Stem Cell Therapy for Joint Pain: A Surgery-Free Way to Move Again

Stem cells are unique cells within the body that have the capacity to stimulate cell growth and our body’s natural healing processes. During the early stages of our embryonic development, stem cells control the differentiation of our body’s tissues and organ systems. In our adult bodies, some types of stem cells remain in various tissues, directing the repair and/or regeneration of cells that have decayed or become damaged. Unfortunately, many areas of the body — like the hip — just don’t have enough stem cells and/or adequate blood supply to facilitate the full regeneration of tissue in this way.

As a result, scientists became interested in finding ways to stimulate the proliferation of stem cells within the body so that tissue regeneration could occur naturally, repairing damage and disease without invasive procedures or chemical solutions. For issues causing hip pain, stem cells have the potential to help reduce inflammation, as well as regenerate damaged tissue, thereby relieving the patients’ pain and helping them avoid medication(s), extensive conditioning exercises, and/or surgery. In instances where previous treatments have already occurred, stem cells have also been shown to significantly speed up the recovery process.

Because a stem cell injection for hip pain is a minimally invasive procedure completed in an office-based procedure suite, many of the risks associated with major surgery are significantly reduced, such as infections, bleeding, blood clots, and nerve injuries. Furthermore, the recovery time is significantly reduced, enabling patients to return to normal or near-normal activity much sooner than they would following surgical or even physical conditioning treatments. A hip stem cell injection is also the only treatment option capable of possibly promoting tissue regeneration within the hip joint; traditional treatments only treat pain symptoms and do little to facilitate the natural repair of hip cartilage.

Yes. Stem cell therapy for joint and soft tissue repair is a minimally invasive approach that has helped many patients avoid the difficulties and risks associated with joint replacement surgery, including arthritis, which is a common long-term complication of ACL surgical repairs.

Many people put off joint replacement surgery as long as they can because they dread the long and painful recovery, even if the constant pain keeps them thinking about it. Others worry about the potential for infection, increased heart attack risk following a joint replacement procedure, surgical complications, and the limited life span of artificial knees, hips, and other artificial joints. Patients are often told that they are “bone on bone” and that their only viable treatment strategy is a joint replacement surgery.

thriveMD offers an alternative solution for patients who have been given a “bone on bone” diagnosis from other physicians, but are still excellent candidates for regenerative stem cell treatment.

Stem cell therapy for the hip joint works by potentially stimulating cellular growth within damaged tissue structures. This can aid local tissue repair, since many stem cells release paracrine signals that work to reduce inflammation and cell death, speed healing, and contribute to improved tissue regeneration in damaged cartilage, such as the intra-articular cartilage and labrum.

Specifically, growth factors (called cytokines) present in the PRP and bone marrow concentrate within the stem cell aspirate aid in cellular communication, accelerating wound healing by improving blood supply and providing a scaffolding of fibrin on which stem cells can attach and more easily form new tissue. The result: the regeneration of cartilage within the hip joint and subsequent lessening of hip pain.

Of course, there are non-surgical options for treating hip pain. In addition to stem cell therapy, patients can choose to rest, take medication (including over-the-counter pain relievers such as ibuprofen, aspirin and acetaminophen, and prescribed opioids/narcotics/muscle relaxants; topical creams; steroid injections; and even antidepressants. They may also undergo physical therapy in an attempt to strengthen surrounding muscles, tendons, and ligaments, providing stability to the hip joint. While any of these could help alleviate hip pain to a degree, none of them offer the same potential advantages that stem cell therapy does: the ability to regenerate cartilaginous hip tissue naturally

Like numerous patients with knee issues who are told they need invasive surgical intervention in order to alleviate their pain, many hip pain sufferers can instead consider regenerative procedures like stem cell therapy as a way to avoid surgery and its accompanying risks and complications.

Here’s a quick comparison of stem cell therapy for hip pain and hip replacement surgery:

Recovery following a stem cell procedure for hip pain is significantly shorter than that of most surgical interventions. Our patients at thriveMD, for example, usually walk out of our office with little or no assistance following their hip stem cell procedure. Many return to work within 1-2 days and resume normal activities within 4-6 weeks. As early as six months post-op, a majority are significantly better with dramatically improved range of motion in the treated hip. When PRP boosters are applied, the results are often further enhanced.

