I’ve used these methods alone and in concert with surgical procedures. I’ve been treating athletes’ knees with stem cell therapy for the past 10 years or so. There is very little downside to trying a stem cell treatment on a patient who fits the right profile. However, as stem cell injections do not “burn any bridges”, the opportunity to address the problem surgically still exists and is not compromised down the line. If successful, patients may be spared a procedure. Stem cell therapy might be considered a novel first line of defense for musculoskeletal disorders. We are still figuring out the long-term effects of stem cell treatments, but we do know that stem cell preparations that are currently available can provide good short-term relief for certain diagnoses. It’s clear that there is a place for stem cell therapy on the treatment spectrum. These adipose based stem cells may ultimately be able to replace cortisone with more durable clinical success. Prior to this breakthrough, cortisone was really the only injectable we could use to relieve pain and decrease inflammation. This is often an in-office procedure but it can also be done in the operating room.

Using a simple liposuction technique, these types of cells can be harvested and easily prepped for therapeutic injections. These stem cells exist in very high concentrations in our fatty tissue. Over the last year, technology has emerged that allows us physicians to retrieve stem cells (pericytes) from a patient’s fat. Common ailments in athletes that can be treated with stem cell therapy include: inflamed joints, ligament sprains, muscle strains, early osteoarthritis and even bone bruises. This is where stem cell therapy may provide some help. However, in many cases, the pathway to a quick successful return to activity for non-surgical problems remains unclear. Even though I am a surgeon, many typical sports injuries do not require surgery. As an orthopedic sports medicine specialist, I typically treat patients with knee, shoulder and elbow injuries. So now, we physicians ask ourselves, who is the best candidate for this type of therapy? I treat athletes every day and often see players suffering with pain and decreased function associated with early arthritis. Stems cells aren’t new but the methods to obtain them are advancing quickly. Stem cell therapy has been shown to not only to provide pain relief, but also serve as a potent inhibitor of joint inflammation. And, while embryo-derived stem cell use and research remains controversial, other methods of stem cell harvest, such as extracting a patient’s own cells, can provide new treatment opportunities for musculoskeletal disorders. Stem cell therapy is an emerging technology, especially in the field of musculoskeletal medicine.

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