Stem cells have shown to be a revolutionary and breakthrough treatment as an alternative treatment to conventional knee surgery.  A knee surgery usually consists of arthroscopic surgery to repair inside the knee followed by months of downtime and rehabilitation.

Often times after the conventional surgeries on the knee a patient will never regain full use of his or her knee.  These arthroscopic procedures are becoming outdated and patients are searching for new and better ways to correct their knee injuries. Ways that will allow them to regain movement and enhance their lifestyle.

MetroMD is offering new innovative procedures in the field of stem cell medicine to replace these older methods.  Patients suffering from ACL, MCL, meniscus tears or osteoarthritis can turn to regenerative methods to correct their knees.  These diseases can often be reversed with the application of Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSC).

These diseases can all be encircled by the words “degenerative disease.  Meaning the area is breaking down or more precisely the underlying cause is cellular death, trauma, or damage.  Once trauma happens the knee becomes inflamed and our bodies’ own immune system will attack these areas, digesting and removing tissue in these areas.  Over time the knee will weather until it reaches the point of osteoarthritis, an ACL tear, etc.

This chronic inflammation over time can be very painful and troublesome for a patient.  A persons mobility and use of their knees is very important in daily activities.  That is why it was very important for MetroMD to find a new treatment that would allow a patient to regain full function of their knee, past that of a conventional knee surgery.

The stem cells once administered to the site help rebuild the structures of bone, cartilage, synovial fluid, etc. They can do so by recognizing inflamed areas and creating new cells to support the dying tissues.  MSC will secrete growth factors to promote the cells in the area to rebuild and grow as well as create new vascular tissue to allow the cells in the area to have more circulation and support from the rest of the body.

This method of using stem cells to replace knee surgery has shown tremendous success.  Not only will the patient regain use of their knee like a traditional surgery would have done but they also will regain physiological normal function of their knee.  A major step beyond that of which the conventional arthroscopic surgery would have done.

Copyright © 2012 Alex Martin MD & Devin Stone, Los Angeles

References:

1. Muschler, G, et al, Age and Gender Related Changes in Cellularity of Human Bone Marrow and Prevalence of Osteoblastic Progenitors, Journal of Orthopaedic Research, 2001: 19;117-125

2. Romih, M, et al,The Vertebral Interbody Grafting Site’s Low Concentration in Osteogenic Progenitors, European Spine Journal, 2005: 14;645-648.

3. Bodke, D, et al, Bone Grafts Prepared with Selective Cell Retention Technology Heal Canine Segmental Defects as Effectively as Autografts, Journal of Orthopaedic Research, 2006: 14;857-866

4. Dallari, D, et al, In Vivo Study on the Healing of Bone Defects Treated with Bone Marrow Stromal Cells, Journal of Orthopaedic Research, 2006: 24;887-888

5. Connolly, J, Development of an Osteogenic Preparation, Journal of Bone and Joint   Surgery, June 1989; 684-691

6. Connolly, J, Clinical Use of Marrow Osteoprogenitor Cells to Stimulate Osteogenesis, Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research, 1998; 355S:S257-S266