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Stem Cell Therapy

Stem Cell Therapy

You have chronic shoulder pain with limited range of motion, it is painful to do simple activities like changing your clothes. You find out you have a partial tear in one of your rotator cuff muscles. You go through a series of cortisone injections but want a more permanent solution beside surgery. What is the most natural, effective, and least invasive option for you? Let’s look into stem cell therapy!

What are Stem Cells

Stem cells are pre-mature cells that have yet to differentiate into their functional form such as cells of the bone, cartilage, muscle, ligaments, or tendons. When many people think of stem cells they think of embryonic stem cells from an unborn embryo. These are not being used clinically for ethical reasons and research has demonstrated they are not as effective and have more side effects than adult stem cells. Types of adult stem cells include hematopoietic cells which are found in the bone marrow and umbilical cord blood and mesenchymal cells that are found throughout the body including the bone marrow and fat.

Administering the Stem Cell Injection

At Medlink we utilize adult mesenchymal stem cells derived from the placenta. We use live ultrasound guidance to inject the cells and growth factors into the affected site under sterile conditions with the use of local anesthetics. Dr. Sam’s extensive experience with injections ensures these cells are reaching their targeted area so patients have the best chance for improvement. The entire procedure takes less than an hour and patients can walk out on their own. Typically, patients can return to daily activities within a couple of days. Pain relief can be experienced in as little as two to twelve weeks and over a period of six to twelve months, most patients have continued ongoing improvement, noting decrease in inflammation, improvement in pain, and increase in mobility and function.

Which orthopedic conditions have been successfully treated with adult stem cells?