Stem Cell Injections Shoulder | Cost of Stem Cell Therapy …

Am I a Candidate for Stem Cell Injections?

It is important to note that stem cell therapy is not for everyone. The orthopedic specialist at Shoulder Clinic of Idaho can discuss the role of stem cell injections for patients with mild to moderate osteoarthritis, and for tendon injuries that have not responded to other conservative treatments. Older patients are sometimes offered alternative treatments because as the body ages, the ability to regenerate tissue from its own stem cells diminishes. After age 60, autologous (the bodys own) stem cell therapy typically fails to provide regeneration because there are not enough stem cells in the bone marrow. Patients in Boise, Meridian, Nampa, and the surrounding communities of the Treasure Valley will learn, in great detail, of about stem cell injection options from their orthopedic specialist at The Shoulder Clinic of Idaho.

Once a bone marrow sample is collected, and the white blood cells, platelets and adult stem cells are harvested, these three healing agents are combined and can be injected directly into a patients damaged shoulder joint. These special cells are thought to work together to promote regeneration of the shoulder and to decrease pain.

Stem cell therapy for arthritis uses a patients own pluripotent adult stem cells instead of more controversial embryonic or fetal stem cells. Autologous cells replicate the healing benefits of embryonic stem cells without ethical concerns. Stem cell therapy may provide an alternative treatment option for patients suffering from various forms of arthritis, including osteoarthritis. Moreover, stem cells may lessen symptoms of early arthritis, potentially delaying the need of joint replacement surgery.

The rotator cuff is a critical structure within the shoulder that provides stability and strength to the joint. When one of the muscle-tendon units that compose the rotator cuff experiences a tear, treatment is often necessary.In cases of a partially torn rotator cuff, a patients own bone marrow can be extracted from the hip area. The sample of bone marrow is then spun in a special machine in order to separate the platelets, white blood cells and adult stem cells from the red blood cells. Once the three healing agents are separated, they are combined again, and the physician can inject the stem cells directly into the injured rotator cuff region to help regenerate tissue and accelerate healing.

Relatively speaking, stem cell injections are relatively new and not commonly used in the shoulder, although the discovery of stem cell treatment dates back to 1981. The most well-established and widely used stem cell treatment is the transplantation of blood stem cells to treat diseases and conditions of the blood and immune system; or to restore the blood system after treatments for specific types of cancers. The US National Marrow Donor Program has a full list of diseases treatable by blood stem cell transplant. Wellover one million patients worldwide have been treated with adult stem cells and have experienced improved health.

Stem cell research arose from the need to explore new therapeutic possibilities for intractable and lethal diseases. For the shoulder, there are diseases which current treatment modalities do not offer satisfactory, efficient or durable results. These diseases have been targets of stem cell treatment. Stem cell injections continue to gain popularity as a safe and effective regenerative medicine technique designed to accelerate healing and regeneration following a shoulder injury.

To learn more about stem cell injections for the shoulder, and other biologic treatments as an alternative to shoulder surgery, please contact the orthopedic shoulder specialists at The Shoulder Clinic of Idaho, serving patients in Boise, Meridian, Nampa, and the surrounding communities of the Treasure Valley.

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Stem Cell Injections Shoulder | Cost of Stem Cell Therapy ...