Stem Cells For Orthopedic Conditions

By Author: Dr.Prabhu Mishra
Total Articles: 2
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There are a lot of orthopedic conditions and injuries that presently have limited treatment options available. Here regenerative technologies comes up as a ray of hope among surgeons for the treatment by functionally repairing the tissues and organs using growth factors, stem cells and products developed by genetic engineering with the advancement in the stem cells research field .

The purpose of this article is to first provide idea about the orthopedic conditions along with the therapeutic potential of stem cells to treat these diseases.

What orthopedic condition is?
Orthopedic condition basically refers to the injuries and diseases of the body’s musculoskeletal system. This complex system includes your bones, joints, ligaments, tendons, muscles, and nerves and allows you to move, work, and be active.

orthopedic

Aging, exercise, sports and injuries cause excessive wear and tear of the body. As we age, the process of repair is slowed down due to reduced production of Mesenchymal Stem Cells (repair cells). This causes the joints’ elastic tissue to become stiff and lose its elasticity, thereby ...
... increasing its susceptibility to damage. This problem can be treated with stem cell therapy, where your own body’s cells can be used to repair and promote healing of degenerated or injured joints.

Stem cell therapy in Orthopaedics is currently being used in conditions such as:

Osteoarthritis (degenerative joint disease)
Spinal cord injuries
Chronic tendonitis (inflammation of the elastic tissue that connects muscle to bone)
Bone fractures
Degenerative vertebral discs
Stem Cell Therapy and Orthopedic Issues
Stem cells are the basic cells of the human body and have the ability to divide and become more specialized cells—such as bone, blood, or muscle due to which they are having very profound effect in the field of medicine.

Apart from this, the reimplantation process of stem cells into the same person from whom the cells has been obtained also increases the stem cells potential by reducing and eliminating the risk of infection.

Stem cells may be distinguished from other cells by the following characteristics:

They have the ability to self-renew.
They can continue to divide for a longer period of time.
Under certain conditions, they can be induced to differentiate into specialized cells with distinct functional characteristics (phenotypes) including, cardiac, liver, fat, bone, cartilage, nerve, connective tissue cells and many more.
Researchers found that Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSC’s) obtained from the adipose (fat) tissues have the capacity to detect changes in the body which are causing pain or dysfunction, and to respond and communicate with the local environmental needs to provide the correct therapy needed for healing. These adult stem cells are commonly referred to as “repair cells” for their ability to heal injured organs or body parts, their primary functions being:

Acceleration of tissue repair process
Stimulates tissue regeneration
Decreased inflammation the damaged area.
Prevention of further cell death
Creation of new blood vessels
cartilage

Introducing patient’s own stem cells into damaged area can stimulate new blood flow in that particular area and reduce inflammation. The stem cells then enhance the process of healing. Stem cells lead to the use of biological cells and healing capabilities of the human body to treat the medical condition.

The Procedure
First, adipose (fat) tissues are obtained from the hip or abdomen area.
A unique blend of stem and regenerative cells are separated from the fat tissue and prepared for injection.
Immediately thereafter, adult stem cells are guided directly into the damaged joints or delivered intravenously .To address any underlying causes of inflammation, immune response and joint, ligament, bone, muscle or tendon degeneration unique combination of Intravenous and direct injection is used by doctors.
Stem cells therapy is performed in the specialized clinics using enhanced imaging technology to ensure proper placement of the stem cells.
general procedure of stem cell

General Procedure of Stem Cell Therapy

Conclusion
With the significant progress in the field of stem cells and regenerative medicine, stem cell therapy looks to be an appealing new option but there are many issues which need to be addressed properly prior to the application of these stem cells. For example, how a patient body will react towards the regenerative medicine. Concerns like safety and efficacy of the treatment along with various other issues like donor-to-donor variation, immunogenicity, etc which need to be addressed. The identification of proper delivery mechanism, dosage, and timing of stem cell therapies for maximum efficacy is also necessary to promote clinical success.