Stem Cell Treatments Are An Option To Consider When You Have Arthritis In Your Knee
If you have arthritis in your knee that gives you frequent pain, you might want to look into stem cell treatments. A stem cell treatment is an easy procedure to have done, and the earlier you undergo the treatment, the greater the chance you'll have good results. At some point, the damage to your knee may be so great that surgery is the best option. Until then, knee pain stem cell treatments might relieve your pain and allow you to stay more active. Here's how the procedure is done.
A Hospital Stay Isn't Needed
Unlike knee surgery, a stem cell treatment doesn't require general anesthesia or surgery. This is one of the advantages of choosing stem cell therapy for pain relief. The treatments may allow you to postpone surgery or avoid it and all the risks associated with surgery. You have the treatments in a clinic or doctor's office, and once you've recovered, you can walk out and go home.
The Procedure Involves Two Steps
Your doctor might use donor stem cells for your treatment, but it's also common for your own stem cells to be used. Obtaining your stem cells is the first step in the treatment. They may be taken from your bone marrow or fat. The cells are removed and prepared for an injection into your knee. Local anesthetics are used so you don't feel much discomfort during the stem cell removal or injection phase. Your treatment plan may consist of multiple injections spread over a period of a few weeks.
You Should Notice Gradual Improvement In Pain
Recovery from a stem cell treatment of your knee is usually quick. However, you might have some soreness associated with removing the stem cells from your bone if you have that procedure done too. You'll want to follow the instructions you're given for recovery since taking over-the-counter pain relievers might interfere with the effectiveness of the injections. Stem cell injections are thought to work because they reduce inflammation, and a reduction in inflammation results in less pain. You may experience this effect fairly soon after a treatment, but it's also possible that you'll begin to see results after several weeks.
The injections may also slow down the rate of cartilage deterioration in your knee. It's even possible that the stem cells will build new cartilage in your knee in a gradual process. You may see slow and gradual improvements in your knee pain, and you could enjoy the results for many months or years.
While stem cell treatments may not replace the damaged cartilage in your knee, the treatments may bring about enough healing that you have far less pain and you're able to be more active and have a higher quality of life.