1. Community
  2. Bones, joints and muscles
  3. Arthritis

Stem Cell Recovery Forum: Arthritis and Cartilage Injections

Posted , 88 users are following.

jeffharms
jeffharms

A place for patients (and prospective patients) of Stem Cell procedures related to arthritis and cartilage building due to athletic injury, wear-and-tear and arthritis.

7 likes, 187 replies

187 Replies

Prev
  • mceastside
    mceastside jeffharms

    Posted

    As mentioned in other posts, stem  cell treatment awhile ago in the US, ( there are various clinics around the country), it worked on left knee, not on right (bone on bone), had a prp treatment later, temporary relief, am now under chiropractic treatments (24treatments , and 10 free after that), and having relief in right knee, some discomfort, not very much pain

    Thanks

  • Junoe
    Junoe jeffharms

    Edited

    HI All- I thought I would post my experience with stem cells and PRP for any interested people. I am a 50 year old female and I have spent my career climbing in and out of my car all day, so I developed osteoarthritis in my left knee. I could also lose about 30 pounds.  I thought I had a torn meniscus because I have general instability in my knee along with an occasional snapping sensation. Going up or down stairs was difficult unless I did it backwards or sideways, which seemed ridiculous at my age.  Had an MRI done and it showed a general wearing around the outer edge of the meniscus, but no tears. The big thing the MRI revealed was an uneven wearing on the backside of the cartilage that swings with my patella. Kneecap hinge would be another way to describe it. There is no good solution for this other than stem cell/PRP injections or total knee replacement. I went with the injections! Total cost for one treatment (both PRP and Stem cells) was $1200. My own stem cells were harvested from my hip (adipose tissue) and of course my blood was used to make the PRP. I waited for about 90 minutes after the blood draw and very mini lipo before the doctor injected me, as these injections needed to be spun in the centrifuge. These procedures were simple. The mini lipo was a little uncomfortable, but I am a baby so I just didn't look and it was over quickly. I was given lidocaine, but the shots still hurt somewhat. I have a very skilled doctor, so he moved quickly. There is a lot of material getting stuffed into a not so large joint. That accounts for a good part of the discomfort afterward. I was OK for a few hours after the injections until the numbness wore off. Then I felt sore, swollen and worst of all my whole leg felt extremely heavy and somewhat useless to walk on. I felt this way all evening on the afternoon of the injections and the following 24 hours- so about 1.5 days of discomfort. The following morning I was much improved. I had I done on a Thursday at the end of the day, took Friday off and was back to work Monday.  It as been almost 2 years since I had this done and I can say hands down it was worth every penny. My knee is 80-85% back to normal. I still feel some painless resistance inside, especially if I am hiking, dancing too much or going up and down a lot of stairs. It is however, strong and stable with no more snapping ever. It took a good 7-9 months before I can say the symptoms were much improved. My knee stopped swelling/retaining water also, which was a HUGE plus. I may have had results faster if I didn't stand for 3 days straight cooking during the holidays about 6 weeks after the treatment. Learn from my lesson- no standing for long periods or any other crazy thing. You really do have to baby yourself for a while after stem cells. One final observation- I felt like I could feel the PRP working immediately. It wasn't solving all of my problems and it's difficult to explain, but I did feel rejuvenation coming back to an old knee after all the initial pain and swelling subsided. I am a huge believer in stem cells and would recommend it highly for this type of knee issue.

    • Guest
      Guest Junoe

      Posted

      Hi Junoe, enjoyed reading of your experience with stem cells.  Almost 8 weeks since I had injections, knee/shoulder/foot.  It is a real experience - changes are happening a lot.  Very tired for at least a month, resting and not very interested in going out (very cold weather here anyway)  But the Joint Pain is what is getting to me - I guess because ligaments are moving and muscles are strengthening.  Did you find this and did you take any pain killers if needed?  I will be having a topup of injections at 3 months.  I am so glad that I can be actively involved in this process and I hope that the pain does diminish, the doctor is not very concerned about it....
    • Junoe
      Junoe Guest

      Posted

      I had a post-care sheet from the doctor and I am pretty sure that NSAIDs were forbidden. I don't have it now though , so I can't tell you for sure. Did your doctor give you a sheet? I want to say Tylenol /acetaminophen was ok, but not 100% on that. I remember vaguely struggling with  not being able to take much for the pain, but it wasn't too bad since it was just the knee.  Once the initial swelling and heaviness subsided, I was a much happier person. Sounds like your doctor is confident about the long term results based on his clinical experience, but in the meantime, it's not his pain! Still, he's doing you a favor by not prescribing an opioid. Have you asked about Tylenol?

