by admin | Aug 19, 2025 | Back Pain, Mesenchymal Stem Cells, Pain Management, Regenerative Medicine, Stem Cell Research, Stem Cell Therapy, Studies
Low back pain is one of the most common health problems worldwide. It affects quality of life, limits work and daily activities, and creates a significant economic burden. In many adults, especially those over age 50, a key driver of this pain is lumbar intervertebral disc degeneration. When the disc between the vertebrae begins to break down, it can become a source of chronic, deep “discogenic” pain that is often difficult to treat.
Traditional treatment options include physical therapy, medications, injections, and, in some cases, surgery. These treatments can help manage symptoms but do not always address the underlying disc damage, and surgery is not suitable or desirable for everyone. This is why researchers have been exploring regenerative approaches, including mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) therapy, to repair or stabilize the disc and reduce pain at its source.
A recent review and meta-analysis by Zhang et al. examined the effectiveness of MSC injections into the disc for patients with lumbar discogenic pain and whether this approach is safe. The results are promising and add to the growing body of evidence supporting MSC-based therapies for spine-related conditions.
Why Disc Degeneration Causes Low Back Pain
The intervertebral discs act as shock absorbers between the vertebrae in the spine. Each disc has a soft, gel-like center (the nucleus pulposus) surrounded by a tougher outer ring (the annulus fibrosus). Over time, age, genetics, mechanical stress, and lifestyle factors can lead to degeneration of these discs. The disc can lose water content, become thinner, and develop small tears.
When this happens in the lumbar spine, it can trigger discogenic low back pain. This type of pain often feels deep, aching, and persistent. It may worsen with sitting or bending and improve when lying down.
Initial treatment typically involves non-surgical approaches such as exercise therapy, manual therapy, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and other pain-modulating medications. While many patients improve, others continue to have significant pain and disability even after trying conservative treatments for months or years.
How Mesenchymal Stem Cells May Help Degenerative Discs
Mesenchymal stem cells are a type of adult stem cell that can be obtained from bone marrow, adipose tissue, cartilage, and other sources. They are known for several beneficial properties. Under the right conditions, MSCs differentiate into bone, cartilage, and other mesenchymal tissues under the right conditions. They secrete a variety of growth factors and signaling molecules that support tissue repair and modulate inflammation. They also communicate directly with nearby cells to influence the local environment.
In the context of disc degeneration, the idea is to inject MSCs directly into the damaged disc. Once there, they may help repopulate the disc with healthier cells, support the remaining disc cells, and alter the inflammatory and degenerative microenvironment.
According to the authors, animal studies and early human trials have suggested that MSC injections into degenerated discs can improve disc hydration, reduce pain, and enhance function. However, these individual clinical studies tend to be small and vary in design, making it hard to draw firm conclusions from any single trial. This is where a meta-analysis, which pools data from multiple studies, becomes particularly valuable.
How the Meta-Analysis Was Conducted
For this meta-analysis, researchers reviewed several major medical databases, including PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and the Cochrane Library, through September 18, 2022. They focused on clinical studies that examined MSC treatment for lumbar disc degeneration and disc-related low back pain.
Of the 2,392 studies initially identified, 9 met the inclusion criteria. These studies included 245 patients, most of whom received injections of bone marrow–derived MSCs directly into damaged discs. Study quality was evaluated using the Newcastle–Ottawa Scale, and standard meta-analysis methods were used to analyze the data.
The primary outcomes measured were changes in pain levels and changes in the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), which assesses how back pain affects daily activities. Researchers also reviewed reoperation rates and side effects to evaluate safety.
Pain Relief: Improvements on the Visual Analogue Scale
Pain was measured using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), where patients rated their pain on a simple numerical scale. Across the studies, patients who received MSC injections showed clear reductions in pain from the start of treatment to the final follow-up.
When the data were combined, average pain scores improved by more than 40 points on a 0–100 scale. This represents a significant and meaningful decrease in pain for many patients. Although results varied between studies, nearly all showed pain improvement with MSC treatment.
