Posted on 04/30/2018 5:43:11 PM PDT by conservativesister
Does anyone know anything about this, my husband got a card in the mail and went to a presentation. They claim they can get the knee cushion re-grown with a 95% success rate that it works for the people getting the injections. I don't want to throw cold water on his hopes but this is all new to me and I don't know where to start looking. Any info appreciated.
Careful, you need to do your research.I now him personally. He is a ND and is without peer. You can’t refute the research he has done. No one has, and no one can.
I just saw an orthopedic specialist advertising it. It’s expensive and not covered by insurance.
Back in 2004, Californians decided to issue $3 billion of state bonds (and pay back $6 billion) to fund embryonic stem cell research. Guess what came of that? Zip, zero, zilch, nada. You think some pipsqueak companies are going to make breakthroughs and bring products to market?
Checked into this recently. The main reason not to have it done was money. Insurance and Medicare would not pay. Also it isn’t proven science. Am two months out of knee replacement and almost back to normal.
Agreed. Guided by an outstanding physician I have have had prolotherapy, platelet rich plasma and stem cell injections to treat various joints, ligaments and other pains. Each has a specific value ... and of course commensurate cost (only some of which is covered by Medicare). In my opinion it is worth pursuing to avoid surgery or replacements, until there is no other remedy. FWIW, I have worked with Dr. David Wang who was an instructor at Harvard Medical School and is now in private practice. Can look him up and watch helpful lectures here: https://kaplanclinic.com/author/dr-wang/ Hope this helps.
I had the same conversation with my knee doctor last week. He said there is no clinical record to back up those claims - and he said that insurance does not cover it.
All I can do is pass on what he told me - I have decided to believe him.
My friend had this done on his shoulder. He swears by it. I was able to watch the procedure from start to finish. First, they use the patients own stem cells (not fetal tissue). They draw blood and separate the plasma out. Then they inject the blood cells into the trouble spot. Might take 3-4 sessions of this. This article gives more info:
I have read that stem cell therapy can be helpful and successful.
Are they going to do a test first to see if he is not having an allergic reaction?
Aside from that, my personal philosophy is that if it won’t hurt, but may help, it is worth trying.
Best wishes.
“I have finally decided just to go with a hip replacement.”
I have a lot of pain in my hips, but no one at the VA has said anything about a hip replacement. Frankly, at my age, I’d just as soon try to make do with pain meds.
there’s no FDA approved therapy involving the injection of “stem cells” into joints.
they might be referring to “prolotherapy” in which sugar water is injected into joints.
you can google it and decide if it works ...
Bone on bone, get your knees replaced. It will only get worse.
The exercise you are doing will greatly help recovery.
Get the surgery by a specialist and in a hospital that has a dedicated floor for joint replacement.
I had both my knees done at the same time. Best thing I ever did for my knees. I can go up three steps at a time.
(Used to be 4 but that was way long ago)
Thank you BK I will look into that.
I have looked into stem cell therapy in the past. Then it was 20K. My doctor in Scottsdale now does stem cell therapy. The stem cells are taken from the umbilical cord after the baby is born. He has been doing it for some time and has had positive results. His price is approximately 6300.00.
I tore ligaments and a meniscus in each knee a long time ago (Army initial and National Guard training) and was crippled off and on quite a bit for a long time afterwards (bone on bone and much unsightly swelling).
Kind of proud that I didn’t cost you all anything for surgery, rehab or disability since then. I give myself credit for that, because no one else will. :-)
Very regular exercise works well with plenty of calcium in the diet *and plenty of sleep,* but it also took a few years of often painful walking in my fifties (at least a mile a day, often further, at least five days per week whenever possible). Calcium does grow (as do bones), but it takes a long time. Keeping the weight down is very important, too. In my sixties now and okay.
An Army hospital surgeon told me in the late 1980s, that I would be in a wheel chair from my mid-forties, on. That didn’t happen, but I haven’t done as most middle aged and older men do since then, either.
To clarify, here are my own crazy directions that I made for myself and followed.
* If a leg goes suddenly numb, get to a hospital. You might lose that leg. It’s a chance that I took. Told you that these directions are crazy.
* Get plenty of sleep.
* Get skinny. Keep the weight down.
* Get plenty of regular calcium in the diet.
* Walk whenever possible. It’s going to hurt quite a bit at times. It might hurt and swell off and on for about ten years at least. If there’s a hill, walk up that hill for more knee movement. With or without a hill, be sure to do some leg extensions while laying on your back or sitting at least every other day. Swimming is good.
* Don’t do this without a doctor’s advice, if you are over 65. If there’s no allergy to aspirin (salicylic acid) and if okay with the doctor, consider taking one baby aspirin each day. If the swelling is bad on a particular day, take an adult aspirin or Advil with a glass of water after eating something on that day after exercising. I did this without a doctor’s advice, but that’s the way I am.
Remember that it’s risky in some ways. I am not qualified to do any medical work or to give any medical advice. I’ve done many physical activities that most people wouldn’t consider doing and have had many serious physical injuries.
Do whatever a specialist says instead, if you can or will.
Oh...
* And don’t do any very heavy lifting except for proper structured weight training. Carrying a heavy load while walking can make a knee fail. Avoid uneven ground that is not level. A sideways movement in a knee without ligaments or with a weak spot in a meniscus can be the end of it in an instant.
If the knee is bad enough, get it replaced rather than wait on a developing technology - getting rid of pain is a huge boost to quality of life. Had a hip replaced almost 2 years ago and never looked back...have a few friends with new knees and they also never look back.
Article with some recent information on stem cells.
New stem cells are self generated when a person fasts for an extended amount of time. You must water only fast for about 4 days. Just 1 or 2 days are incredibly difficult.
Something about food being scarce, and your body kicking in.
#3 If you use ground chicken cartilage for the knees you will be scratching around the barnyard....
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