![]() Adipose (fat) tissue contains a concentrated amount of cells known as mesenchymal stem cells, which are capable of replication or becoming different types of cells (i.e., neurons, bone, cartilage, muscle, tendon) throughout the body. The use of autologous, patient’s own, adipose tissue may have several advantages over bone marrow cells. When the patient’s own cells are used, they are typically derived from bone marrow or fat. The process of actively extracting, concentrating and administering these stem cells has been shown in clinical trials to have beneficial effects in degenerative conditions, including osteoarthritis. In the case of fat stem cells, they may not be released at all. While these types of cells have a natural ability to repair damaged tissue, in people with degenerative diseases, they are not released quickly enough to fully repair damaged tissue. Stem cells reside in adult bone marrow and fat, as well as other tissues and organs of the body. Stem cells appear to have a natural capacity to produce anti-inflammatory molecules, and once injected in the joint, can slow down the degenerative process in osteoarthritis. Several studies in animals show that stem cell injections may help by reducing the inflammation in the joint. In treating osteoarthritis, stem cell injections may offer a new type of therapy by either stopping the degenerative process or by regenerating the damaged cartilage. Stem cells have long been heralded as the possible answer to a number of medical conditions, including osteoarthritis. Stem cells are also a natural anti-inflammatory, which can assist with osteoarthritis pain and swelling in the joint area. The goal of each stem cell treatment is to inject the stem cells into the joint to create cartilage chondrocyte cells. As stem cells are multipotent, they have the ability to differentiate into cartilage cells called chondrocytes. Stem cell treatment is designed to target these areas within the joints to help with the creation of new cartilage cells. Eventually, if the cartilage wears down completely, patients will be left with bone rubbing on bone. In osteoarthritis, this surface becomes rough. Picture the white on the end of a chicken bone. Cartilage is a firm, smooth tissue that permits nearly frictionless joint motion. ![]() The majority of complications in osteoarthritis patients are related to the deterioration of cartilage that cushions the ends of bones in your joints. In treating osteoarthritis, stem cell injections may offer a new type of therapy. The surgery may also need to be repeated later if the joint wears out again after several years. Obviously, surgery is an invasive procedure with potential risks and complications. Historically, Joint replacement surgery, or arthroplasty, is used in the treatment of patients with arthritis, who fail all the conservative care. In fact, physicians have already been using stem cells therapeutically for years in the form of bone marrow transplantation, a procedure in which the blood-forming stem cells of the bone marrow are used to regenerate the blood supply after radiation or chemotherapy. The use of stem cells to treat human disease is often depicted as a possibility that lies far in the future. No other cell in the body has the natural ability to generate new cell types. These daughter cells either become new stem cells (self-renewal) or become specialized cells (differentiation) with a more specific function, such as blood cells, brain cells, heart muscle or bone. Under the right conditions in the body or a laboratory, stem cells divide to form more cells called daughter cells. Stem cells are the body’s raw materials - cells from which all other cells with specialized functions are generated. Stem cells can be considered our master building blocks for all organs and tissues. Stem cells generate all the cells and structures of the human body, from conception to the end of life. ![]() You may wonder what stem cells are, how they’re being used to treat disease and injury, and why they’re the subject of such vigorous debate.
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