Stem Cell Therapy:
Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis, or degenerative arthritis, is the most common form of arthritis, affecting an estimated 20 million people in the United States. The most common risk factor for osteoarthritis is aging. As we age, the cartilage in our joints deteriorates, causing joint and bone pain. This pain can be crippling. Anyone suffering with osteoarthritis knows that this disease robs them of their ability to take part in even the most mundane daily activities. Movement of any kind becomes unbearable, and a once-active lifestyle becomes a shadow of what it once was.

Cartilage is the cushiony substance between the bones of the joints. It keeps our bones from rubbing together and acts as a shock absorber for joint activity. As we age, water begins to break down the proteins that make up this cartilage, deteriorating the cushion. Repetitive motion—walking, standing, sitting, climbing stairs, running—contributes to this breakdown of the cartilage. This deterioration is osteoarthritis. Eventually, osteoarthritis can so damage the cartilage that the bones are constantly in pain, inflamed, and swollen.

As with all age-related degenerative disorders, it’s been assumed that nothing could be done. There are pain medications designed to alleviate the symptoms of osteoarthritis, but these do not bring back full range of motion or do away with the pain completely. They simply mask the symptoms—the osteoarthritis continues to damage and deteriorate the cartilage and joints.

A new answer is available now, though. Stem cell therapy has come on the scene in recent years, providing relief from what was once thought to be a hopeless cause. Using stem cells to regenerate lost cartilage, doctors can counteract the degenerative effects of osteoarthritis, strengthening the joints and bringing back the full range of motion that was thought to be lost.

Our cells are in a constant process of dying and being replaced. When individual cells mutate and malfunction, they regenerate malfunctioning cells just like themselves. These malfunctions eventually make their way to our larger body, causing us to age or experience disease. Stem cells are fresh new cells without mutations that reorient the affected area of the body toward equilibrium, thus creating healing.

How do stem cell therapies treat osteoarthritis?

Stem cells are the basic building blocks of every other cell in the body. While all other cells have a specific function—in this case, the cartilage cells are designed to cushion and provide support—stem cells are “blank.” They can take on the function of any cell in the body when surrounded by that type of cell. This is how stem cell therapy counteracts degenerative disorders such as osteoarthritis. The stem cells can be used to rebuild the lost cartilage, creating newer, healthier cushion and reducing the problems of cartilage loss. Doctors use stem cell therapy to manipulate the stem cells into doing the job of the lost cartilage.

Stem cell therapy is an amazing modern medical advancement, and it has provided a cure for many of the degenerative diseases like osteoarthritis that are tied to aging. As we age, our cells lose their ability to function properly; stem cell therapy is a procedure that can reverse the effects of aging, such as osteoarthritis, and restore our quality of life. Stem cell therapy can reverse the swelling, pain, and previously irreversible damage caused by osteoarthritis.

If you’ve searched for solutions to your osteoarthritis problem and come up with no good answers, I can help you find the stem cell therapy you’re looking for. I work directly with an extensive network of doctors and hospitals to find the appropriate therapy and facility to meet your stem cell therapy needs.

I believe that it is my purpose in life to bring life-improving and ultimately life-saving stem cell therapies to you so that you can live a life of optimum health. Contact me today to learn more about how stem cell therapy can specifically treat your osteoarthritis. There’s no need to suffer with the pain of osteoarthritis. Let me be your partner in recovery and get you moving freely again.

For more information on how stem cell therapies can help you in recovering from a serious degenerative condition, please contact Jim Cohan & Associates at 818-504-2318.