I think you mean "stem" cells. Out of my area of expertise. Sorry.
Member
Steam Cells - posible Osteoarthritis cure?
Rip,
as person involved in weightlifting and various sports you most likely saw your share of knee, shoulder, back and hip osteoarthritis that developed flowing joint injury, overuse, or simple old age. Considering that western population is getting more older in general OE is becoming more and more of an issue in quality of life ( a lot of questions here are about painful/crunchy knees ). In recent time there has been some talk about injecting your own steam cells in arthritic joint for the purpose of cartilage regeneration. Some of the private clinics are even offering this treatment (Regenexx). My question is: do you think there is something in this, or is it just another snake oil scam?
TMPHBITEU
I think you mean "stem" cells. Out of my area of expertise. Sorry.
Member
One of clients is going through this process. I'll update if it's positive. He has had other stem cell procedures done in the past. There has been a positive outcome but still many things to overcome.
Member
This is something I'm also paying close attention to, due to recently diagnosed OA in my shoulder. There's a few places here (Melbourne, Australia) that are starting to notice it. I'm in line for any clinical trials if and when they start up!
Member
Oh, Rip, please, fix the thread title. Otherwise searches in future will miss this and you will get cranky.
Member
If you read the fine print for the Obamacare legislation , they'll pay for a 60's era Bill March stem cell replacement therapy if you're a low income, aging weight lifter with no insurance.
Member
If you are in Croatia, it is a snake oil scam. Stem cell treatments are pretty much nonexistent, as far as I know, and from what I have heard, the places that offer them are in countries where the practice is poorly regulated (e.g. China, eastern Europe). I would be very skeptical about any stem cell miracle cure.Originally Posted by kevdenver
Member
OP, can you link to a study regarding the efficacy of injecting gaseous hydrogen dioxide to promote cartilage growth?
TMPHBITEU
Let's just leave it. More fun.
Member
Unfortunately there are no "stem" cell treatments in Croatia, but there is one in USA (http://www.regenexx.com/), which has existed for couple of years and treats people (some say with satisfactory results). Although I'm skeptical at anything new on the market case studies that they have provided are interesting (partial meniscus regeneration, better articular cartilage). Unfortunately none of the said case studies or the use of the cells as a drug have been certificated by FDA and the treatment is 5000$ with no guarantee that it will work (it should work better on younger or more active people). I searched the forums for the people that had done the treatment and got some positive feedback that it did work, but not miraculously, there still was some pain left and one or two were it work wonders or nothing. If you are interested in more there is a FDA approved trial run by company named mesoblast (http://www.mesoblast.com/) which is trying to delay onset of OE in knees with no ACL. They are in phase 2 and first results are promising. Other than that there is few more companies (American ones, not Indonesia or East Europe) meddling in this new medicine/technology but I believe the general consensus is (I could be wrong) that if it works it will take at least 15 years until It becomes routine procedure. Would be nice thought, inject something and no more joint pain.
Posting Permissions