Stem Cell Therapy
Restorative Therapy for Joints
Your body is made to heal itself, but sometimes the damage or injury is too severe, and it needs assistance. Regenerative therapies, such as stem cell therapy and PRP, are therapies that use a patient’s own cells and regenerative factors to help promote healing and repair in an injured and damaged area; potentially allowing for long lasting, sometimes permanent, relief.
What Are Mesenchymal Stem Cells?
Mesenchymal stem cells are essentially your body’s repair cells. Stem cells recognize signals or “cries for help” from damaged tissues in the body. Once they are signaled over, their primary role is to help heal injured tissue and to replenish dying cells.
Stem cells are unique and can be distinguished from other cell types because they have two primary characteristics:
- They are capable of renewing by making more copies of themselves.
- They are “undifferentiated cells” or “blank cells” and have the potential to become or morph into any cell type. For example: bone, cartilage, ligament, tendon, muscle etc.
There are different types of stem cells found in the human body, but for orthopedic injuries the only one that has over a decade of studies to support it are mesenchymal stem cells. Mesenchymal stem cells are predominantly found in the bone marrow, specifically the pelvic bone.
Authors: Daniel Kuebler, Alexandra Schnee, Lisa Moore, Jason Kouri, Alexis McLaughlin, Robert Hanson, Patrick Kuebler, Ignacio Dallo, and Alberto Gobbi
Summary
Background. Intra-articular bone marrow concentrate (BMC) and aspirate (BMA) injections have been used with mixed results to treat osteoarthritis (OA). Given the various aspiration and concentration methods available for preparing bone marrow, more data are needed to identify the optimal bone marrow harvesting techniques to treat OA. Methods. This retrospective cohort study examined the effect of using low-volume BMAs harvested using the Marrow Cellution™ (MC) device on 160 patients (262 knees) suffering from pain due to knee OA, KL grades 2-4, that did not respond to conservative treatment. Changes in visual analog scores (VAS) for overall daily activity were examined over a six-month time frame in these patients ( years of age; 48.1% male). In addition, changes in the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index (WOMAC) and Patient Global Impression of Change (PGIC scores) were examined over the same time frame in a smaller subset of patients (95 patients including 172 knees). Results. There was a statistically significant improvement in VAS scores for overall daily activity 6 months postprocedure in the study population, vs. (), as well as statistically significant improvements in WOMAC scores, vs. (). On the individual level, 71% of the cases displayed VAS improvements and 61% of the cases displayed WOMAC improvements that exceeded levels previous studies determined to be the minimal clinically important difference (MCID) for knee OA treatments. The improvements in WOMAC scores were also seen in both the WOMAC pain subscore, vs. () and the WOMAC function subscore, vs. (). In addition, the PGIC scores measuring patient satisfaction improved from at 6 weeks postprocedure to at 6 months postprocedure (). Conclusions. Knee OA patients treated with MC BMA intra-articular injections exhibited significant reductions in VAS pain scores and significant improvements in WOMAC scores that exceeded the minimal clinically important difference thresholds. In addition, reductions in VAS pain scores and improvements in WOMAC scores correlated with higher PGIC scores.
What is Mesenchymal Stem Cell Therapy?
Mesenchymal stem cells found in our pelvic bone (specifically the bone marrow) are our body’s natural repair cells. Stem cells along with other reparative cells are signaled over when we sustain an injury or have ‘wear and tear’ in our joints. As we age or we have a chronic joint condition our body loses the ability to mobilize these cells effectively to heal our injuries. Mesenchymal stem cell therapy is believed to help solve this problem by taking a concentrated number of restorative and healing cells from a small area in the pelvis and then relocating them immediately via an injection precisely into the injured joint. This procedure is intended to help “kickstart” and promote the body’s natural healing response. It introduces powerful anti-inflammatory and regenerative immune cells (Platelets, Stem Cells, Cytokines and Growth Factors) into the injured area to help lower joint inflammation and help repair damaged joint tissues.
About the Procedure at Atlas Medical Center
Dr. Jason Kouri, MD uses a proprietary new device to help extract stem cells along with other regenerative factors from a small area in the pelvic bone. At Atlas Medical Center, our medical providers were one of the first in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex trained to use this new device, and currently we are still one of only a handful of clinics that offer this procedure.
While “older” devices used to perform this technique are considered painful, lengthy and some require general anesthesia, this new device is unlike any other and allows the procedure to be less invasive, virtually painless, it requires no hospitalization, and no downtime. It is an outpatient, less than 30-minute procedure that does not require weeks of rehabilitation. Many patients return to work or normal activity immediately after the procedure.
In fact, recently a prospective stem cell therapy for knee pain study was completed using this device with patients diagnosed with knee osteoarthritis by Dr. Nathan Varady, MD, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital / Harvard Medical School. There were significant improvements in all categories of KOOS (Knee Injury and OA Outcome Score) from the beginning of the study to the 12th week mark. The categories included activities of daily living, quality of life, sports / recreation, pain, Lysholm scores, and visual analog scores. Individually, at least 75% of patients exhibited improvement at the 6-week mark and 85% at the 12-week mark.