Yes! Hip arthritis is one of the leading causes of hip pain worldwide and involves the wearing away of the cartilage between the bones of the hip joint. It can affect anyone, but certain factors increase an individual’s risk of having hip arthritis such as being older, female, overweight, and/or having bone deformities or certain diseases. Furthermore, hip arthritis can run in families, with repeated stress or injury to a joint further increasing any person’s overall risk. 

Stem cells help treat hip arthritis by expressing anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptotic, and anti-fibrotic signals that consequently produce an environment that is conducive to tissue regeneration and wound healing. It’s also believed that stem cells have the potential to alter further tissue degeneration.

Stem cell therapy offers great hope for patients with hip labral tears. A hip labral tear occurs when the labrum, the ring of cartilage around the hip joint socket that provides stability to the joint, suffers a tear. Athletes are particularly prone to hip labral tears, as are people with hip deformities resulting from genetic conditions and/or disease.

Arthroscopic surgery is often recommended for tears that haven’t improved with rest or physical therapy and involves the surgical removal of areas of the labrum. Such removal, however, often negatively affects overall hip stability, leaving a patient especially vulnerable to additional injury and/or the worsening of arthritic hip issues. A better alternative to surgery can be to use stem cells to help regenerate and repair labral tissue. Research shows that stem cells injected into a labral tear can also help reduce inflammation, relieve pain, and improve overall function. 

Stem cells are unique cells within the body that have the capacity to stimulate cell growth and our body’s natural healing processes. During the early stages of our embryonic development, stem cells control the differentiation of our body’s tissues and organ systems. In our adult bodies, some types of stem cells remain in various tissues, directing the repair and/or regeneration of cells that have decayed or become damaged. Unfortunately, many areas of the body — like the hip — just don’t have enough stem cells and/or adequate blood supply to facilitate the full regeneration of tissue in this way.

As a result, scientists became interested in finding ways to stimulate the proliferation of stem cells within the body so that tissue regeneration could occur naturally, repairing damage and disease without invasive procedures or chemical solutions. For issues causing hip pain, stem cells have the potential to help reduce inflammation, as well as regenerate damaged tissue, thereby relieving the patients’ pain and helping them avoid medication(s), extensive conditioning exercises, and/or surgery. In instances where previous treatments have already occurred, stem cells have also been shown to significantly speed up the recovery process.

Because a stem cell injection for hip pain is a minimally invasive procedure completed in an office-based procedure suite, many of the risks associated with major surgery are significantly reduced, such as infections, bleeding, blood clots, and nerve injuries. Furthermore, the recovery time is significantly reduced, enabling patients to return to normal or near-normal activity much sooner than they would following surgical or even physical conditioning treatments. A hip stem cell injection is also the only treatment option capable of possibly promoting tissue regeneration within the hip joint; traditional treatments only treat pain symptoms and do little to facilitate the natural repair of hip cartilage.

Yes. Stem cell therapy for joint and soft tissue repair is a minimally invasive approach that has helped many patients avoid the difficulties and risks associated with joint replacement surgery, including arthritis, which is a common long-term complication of ACL surgical repairs.

Many people put off joint replacement surgery as long as they can because they dread the long and painful recovery, even if the constant pain keeps them thinking about it. Others worry about the potential for infection, increased heart attack risk following a joint replacement procedure, surgical complications, and the limited life span of artificial knees, hips, and other artificial joints. Patients are often told that they are “bone on bone” and that their only viable treatment strategy is a joint replacement surgery.

thriveMD offers an alternative solution for patients who have been given a “bone on bone” diagnosis from other physicians, but are still excellent candidates for regenerative stem cell treatment.

Stem cell therapy for the hip joint works by potentially stimulating cellular growth within damaged tissue structures. This can aid local tissue repair, since many stem cells release paracrine signals that work to reduce inflammation and cell death, speed healing, and contribute to improved tissue regeneration in damaged cartilage, such as the intra-articular cartilage and labrum.

Specifically, growth factors (called cytokines) present in the PRP and bone marrow concentrate within the stem cell aspirate aid in cellular communication, accelerating wound healing by improving blood supply and providing a scaffolding of fibrin on which stem cells can attach and more easily form new tissue. The result: the regeneration of cartilage within the hip joint and subsequent lessening of hip pain.

