Osteoarthritis is the degeneration of cartilage and bone in the joints, most often the hip, knee, and thumb joints. Osteoarthritis symptoms can include: pain, stiffness, and a loss of flexibility. If left untreated, the disease is degenerative and can worsen over time, often leading to chronic pain and a difficulty performing daily tasks. This disease is very common, affecting millions of people in the U.S. each year. Patients that suffer from this debilitating disease will be happy to know that new developments in regenerative medicine have found effective treatments using stem cells.
As millions of Americans know, chronic pain can dramatically affect quality of life. Patients that suffer from chronic joint pain often begin to limit their movement because it hurts to move their affected joints. Mobility issues, depression and sleep disorders are a common side-effect of chronic joint pain.
Until recently, the standard approach of Western medicine was to treat the symptoms of Osteoarthritis rather than the underlying disease. These treatments include using medications to manage the pain and surgery to replace the affected cartilage. Advances in regenerative medicine have lead to the development of new treatments for arthritis and joint pain.
These new advances in regenerative medicine offer a holistic approach, stimulating the body’s own healing process while encouraging “proliferation” of healthy joint cells. This results in a healing of the underlying disease and a reduction of the associated symptoms of osteoarthritis including pain. The field of regenerative medicine has developed many effective treatments for this painful disease.
If your joint pain prevents you from fully enjoying life and you no longer want to depend on prescription drugs, regenerative medicine may be the solution for you. At Hawaii Island Stem Cell Therapy and Regenerative Medicine we have multiple therapeutic tools available for helping patients with osteoarthritis and joint pain including:
Prolotherapy and Prolozone
These stem cell therapy options encourage the “proliferation”, growth, and repair, of ligament, joint, and musculoskeletal tissues. This treatment involves the injection of a high-concentration dextrose (sugar water) solution into the targeted area. The presence of the solution in the affected area causes a mild irritation to the tissue leading to increased blood flow and nutrients to the area which then signal the body to heal the damaged tissue.
Prolozone is the addition of ozone gas to the prolotherapy solution. The additional ozone combines with signaling molecules to act as regulators of the immune system to lessen inflammation. This results in increased function as well as pain reduction.
Platelet Rich Plasma Therapy
Platelet Rich Plasma Therapy employs platelet rich plasma (PRP) which both signals neighboring cells to begin the healing process within the target area and to stop bleeding in recently damaged tissue. These platelets release growth factors into the surrounding tissue which induces these tissues to flood the targeted area with nutrients and repairing cells. This initiates and maintains the process of cellular growth and repair.
Autologous Stem Cell Therapy
Autologous Stem Cell Therapy uses stem cells harvested from the patient’s own body and re-injected into the targeted tissues. Stem cells are “blank slate” pluripotent cells that have the potential to become any type of specialized cell in the body. Stem cells have the potential to treat a wide range of diseases and to regenerate and repair tissue.
Contact Us
Contact your physician at Hawaii Island Stem Cell Therapy and Regenerative Medicine to schedule an appointment to find out if these therapies are right for you.