Stem Cell Therapy For Osteoporosis: Who Are Suitable Candidates For This Procedure?

Stem Cell Therapy has been proven to help delay the progression of Osteoarthritis. Will it benefit people with advanced osteoarthritis?

Osteoarthritis is a major health issue seen in patients above 50-55 years of age and has become a common cause of disability for many people. Osteoarthritis is a degenerative disease of the connective tissue, which mainly affects the articular cartilage of hip and knee joints. The cartilage in the joint gradually wears away making it difficult to perform even day-to-day activities such as walking or climbing stairs.

There are many therapies to reduce joint pain and discomfort in walking. But most of these treatments can only help temporarily and cannot act internally. In the advanced stages of the disease, joint replacement is the only advice given and it has its own limitations. A therapy that helps to slow down the progression of the disease is the need of the hour. Here stem cell therapy comes into the picture.

Dr R A Purnachandra Tejaswi, Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon, Yashoda Hospitals Hyderabad, sheds light on stem cell therapy for osteoporosis.

Stem cell therapy for osteoporosis: How it works?

Stem cell therapy can slow the wear and tear of tissues so that the progression of the disease can be delayed. Stem cells proved to be a promising candidate for cartilage regeneration. Stem cells are undifferentiated cells that can differentiate into specialized cells such as osteocytes, chondrocytes, adipocytes, etc. The stem cells are also capable of downregulating inflammation by releasing important growth factors and certain proteins which are essential in overcoming osteoarthritis.

The aim of using stem cells is to support the self-healing process of the knee joint cartilage which results in relief from Osteoarthritis symptoms. These are obtained from various sources such as bone marrow, adipose tissue, umbilical cord, and transplant them into the affected area. Through stem cell-based therapy, patients with osteoarthritis experience significant pain relief and their joint movements become more free as the cells and growth factors remove the damaged tissue and regenerate new tissue.

Can stem cell therapy benefit all osteoporosis patients?

Stem cells treatment offers the significant advantage of a quick and relatively uneventful recovery. As of today, stem cell therapy has been proven to be a useful form of treatment to provide symptomatic relief and may delay the progression in early stages of osteoarthritis i.e., in stage 1 and stage 2. However, there is no supportive evidence in the treatment of advanced osteoarthritis.

Patients who are suitable candidates for this procedure are counselled and this procedure can be done under daycare where the doctor initially gives numbing medicine over the pelvic bone and withdraws the stem cells from the bone marrow. Once stem cells are obtained, these are processed in commercial machines and the obtained concentrate is injected into the knee joint under ultrasound guidance. The patient may need the assistance of a stick to walk in the initial two weeks. Later they can easily carry out day-to-day activities.