Knee replacement surgery is a major surgery requiring a long and significant recovery period. Many people with chronic knee pain seek less invasive treatment options with a realistic possibility of delay or preventing knee replacement. Stem cell therapy may offer a possibility. It’s a minimally invasive procedure that uses your body’s own repair cells to repair and rebuild the tissue of the knee.
How Stem Cells Repair Tissue
Stem cells can remodel themselves into specific cells needed by your body for tissue regeneration. When injected into an injured knee, stem cells can differentiate into new cartilage, bone, or tendon cells to rebuild the damaged tissue. Second, they release anti-inflammatory proteins that help reduce pain and swelling. They also send out signals that recruit other healing cells in your body to the area, creating a supportive environment for regeneration.
When you’re dealing with knee pain, you’ve likely come across a few standard treatment options: physical therapy, corticosteroid injections, or even total knee replacement surgery. While these methods can be effective for managing symptoms, they often don’t address the root cause of the problem—the breakdown of cartilage and tissue in the joint. Traditional approaches tend to act as a temporary fix or involve a highly invasive procedure with a long recovery.
Corticosteroid injections are a common first step for managing knee pain. They can provide powerful, short-term relief by reducing inflammation. However, the effects are temporary, and repeated injections can sometimes weaken the tissue over time. They don’t do anything to repair the underlying cartilage damage that’s causing the pain in the first place.
Stem cell therapy, on the other hand, aims to help the knee heal itself. By introducing concentrated stem cells to the area, the treatment encourages the growth of new, healthy cartilage. While some studies show pain relief can be comparable to steroid shots, the key difference is the mechanism. Rather than just quieting inflammation, stem cells work to rebuild the joint structure, which can lead to lasting improvements in both pain and mobility.
What the Research Says
The medical community is actively studying stem cell therapy, and the results are mixed and promising. Research highlights that the primary goal is to help the knee heal itself and restore normal cartilage function, which is something traditional treatments often struggle to do. The idea is to address the root cause of the degeneration rather than just masking the pain.
Understanding the Risks and Side Effects
No medical procedure is entirely without risk, but stem cell therapy for knees is considered a safe, minimally invasive option. The most common side effects are temporary and related to the injection itself, such as mild pain, swelling, or redness at the injection site. Since the procedure uses cells from your own body, the risk of an allergic reaction is extremely low. As with any injection, there is a very small risk of infection, but this is rare when proper sterile techniques are used. Serious complications are uncommon.
Is Stem Cell Therapy Right for You?
You might be an ideal candidate for stem cell therapy if you’re dealing with mild to moderate cartilage degeneration. The treatment works best when there is still some cartilage and joint fluid present, as this gives the new cells a foundation to work with. It’s a great option for people seeking an alternative to surgery or for those who haven’t found relief with more conservative treatments like physical therapy or injections. However, if your knee degeneration is severe to the point where the bones are rubbing directly against each other, stem cell therapy may be less effective. The first step is always a thorough evaluation to see exactly what’s happening inside your joint.
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Marc Darrow, M.D., J.D., is one of the world’s most experienced Regenerative Medicine doctors. He has more than 30 Years of expertise in regenerative medicine techniques and has treated thousands of patients. He uses non-surgical therapy to reduce pain in joints, tendons, ligaments, and a variety of other ailments and disorders throughout the body, including back and neck discomfort. He taught at UCLA and received Board Certification in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.
