Article on Stem Cells PRP and the future of its use.

[Ron]

http://www.denverpost.com/2017/02/19/vail-breakthroughs-injuries-heal-age/

Good article based on the research at The Steadman Clinic. BTW, Phillipon is doing my hip next month.

 

[bbinder]

I am still looking for good peer reviewed studies that show the benefit of these therapies. I certainly am hopeful about the potential benefits, but so far I have not the proof that my scientific mind requires. However, I am confident that the treatment will do no harm. So....

 

[Ron]

right with ya'

 

[AmyPJ]

Boy, avoiding a knee replacement would be nice!

 

[SBrown]

I am still looking for good peer reviewed studies that show the benefit of these therapies. I certainly am hopeful about the potential benefits, but so far I have not the proof that my scientific mind requires. However, I am confident that the treatment will do no harm. So....

Yeah. I have some friends who have done the Regenexx stuff, and absolutely swear by it. I mean, I saw the results. But but but. As this article says, "But did the PRP help? 'I don’t know,' Huard said."

 

[Rod9301]

I had prp injections in my elbow,3 and for plantar fasciitis, 1.

In both cases, they healed completely.

I had stem cell injections in my left knee and right big toe. Improvement, but not 100%

 

[bbinder]

This is what we scientific types call anecdotal evidence. The stuff may really work, but until it is in a controlled study comparing against other treatments and/or placebo there is no proof. Again, these I feel that there is minimal, if any, risk with many of these types of treatments. So, go for it.

 

[Rod9301]

This is what we scientific types call anecdotal evidence. The stuff may really work, but until it is in a controlled study comparing against other treatments and/or placebo there is no proof. Again, these I feel that there is minimal, if any, risk with many of these types of treatments. So, go for it.

Actually there is evidence, look at this study

https://www.omicsonline.org/open-ac...year-followup-2157-7633-1000285.php?aid=54989

There are others, too.

The issue is that in the us, the fda prohibits expansion of stem cells, so you are left with a same day procedure, with 500,000 cells, vs tens of millions if the cells are cultured for a few weeks.

 

[bbinder]

Actually there is evidence, look at this study

https://www.omicsonline.org/open-ac...year-followup-2157-7633-1000285.php?aid=54989

There are others, too.

The issue is that in the us, the fda prohibits expansion of stem cells, so you are left with a same day procedure, with 500,000 cells, vs tens of millions if the cells are cultured for a few weeks.

Thank you.
These are the types of studies that give me some hope regarding the benefit of some of these therapies. There are still a lot of variables, however. On the veterinary side, the commercial applications are using adipose tissue as the source of stem cells, with a 24-48 turn-around time once you send them the fat sample. This study looks at bone marrow stem cells, which may behave differently. On the veterinary side, there is pressure to sell this product to veterinarians and the justification is that "the clients want it and they say that it works". I am optimistic about the whole stem cell and prp approach, but skeptical when it sounds like a snake oil sales pitch. I certainly have been proven wrong in the past; I cringed at the idea of using leeches after limb transplants, and scoffed at the use of medicinal honey on contaminated wounds -- both are mainstream treatments now.

 

[bbinder]

Boy, avoiding a knee replacement would be nice!

Indeed!

 

[Jersey Skier]

I had a stem cell transplant 10 years ago to save my life, but I don't think that's what's being discussed here.

 

[SBrown]

Actually there is evidence, look at this study

https://www.omicsonline.org/open-ac...year-followup-2157-7633-1000285.php?aid=54989

There are others, too.

The issue is that in the us, the fda prohibits expansion of stem cells, so you are left with a same day procedure, with 500,000 cells, vs tens of millions if the cells are cultured for a few weeks.

Yeah, my friends who had the Regenexx did it early, when they were able to do the longer procedure in the US. THen the FDA shut that down and you have to do the same-day one, or go out of country to do the other.

 

[Prosper]

I am still looking for good peer reviewed studies that show the benefit of these therapies. I certainly am hopeful about the potential benefits, but so far I have not the proof that my scientific mind requires. However, I am confident that the treatment will do no harm. So....

I don't think you'll ever find a double binded placebo controlled study on stem cell therapies given inability to have a placebo group. If the n gets big enough and there's an interested researcher a decent meta-analysis could be done that gets peer reviewed and published. However, I'm not sure that there's enough data currently published from the centers that do stem cell therapies. Meta-analysis is the best you'd get.