Millions of baby boomers are currently struggling with arthritic conditions. One of those people is Dr. Mark Wallace, who was recently suffering from arthritis in his shoulders. The condition was so painful that it was preventing him from participating in his favourite hobby, competitive swimming.
Mark has found some relief thanks to a new trial that is using stem cells to treat arthritis. The trial that he participated in was performed at UC San Diego, using the stem cells collected from his bone marrow.
Using stem cells to treat arthritis is a part of a new field of medicine called regenerative medicine. This field uses technologies that can regenerate or replace tissue in the body. In Mark’s case, the treatment reduced inflammation and helped his joints repair themselves.
There has already been an explosion in the number of clinics offering stem cell treatments for baby boomers suffering from conditions like arthritis. The treatments usually cost several thousand dollars and success is not always guaranteed. Some patients see their arthritis pain disappear a few weeks after the procedure, while others find stem cells make little different to their pain levels.
This disparity in results is because researchers still have a lot to learn about stem cells. They don’t yet understand which types of treatments work with different types of arthritis in the body.
When a stem cell treatment is effective, it is a huge relief for the patient. In many cases, it helps them avoid a traumatic surgery like a knee or shoulder replacement. Once the pain and inflammation goes away, they can get back to performing the tasks that they enjoy.
While stem cells have been shown capable of relieving pain and reducing inflammation, current treatments cannot re-build joints. Patients who have had long-term arthritis may not see a much improvement if their joints are severely damaged.
Dr. William Bugbee, an orthopedic surgeon from Scripps Health, says that stem cell therapies are currently the most useful solution for dealing with arthritic pain. According to Dr. Bugbee, “There is a huge business to manage arthritic pain in patients that don’t need a new knee or knee replacement. And we have very few effective long-lasting treatments and certainly no treatments that slow the progression of the disease. So there’s a huge need. So these stem cell treatments are filling a void for people who want to get symptom relief.”
As stem cell treatments become more advanced, the outcomes will only improve — helping millions of baby boomers who are dealing with arthritis.
Source: Baby Boomers turn to stem cells for help with painful joints
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