I would recommend this to anyone. Matter of fact, I already talked to a friend of mine about it and told him how wonderful this injection has been for me.” — Alma
Disclaimer: Results vary. Please do not expect the same or similar results. As with any procedure there is a success and failure rate.
Conditions:
Regenerative therapy has been used for orthopedic conditions for over a decade; however, further controlled studies are needed to better understand optimal indications and techniques. At Atlas Medical Center, we are very serious about providing the best care and that is why we track our clinical outcomes using a patient registry. This allows us to continuously optimize our protocols.
- Improving painful joints with cartilage damage and osteoarthritis
- Knee
- Hip
- Shoulder
- Ankles/Foot
- Hands/Wrist
- Back
- Promote tendon healing
Why Choose Atlas Medical Center?
- All stem cell procedures are performed by Dr. Jason Kouri, MD who has over twenty years of clinical experience.
- Our medical providers have performed over 2,000 regenerative procedures.
- Procedures and injections are performed under ultrasound guidance. This is done so that all injections are precise and are injected into the targeted area. There is never any guesswork.
- Our bone marrow procedure is compliant with current CFR 21 Part 1271.5(b) guidelines.
- Your own cells are used, so there is no chance for rejection.
- The device we use makes the procedure virtually painless.
- No hospitalization.
- No downtime.
- Less than a 30-minute procedure.
- Atlas Medical Center is one of a handful of regenerative medicine clinics that track patient outcomes—which is rare in the regenerative medicine field.
- Our program always incorporates platelet rich plasma therapy and advanced cold laser therapy for added benefit and to promote your body’s natural healing response.
A New Device Leads to A New Way to Capture Your Mesenchymal Stem Cells
- Same day, less than thirty-minute procedure.
- FDA cleared device to extract cells.
- No drilling into the bone.
- New procedure is virtually painless.
- No hospitalization or downtime.
- No general anesthesia required, only localized anesthesia.
- Minimally invasive.
- Your cells are used—no chance for rejection.
- Nothing is added to your cells.
- No centrifugation (high powered spinner) is necessary.
- Ultrasound guidance is used so that there is never any guesswork as to where to inject.
- It is an outpatient procedure that allows patients a therapy with little to no impact on their lifestyle. Many patients can return to work or normal activity immediately after the procedure.
- This proprietary device has shown to yield comparable or greater numbers of regenerative cells compared to any other bone marrow method available.
Step by Step Procedure:
- A LOCAL anesthetic is used on a small area of the buttock so that the area is completely numb. Patients typically report that the ENTIRE process is almost completely PAINLESS, but some patients experience slight, minimal discomfort when being administered the local anesthetic.
- Once the cells have been collected, the cells are then immediately injected into the injured tissue or joint using ultrasound image guidance.
- Patients literally leave the office with a band-aid on their buttock, and on the area that was treated.
- The entire process usually takes less than thirty minutes.
This process is unlike any other bone marrow aspiration. There is NO drilling into the bone. Your cells are not manipulated (changed). There is no centrifugation (high powered spinning), or chemicals added to your cells. (Cells are very fragile; adding chemicals, centrifuging the cells or changing them in any way may destroy them.)
Safety is Our Number One Priority…
This why we have chosen to use this newer device rather than using “older” devices to perform the procedure. The new device makes the procedure much less invasive and follows current regulatory guidelines (compliant with CFR 21 Part 1271. 15b).
In addition, this is an autologous procedure meaning that the cells being used are from your body. These are your own cells, performing the duties they were naturally created to execute. This procedure is non-surgical and minimally invasive leaving a narrow margin for complications and adverse reactions. The procedure is performed by Dr. Jason Kouri, MD in a controlled environment in a same-day process. The unique device Atlas uses for this non-surgical procedure allows the bone marrow aspirate to come straight from a small area in your pelvic bone (virtually painlessly) and get relocated into the injured joint right away without having to remove or add anything to it.
I’m telling you, I can walk upright like a human being again.” — Irene
Disclaimer: Results vary. Please do not expect the same or similar results. As with any procedure there is a success and failure rate.
Is Stem Cell Therapy Right for You?
Regenerative therapy is a promising option for those who want a non-surgical alternative to joint and spine surgeries; however, it is not for everyone. Patients with a history of leukemia, lymphoma or certain blood diseases may not be a candidate for care. During your initial consultation our medical providers will review your medical history and really listen to you discuss your symptoms. If it makes sense then they will move forward with a comprehensive examination, take any necessary x-rays and/or recommend advanced imaging. This will allow you to find out if you’re an ideal candidate for this procedure.
Please call our office at 214-430-3588 to schedule a free consultation to review all of your treatment options.
Atlas Medical Center in Dallas–Fort Worth Earns Award Three Years in a Row for Customer Satisfaction in the Category of Regenerative Medicine
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