Of course, there are non-surgical options for treating hip pain. In addition to stem cell therapy, patients can choose to rest, take medication (including over-the-counter pain relievers such as ibuprofen, aspirin and acetaminophen, and prescribed opioids/narcotics/muscle relaxants; topical creams; steroid injections; and even antidepressants. They may also undergo physical therapy in an attempt to strengthen surrounding muscles, tendons, and ligaments, providing stability to the hip joint. While any of these could help alleviate hip pain to a degree, none of them offer the same potential advantages that stem cell therapy does: the ability to regenerate cartilaginous hip tissue naturally

Like numerous patients with knee issues who are told they need invasive surgical intervention in order to alleviate their pain, many hip pain sufferers can instead consider regenerative procedures like stem cell therapy as a way to avoid surgery and its accompanying risks and complications.

Here’s a quick comparison of stem cell therapy for hip pain and hip replacement surgery:

Recovery following a stem cell procedure for hip pain is significantly shorter than that of most surgical interventions. Our patients at thriveMD, for example, usually walk out of our office with little or no assistance following their hip stem cell procedure. Many return to work within 1-2 days and resume normal activities within 4-6 weeks. As early as six months post-op, a majority are significantly better with dramatically improved range of motion in the treated hip. When PRP boosters are applied, the results are often further enhanced.

Yes! Hip arthritis is one of the leading causes of hip pain worldwide and involves the wearing away of the cartilage between the bones of the hip joint. It can affect anyone, but certain factors increase an individual’s risk of having hip arthritis such as being older, female, overweight, and/or having bone deformities or certain diseases. Furthermore, hip arthritis can run in families, with repeated stress or injury to a joint further increasing any person’s overall risk. 

Stem cells help treat hip arthritis by expressing anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptotic, and anti-fibrotic signals that consequently produce an environment that is conducive to tissue regeneration and wound healing. It’s also believed that stem cells have the potential to alter further tissue degeneration.

Stem cell therapy offers great hope for patients with hip labral tears. A hip labral tear occurs when the labrum, the ring of cartilage around the hip joint socket that provides stability to the joint, suffers a tear. Athletes are particularly prone to hip labral tears, as are people with hip deformities resulting from genetic conditions and/or disease.

Arthroscopic surgery is often recommended for tears that haven’t improved with rest or physical therapy and involves the surgical removal of areas of the labrum. Such removal, however, often negatively affects overall hip stability, leaving a patient especially vulnerable to additional injury and/or the worsening of arthritic hip issues. A better alternative to surgery can be to use stem cells to help regenerate and repair labral tissue. Research shows that stem cells injected into a labral tear can also help reduce inflammation, relieve pain, and improve overall function. 

Complete tears often require surgical repair. Individuals who suffer partial tears to the rotator cuff, or tendonosis, on the other hand, may be excellent candidates for stem cell shoulder treatment. This procedure involves stem cell injections to treat rotator cuff tears, depending on the severity of damage to the rotator cuff tendons. 

It’s important to speak with a medical professional to determine the best mode of treatment if you experience a rotator cuff tear. Accurate diagnosis of a shoulder injury is imperative to deciding on a treatment plan, and usually requires MRI examination to identify the specifics of a rotator cuff injury.

Stem cell therapy offers a minimally invasive option for the treatment of shoulder injuries and chronic wear and tear of the joint cartilage. Adult stem cells are harvested from your adipose (fatty) tissue and bone marrow, consolidated, and prepared for injection into the damaged areas of the shoulder. The injections are carried out under image guidance to assure that the cells are placed accurately in the specific areas of damage. Joints are injected under live x-ray guidance, while tendons are typically injected with the assistance of ultrasound.

The procedure is done in an outpatient setting, takes approximately 3 hours to perform, and does not require a general anesthetic. To learn more about how stem cell therapy for shoulder issues works and what you can expect, read this blog post about undergoing a stem cell procedure.

Recovery time following a stem cell procedure for shoulder pain is dramatically shorter than most surgical recoveries. Most patients* can return to work and normal daily activity within 1-2 days after their procedure, and don’t require post-operative physical therapy. The proper time to return to sports activities depends on the severity and specific injury treated, but typically takes 4-12 weeks. 

Yes, shoulder injuries are some of the most common sports-related injuries. Proper shoulder function is essential in almost every sport, and imperative in sports such as tennis, golf, basketball, and football. In 2006, 7.5 million doctors’ visits were due to shoulder problems and, of those, 4 million were due to rotator cuff issues.