Can Stem Cell Therapy Help With Knee Pain?
There’s been a lot of talk about stem cell therapy in recent years—but what is it, exactly? How does it work, and is it an effective treatment for knee pain?
Knee pain affects over 25% of adults in the US, and can affect anyone of any age. While physical therapy and prescription medications can be used to effectively treat mild pain, those with more severe pain may require surgery.
For patients who are struggling to manage knee pain but would like to delay knee replacement surgery, stem cell therapy may be an option.
Novastem wants to help patients understand stem cell treatment, its uses and limitations, and how it may help some find relief from knee pain caused by injury or arthritis.
What is knee pain and when should a patient see a doctor?
Knee pain is a common complaint that affects people of all ages.
Knee pain may be the result of an injury, such as a ruptured ligament or torn cartilage.
Medical conditions — including arthritis, gout and infections — also can cause knee pain.
Many types of minor knee pain respond well to self-care measures.
Physical therapy and knee braces also can help relieve pain.
In some cases, however, your knee may require surgical repair.
Call your doctor if you:
- Can’t bear weight on your knee or feel as if your knee is unstable or gives out.
- Have marked knee swelling.
- Are unable to fully extend or flex your knee.
- See an obvious deformity in your leg or knee.
- Have a fever, in addition to redness, pain and swelling in your knee.
- Have severe knee pain that is associated with an injury.
Causes
Knee pain can be caused by injuries, mechanical problems, types of arthritis and other problems.
types of causes
Injuries
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A knee injury can affect any of the ligaments, tendons or fluid-filled sacs (bursae) that surround your knee joint as well as the bones, cartilage and ligaments that form the joint itself.
Some of the more common knee injuries include:
- ACL injury. An ACL injury is a tear of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) — one of four ligaments that connect your shinbone to your thighbone. An ACL injury is particularly common in people who play basketball, soccer or other sports that require sudden changes in direction.
- Fractures. The bones of the knee, including the kneecap (patella), can be broken during falls or auto accidents. Also, people whose bones have been weakened by osteoporosis can sometimes sustain a knee fracture simply by stepping wrong.
- Torn meniscus. The meniscus is the tough, rubbery cartilage that acts as a shock absorber between your shinbone and thighbone. It can be torn if you suddenly twist your knee while bearing weight on it.
- Knee bursitis. Some knee injuries cause inflammation in the bursae, the small sacs of fluid that cushion the outside of your knee joint so that tendons and ligaments glide smoothly over the joint.
- Patellar tendinitis. Tendinitis causes irritation and inflammation of one or more tendons — the thick, fibrous tissues that attach muscles to bones. This inflammation can happen when there’s an injury to the patellar tendon, which runs from the kneecap (patella) to the shinbone and allows you to kick, run and jump. Runners, skiers, cyclists, and those involved in jumping sports and activities may develop patellar tendinitis.
types of Causes
Mechanical problems
Some examples of mechanical problems that can cause knee pain include:
- Loose body. Sometimes injury or degeneration of bone or cartilage can cause a piece of bone or cartilage to break off and float in the joint space. This may not create any problems unless the loose body interferes with knee joint movement, in which case the effect is something like a pencil caught in a door hinge.
- Iliotibial band syndrome. This occurs when the tough band of tissue that extends from the outside of your hip to the outside of your knee (iliotibial band) becomes so tight that it rubs against the outer portion of your thighbone. Distance runners and cyclists are especially susceptible to iliotibial band syndrome.
- Dislocated kneecap. This occurs when the triangular bone that covers the front of your knee (patella) slips out of place, usually to the outside of your knee. In some cases, the kneecap may stay displaced and you’ll be able to see the dislocation.
- Hip or foot pain. If you have hip or foot pain, you may change the way you walk to spare your painful joint. But this altered gait can place more stress on your knee joint and cause knee pain.
types of Causes
Types of arthritis
More than 100 different types of arthritis exist. The varieties most likely to affect the knee include:
- Osteoarthritis. Sometimes called degenerative arthritis, osteoarthritis is the most common type of arthritis. It’s a wear-and-tear condition that occurs when the cartilage in your knee deteriorates with use and age.
- Rheumatoid arthritis. The most debilitating form of arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune condition that can affect almost any joint in your body, including your knees. Although rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic disease, it tends to vary in severity and may even come and go.
- Gout. This type of arthritis occurs when uric acid crystals build up in the joint. While gout most commonly affects the big toe, it can also occur in the knee.
- Pseudogout. Often mistaken for gout, pseudogout is caused by calcium-containing crystals that develop in the joint fluid. Knees are the most common joint affected by pseudogout.
- Septic arthritis. Sometimes your knee joint can become infected, leading to swelling, pain and redness. Septic arthritis often occurs with a fever, and there’s usually no trauma before the onset of pain. Septic arthritis can quickly cause extensive damage to the knee cartilage. If you have knee pain with any of the symptoms of septic arthritis, see your doctor right away.
What is stem cell therapy for knee pain?
You may be wary of stem cells if you’ve heard about some of the controversy surrounding how they’re sourced.
It’s true that some kinds of stem cells are sourced from donated blastocysts (early-stage embryos) that are just a few days old, but these kinds are not used for orthobiologic treatment.
Instead, orthobiologic therapy for knee pain most commonly uses stem cells from adult patients themselves by taking samples of bone marrow and other tissues.
During treatment, a doctor will take samples of stem cells from other parts of your body and reimplant them into an injured area.
For knee pain, that may involve taking sample cells from bone marrow or fat tissue and injecting them into knee joints.
Does stem cell treatment work?
Stem cell therapy may help reduce pain but is not a magic solution for any disease or condition.
Be wary of any physician or clinic that claims stem cell therapy can completely reverse or heal an orthopedic condition.
As of 2020, the FDA has only approved stem cell treatment for a few kinds of diseases, including some cancers and blood disorders.
However, reinjecting a patient’s own stem cells back into their body is permitted as a therapy for orthopedic purposes.
Many patients do find relief from pain and stiffness caused by knee injuries or osteoarthritis with orthobiologic treatment.
It may also be a good alternative to knee replacement surgery in some patients. There has been some evidence that orthobiologic injections reduce knee pain in patients by as much as 75%, which was supported by a follow-up study.
Scientists believe this may be because injected stem cells can help reduce inflammation.
What are the potential benefits and drawbacks?
Stem cell therapy and orthobiologic treatment are still burgeoning medical fields.
There’s a lot we’re still learning about their uses, benefits, and drawbacks.
We don’t know for certain if it works for things like cartilage regeneration or healing spinal cord injuries.
Despite this, Novastem eports that many patients do find orthobiologic treatment to be helpful for their knee pain—even if it doesn’t reverse bone or cartilage loss. Some of the benefits may include:
- Less pain from osteoarthritis or past injuries.
- Reduced joint stiffness.
- Reduced dependency on pain medications.
- Improved mobility.
The majority of patients who receive stem cell treatment for knee pain experience quick recovery times and little to no adverse side effects.
What are the next steps to see if you’re a candidate?
In order to see if you or your loved one are candidates for stem cell therapy for knee pain, the first step is to have a doctor assess your medical history.
In many cases patients think they won’t qualify because of certain reasons but they are in for a surprise when our team explains that they’re the perfect candidate.
We will share all of the information regarding our prediction with you during the phone call.
If stem cell therapy for knee pain has a chance of improving your pain we will notify you immediately.
Please click here to schedule a consultation with our medical team.
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