Stem Cell Treatments

Stem cells are present in all of us acting like a repair system for the body.  However, with increased age sometimes the optimum amount of stem cells are not delivered to the injured area.  Stem Cell therapy functions to amplify the natural repair system of the patient’s body.

To obtain the stem cells, your doctor administers a local anesthetic to the back of the hip (Posterior superior iliac spine) and takes a small bone marrow sample through a needle. The sampling procedure is called bone marrow aspirate, which is different from bone marrow biopsy and is less painful. Blood is also taken from a vein of the patient’s arm. These sample cells are processed and then re-injected into the area where repair of the damaged tissue is required. Imaging guidance such as real time fluoroscopy or musculoskeletal ultrasound is used along with MRI to plan the location of the injection.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are multipotent cells derived from non marrow tissues, such as umbilical cord blood, adipose tissue, adult muscle or dental pulp of deciduous baby teeth. The isolated MSCs are also injected on the same day, along with natural growth factors obtained from the blood platelets of the patient. The main objective is to deliver a much greater number of stem cells to the injured area to restore its function.

Some risks factors are associated with stem cell therapy and include immune reactions from injected stem cells and also cells may become contaminated with bacteria, viruses or other pathogens that may cause disease.  The procedure to either remove or inject the cells also has the risk of introducing an infection to the damaged tissue into which they are injected.