Knee Pain: Is Stem Cell Therapy the answer?

We are all familiar with knee pain. One must be really lucky to not have experienced that sting in the knee at least once in their lifetime. However, if the pain persists, it might hinder your day to day activities like standing, walking and running.  

Now, why are our knees vulnerable and susceptible to pain or injuries? Simply because it is a complicated joint made up of four elements — bones, cartilage, ligaments, and tendons and holds all the weight of our body.

Knee pain is more common than you think. According to studies, worldwide 46.2% of people over the age of 50 suffer some type of knee pain. Out of which roughly 32.2 percent are men and 58.0 percent are women. 

Moreover, treatments that are available have their own shortcomings. For example, Cortisone injections that are used to relieve pain and inflammations have various side effects like joint infection, nerve damage, skin thinning. Another widely adopted option is knee replacement. It is an invasive procedure involving anesthesia and anti-inflammatory medications. Apart from post-surgery recovery time and possible complications, such medicines have an adverse effect on the liver. 

So, what can be done to manage knee pain? The advancement in the field of medicine has led to the development of Stem Cell Therapy — a painless, drugless method where stem cells are taken from the patient’s own body are used to cure various ailments, including neurological disorders, leveraging its regenerative ability. 

Before we take a closer look at the treatment let us understand the causes and symptoms of knee pain. 

Causes

There are various causes that can lead to knee pain. The most common ones are injuries, medical conditions, and mechanical problems. 

Injuries

Most knee injuries are sustained during sports. And the most common of them are anterior cruciate ligament tears, fractures, torn meniscus (cartilage tear), knee bursitis (inflammation), patellar tendinitis (tendon irritation and inflammation) and dislocations of the patella (the kneecap).

Medical conditions

The most common medical condition that causes knee pain is arthritis. There are around 100 forms of arthritis and the one that is most likely to cause knee pain is Osteoarthritis. It occurs when the cartilage in the knee deteriorates with use and age. 

Mechanical problems

Some of the mechanical issues responsible for knee pain are: 

Loose body: An injury or degeneration of the bone or cartilage can result in a piece of it to break off and float. That piece of bone or cartilage can interfere with the movement of the knee joint. 

Iliotibial band syndrome: This occurs when tissues extending from the outside of the hip to the outside of the knee rub against the portion of the femur. Cyclists and marathon runners are vulnerable to this condition. 

Dislocated knee cap: When the patella that covers the front of the knee slips, it is called a dislocated knee cap. In some cases, such dislocation is even visible to the naked eye. 

Hip or foot pain: Such pain forces us to change the way we walk, putting more stress on the knee joint.  

Symptoms

The cause determines the symptoms of knee pain. Here are a few that most patients experience: 

• Swelling and stiffness

• Change in shape of the kneecap

• Redness and warmth on the knee on touch

• Weakness or instability

• Popping or crunching noises

• Inability to fully straighten the knee

• Limping

• Difficulty walking up and down the stairs

• Shifting weight to the opposite knee and foot

Now that we have understood knee pain and its causes, let’s now take a look at the treatment. 

Is Stem Cell Therapy the answer? 

Stem cells have the ability to differentiate into specialized cells and multiply into new ones. They move to the target areas, transform into characteristic cells of tissues (muscles or nerves), and replace damaged cells. Today, we can extract them, artificially grow them, and transplant them to treat various disorders. 

With the to regenerate,  stem cells have shown promising results in treating knee pains or injuries. Moreover, it is a non-invasive and drugless procedure where stem cells, taken from the patient’s body are injected in the affected area. They replace the damaged cells thus putting a stop to degeneration of the cartilage and the bones. And in turn help in mitigating knee pain. 

In short, stem cell therapy for knees: 

• Decreases inflammation

• Halts the progression of arthritic damage 

• Repairs damaged cartilage 

• Delays or avoids knee replacement surgery

Also, stem cells derived from the bone marrow are capable of differentiating into tissues such as bone and cartilage and mobilizing to an injured cartilage site in knee joints to aid regeneration.

Stem Cell therapy in India is rapidly becoming the preferred method of treatment as it is a safe, effective, non-invasive procedure that mitigates the effects of various ailments including neurological disorders.