Regenerative medicine. Regrow damaged cartilage or ligaments. Hmmm.....
I did it. Dr. Mark Wagner, M.D., in Seattle did me. He says,
"The Procedure in a Nutshell -A sample of bone marrow, along with adipose tissue, is removed from the patient in a simple, relatively painless procedure. These samples are then spun in a centrifuge to isolate and concentrate the stem cells, which create solutions of concentrated bone marrow and adipose stem cells.
"PRP is obtained by a simple blood draw. The blood is spun down to pure Platelets."Platelets are small, colorless, disk-shaped cell fragments lacking a nucleus that are found in blood and play an imperative role in clot formation. They also have antimicrobial properties and growth factors, which are also important in the healing of injuries. Platelets act as nutrients for the stem cells, promoting further growth. All three of these concentrated solutions are injected together into the damaged joint.
"The entire procedure is performed under local anesthesia, in-office, in about 90 minutes. There’s is little down time for the patient, and they can assume their daily life immediately. Results are normally seen at approximately three months and can progress up to a year.
"Possible candidates for this procedure include people experiencing persistent arthritic pain, who’ve been diagnosed with mild to moderately severe osteoarthritis."
I had a deteriorated meniscus in the left knee. Not a candidate for surgical correction. I had kneecap bone-on-femur bone in the right knee. Not a candidate for a total nor partial knee replacement. The strong anti inflammatories worked great, until...diclonefac (Voltaren) gave me hives. Meloxican (Mobic) gave me a bad skin rash. Allergic to them. Celebrex is in the same family and would likely have the same result.
First of July. Went to the day surgery center, got it done. The doc, his certified medical assistant, and a tech from the centrifuge company were there. One valium pill, one hydrocodone pill, things were just fine.... A big blood draw to be centrifuged to the PRP. Bone marrow from the hip bones and fat tissue extractions, then they were centrifuged. The needle into the knee got a wince (lidocaine deadens the skin but if into the knee would kill the stem cells), then they injected the three vials of stuff in turn. Ditto for the other knee. About 20-25 cc into each knee. Doc said that the Harvard studies showed that the more the better. The Mrs. drove me home.
At home the next day--I was hobbling around from the trauma of the injections. Two walking sticks. No pain (took 6 prescribed hydrocone tabs over the days), but the knees didn't know whether to lock or to fold. It got better each day, and by day four or five things were OK. Inflammation provides growth factors (or something like that) so anti inflammatories were not allowed starting a week before the injections. Kinda tender. Ice and acetaminophen were OK. Walking or swimming was good. No stress allowed on the knees. No hiking, no heavy biking, no squats or lunges or kneeling. I didn't ride my motorcycle in case of getting off balance or anything. He prescribed physical therapy for range of motion and core strengthening that I really didn't need. I did the stuff, but my regular exercises were better.
Week by week I can do more with less discomfort. It might be working. It's a slow process, 3 or 4 months, and I'll follow directions. Now at seven weeks I'm doing light bicycling, squats to 45°, more walking. Gliding motions...light biking with a high spin rate or an elliptical machine...and walking or swimming are good.
If this doesn't work enough, what's left...naproxen plus acetaminophen isn't enough. CBD might help. Tumeric plus SAM-e is no better than naproxen, costs more, easier on the gut. Maybe stick to green runs???
If the stem cell injections work.....
I asked about the chiropractors that take out the big newspaper articles selling amniotic fluid stem cell injections. Dr. Wagner said that the amniotic stem cells (from the fluid around a fetus) have been treated to prevent transmission of disease, and that kills the stem cells. The process does provide some growth factors that give temporary relief. The chiropractors hire a nurse-practitioner for a day to do the injections.
I did it. Dr. Mark Wagner, M.D., in Seattle did me. He says,
"The Procedure in a Nutshell -A sample of bone marrow, along with adipose tissue, is removed from the patient in a simple, relatively painless procedure. These samples are then spun in a centrifuge to isolate and concentrate the stem cells, which create solutions of concentrated bone marrow and adipose stem cells.
"PRP is obtained by a simple blood draw. The blood is spun down to pure Platelets."Platelets are small, colorless, disk-shaped cell fragments lacking a nucleus that are found in blood and play an imperative role in clot formation. They also have antimicrobial properties and growth factors, which are also important in the healing of injuries. Platelets act as nutrients for the stem cells, promoting further growth. All three of these concentrated solutions are injected together into the damaged joint.
"The entire procedure is performed under local anesthesia, in-office, in about 90 minutes. There’s is little down time for the patient, and they can assume their daily life immediately. Results are normally seen at approximately three months and can progress up to a year.
"Possible candidates for this procedure include people experiencing persistent arthritic pain, who’ve been diagnosed with mild to moderately severe osteoarthritis."
I had a deteriorated meniscus in the left knee. Not a candidate for surgical correction. I had kneecap bone-on-femur bone in the right knee. Not a candidate for a total nor partial knee replacement. The strong anti inflammatories worked great, until...diclonefac (Voltaren) gave me hives. Meloxican (Mobic) gave me a bad skin rash. Allergic to them. Celebrex is in the same family and would likely have the same result.
First of July. Went to the day surgery center, got it done. The doc, his certified medical assistant, and a tech from the centrifuge company were there. One valium pill, one hydrocodone pill, things were just fine.... A big blood draw to be centrifuged to the PRP. Bone marrow from the hip bones and fat tissue extractions, then they were centrifuged. The needle into the knee got a wince (lidocaine deadens the skin but if into the knee would kill the stem cells), then they injected the three vials of stuff in turn. Ditto for the other knee. About 20-25 cc into each knee. Doc said that the Harvard studies showed that the more the better. The Mrs. drove me home.
At home the next day--I was hobbling around from the trauma of the injections. Two walking sticks. No pain (took 6 prescribed hydrocone tabs over the days), but the knees didn't know whether to lock or to fold. It got better each day, and by day four or five things were OK. Inflammation provides growth factors (or something like that) so anti inflammatories were not allowed starting a week before the injections. Kinda tender. Ice and acetaminophen were OK. Walking or swimming was good. No stress allowed on the knees. No hiking, no heavy biking, no squats or lunges or kneeling. I didn't ride my motorcycle in case of getting off balance or anything. He prescribed physical therapy for range of motion and core strengthening that I really didn't need. I did the stuff, but my regular exercises were better.
Week by week I can do more with less discomfort. It might be working. It's a slow process, 3 or 4 months, and I'll follow directions. Now at seven weeks I'm doing light bicycling, squats to 45°, more walking. Gliding motions...light biking with a high spin rate or an elliptical machine...and walking or swimming are good.
If this doesn't work enough, what's left...naproxen plus acetaminophen isn't enough. CBD might help. Tumeric plus SAM-e is no better than naproxen, costs more, easier on the gut. Maybe stick to green runs???
If the stem cell injections work.....
I asked about the chiropractors that take out the big newspaper articles selling amniotic fluid stem cell injections. Dr. Wagner said that the amniotic stem cells (from the fluid around a fetus) have been treated to prevent transmission of disease, and that kills the stem cells. The process does provide some growth factors that give temporary relief. The chiropractors hire a nurse-practitioner for a day to do the injections.
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