    • Jules01
      Jules01 Junoe

      Posted

      My Drs said absolutely no anti inflammatory meds. I could take tylenol 
    • Gardenfairy
      Gardenfairy Jules01

      Posted

      Yes, that is a definite rule in all regenerative medicine injections, platelet or stem cells or even with traditional prolotherapy. Anti inflammatory meds inhibit the natural healing inflammatory cascade which is necessary for repair. The joint or tissue injected realizes the injection as an injury and this healthy cascade begins which starts the healing process. There are other medicines which also can affect this process and the doctor will give a list of those which should be avoided and for how long. Interesting that natural anti inflammatory aids such as curcumin do not interfere and are actually encouraged. Some doctors have you off of fish oil as well but more often just the week before. That is partially because some people may bleed a little more with the injections. In any case taking NSAIDS after the procedure for the first month or more can negate the treatment so must be avoided for good results. 
    • Guest
      Guest Junoe

      Posted

      Thanks Junoe you have confirmed what I was thinking. Yes my doctor gave me sheets of information and mentioned clearly not to take antiinflammatories (Nurofen here in Australia), I took two at six weeks after injections because of pain. The pain is hard, but it isn't every day. I am just frustrated that I am not feeling perfect haha! But the improvement is obvious even if slow!

    • Guest
      Guest Gardenfairy

      Posted

      Gardenfairy thankyou for confirming what my doctor told me - antiinflammatories are not helpful at the beginning of the process. But some days the general pain is hard to manage. Anyway the changes in my joints is already obvious and I am really grateful.
  • Molly1charlie2
    Molly1charlie2 jeffharms

    Posted

    Yes! Stem cell with knees I hear works very well in most cases! NOT SO FOR HIPS! For some reason it doesn't work well on hips .I had both hips injected. $8,000 and pretty much was in AGONY 2 month later. A year after the stem cell therapy I had both hips replaced.

    • Gardenfairy
      Gardenfairy Molly1charlie2

      Posted

      The current thought is that the lack of progenitor cells in the hip is the reason stem cell treatments are less effective there which makes good sense. Progenitor cells are necessary for the stem cells to reproduce the desired cells where they are placed. They can not differentiate into cartilage cells if they are not present. Some people do get moderate results but also if range of motion has already been affected the results are poor.
    • Jules01
      Jules01 Gardenfairy

      Posted

      I had my PRP Bone Marrow treatments one yr ago this month. Mine was in my cervical spine and left shoulder. I did receive some immediate pain relief.  I had difficulty walking the first week. It had to hold on to things to keep from falling. I then had an enormous amount of muscle spasms in my shoulderblades down my back. My perception was i was healing. Soon i was able to raise my left arm without being in pain. The arthritis had made it diffuto do previously. I was also able to start turning my head all the way to left and right. I couldnt do that before. The majority of the pain has subsided. No it never went away 100% but ill take what i got so far and may have it done again. Im very pleased as ive avoided major fusion surgy
  • gilbert46860
    gilbert46860 jeffharms

    Edited

    Hello all, I have been recently considering stem cell therapy for OA in the hips, knees and hands. I am just 58 and am very healthy other than OA pretty much all over my body. I have been told I will need hip and knee replacement soon, but I would rather not go that route if I don't have to. I know the therapy can be quite pricey but fortunately that is not a problem for me. I was looking for the Best procedure that will likely give the relief I am looking for. So if anyone has any suggestions I would be most grateful. I work all over the world so clinics anywhere are ok with me. I am hoping to make a decision within the next few months and have been leaning to " Stem Cell Institute Panama".

    Thanks in advance.

  • yash.rungta
    yash.rungta jeffharms

    Edited

    Has anyone tried ACRS（Autologous cytokine-rich serum）injection which is an upgrade to the existing PRP injections? Some even call it the latest generation PRP.

Back to top
Prev

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.