been hoping for hey everyone Dr Jeff paying here stem cell therapies are a cuttingedge treatment and offer high hopes for those suffering from osteoarthritis however while there has been substantial media coverage and marketing efforts surrounding stem cell therapies they often highlight anecdotal success stories and while personal stories can be very compelling they can create a perception of Effectiveness that may not be fully supported by clinical evidence so let's briefly explore the three main types of stem cells used in osteoarthritis treatment first there's bone marrow aspirate concentrate or BAC for short BAC is obtained from bone marrow and is usually harvested from the patient's iliac crest in the pelvic bone next we have atopos stromovascular fraction also known as svf svf is derived from fat tissue and is harvested through lipo suction last there are stem cells from umbilical cord which are ethically sourced and processed for clinical use each stem cell treatment whether it's BAC SP SPF or umbilical cord derived shares a common goal they utilize mesen kyal stem cells and growth factors to potentially repair and regenerate damaged tissues like bone cartilage and connective tissue in addition these therapies also aim to reduce pain and inflammation through their anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects so that's all in theory but what does the actual clinical evidence indicate while numerous case reports and some smaller studies suggest positive outcomes with stem cell therapies the overall evidence remains inconclusive this is why many experts who follow the orthobiologic space have been eagerly awaiting the results of this latest clinical trial the study investigated the three types of stem cells again that's bmac svf and umbilical cord tissue the researchers compared each of these three stem cell injections to corticosteroid injections and reported outcomes at one year the results showed that there was no difference in pain scores between any of these stem cell therapies when compared to cortisone injections in addition no treatment group saw any notable Improvement in MRI scores this suggests that none of these cellular treatments helped repair or regenerate anything within an arthritic knee now I want to reflect on these findings and emphasize a couple key points first this was a very well- conducted study with a large sample size of nearly 500 patients this is significantly more than the 20 to 30 patients in other clinical trials and therefore lends greater reliability to its findings second the study questions the effectiveness of stem cell treatments compared to corticosteroid injections for knee osteoarthritis this raises an important question is it worth paying thousands of dollars for a treatment not outright Superior to less expensive Alternatives now some critics would argue that a one-year study may not be sufficient to evaluate the long-term benefits or structural Improvement improvements that stem cell treatments could provide however it's important to note that individuals considering stem cell therapy often seek immediate results and may be reluctant to invest a significant amount of money in a treatment that requires several years to potentially show benefits for all these reasons I currently do not recommend stem cell therapy for the treatment of osteoarthritis this decision is based on the mixed results from recent clinical trials many of which show little to no benefit from these treatments furthermore the high cost of stem cell procedures represents a substantial Financial Risk especially considering the uncertainty of their effectiveness now a quick note on cortisone injections although the mentioned study showed no significant difference in Effectiveness between Cortisone and stem cell treatments this doesn't mean that everyone should be getting cortisone injection I've covered the risk of corticosteroid injections in a separate video which I'll link here for further details okay so what's a better alternative to cortisone or stem cells I recommend considering platelet rich plasma injections PRP has been proven highly effective in treating osteoarthritis and is considerably more affordable than stem cell treatments more importantly a wide range of studies including randomized control trials systematic reviews and meta analyses have shown that platelet rich plasma injections are more effective than Placebo cortisone injections and hyaluronic acid injections other Studies have even compared PRP injections to arthoscopic surgery and reported similar outcomes long-term studies suggest PRP injections can slow down the progression of arthritis and delay the need for knee replacement surgery in fact both the American Academy of orthopedic surgeons and the American Medical Society for sports medicine have acknowledged the effectiveness of PRP they've released summaries and consensus statements highlighting prp's significant benefits in reducing pain and enhancing joint function in knee osteoarthritis so for those considering orthobiologic therapies and regenerative medicine I generally recommend against stem cell injections they tend to be more expensive and inv Ive without necessarily offering better results instead I advocate for platelet rich plasma injections which I suggest to my patients as a more viable option lastly you need to know that not all PRP injections are the same there are many factors that influence the effectiveness of PRP and not paying attention to these can result in less favorable outcomes so check out this deep dive where I discuss the critical factors to consider and potential pitfalls to avoid during the treatment process

Channel: Jeffrey Peng MD

Views: 18,324

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Id: ILi_7KVqmEk

Length: 7min 4sec (424 seconds)

Published: Sat Dec 02 2023