Other meta-analyses have reported similar findings, showing that MSC therapy can significantly reduce pain in people with disc degeneration. This analysis supports those results and suggests that MSC injections provide meaningful pain relief for appropriately selected patients.
Improved Function and Reduced Disability: Oswestry Disability Index Results
Pain is only part of the issue. For many people with chronic lumbar discogenic pain, the most important question is whether they can get back to their everyday lives. This is where the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) was especially helpful.
In the meta-analysis, ODI scores improved significantly after MSC injection. The pooled data showed an average improvement of more than 20 points from baseline to the final follow-up, indicating better function and less disability. This means that patients were not only reporting less pain, but they were also better able to sit, stand, walk, work, and perform self-care.
Taken together, the pain and disability findings suggest that MSC therapy has the potential to provide both symptom relief and functional benefit in patients with disc-related low back pain.
Safety and Reoperation Rates: A Reassuring Profile
Any new therapy needs to be evaluated not just for benefit but also for risk. In this meta-analysis, MSC injection therapy for discogenic low back pain demonstrated a favorable safety profile.
No serious adverse events related to the MSC therapy were reported across the included studies. Treatment-emergent side effects, when they occurred, were generally mild and included symptoms such as back, joint, or muscle pain, which are also common in the underlying condition. Previous meta-analyses in this area have similarly reported no statistically or clinically significant increase in adverse events with MSC injections.
The pooled reoperation rate was low, around 7%. This suggests that most patients did not require further surgical intervention at the treated level during follow-up. While longer-term data are still needed, the findings support the idea that MSC disc injections are both safe and potentially protective against the need for additional procedures in the short- to medium-term.
MSCs Compared With Other Cell-Based Strategies for Disc Repair
MSCs are not the only cell type being studied for disc repair. Disc-derived chondrocytes and nucleus pulposus cells have also been explored. These cells can be harvested from disc tissue, expanded in the lab, and reimplanted. However, this approach has challenges. Disc cells have a limited natural capacity to multiply, and obtaining enough cells may require harvesting from other discs, which can be invasive and may compromise healthy tissue.
According to the authors, MSC-based therapies offer several advantages. MSCs can be isolated from bone marrow, adipose tissue, and other sources and expanded in culture to achieve therapeutic doses. Bone marrow–derived MSCs, used in all nine influential clinical studies in this meta-analysis, can differentiate into nucleus pulposus-like cells and support existing disc cells by secreting beneficial cytokines, such as transforming growth factor-beta 1.
That said, bone marrow harvest is invasive and yields relatively few MSCs. Adipose-derived MSCs, which can be obtained in higher quantities from fat tissue, are an attractive alternative and may have strong anti-inflammatory properties. Adipose tissue, which naturally contains MSCs, has shown promising results in joint applications and is being explored for discogenic pain, although these data were not included in the current analysis. This highlights that most of the evidence so far is for bone marrow–derived MSCs, and more research is needed on other sources.
Limitations of the Current Evidence
As encouraging as the results are, it is essential to interpret them in context. Zhang et al. point out that the meta-analysis has several limitations. The number of clinical studies and the total number of patients remain relatively small. Of the 245 patients included, 193 received bone marrow–derived MSC injections, limiting the ability to generalize the findings to all MSC products.
Not all studies reported pain and disability outcomes in the same way. Only four studies provided complete VAS data suitable for pooled analysis, and only five contributed to the ODI analysis. Differences in how scales were reported and in follow-up timing can introduce variability and make it harder to fully capture the treatment effect.
Additionally, most of the included studies focused on single-level disease and carefully selected patients. Outcomes in broader, more varied patient populations may differ. Longer-term data are also needed to determine how durable the benefits are and whether MSC therapy can truly halt or reverse disc degeneration over many years.
Finally, this analysis focuses on bone marrow–derived MSCs and does not fully address other MSC sources such as adipose tissue, synovium, or perinatal tissues. Future trials will be needed to compare cell sources, doses, and delivery methods more systematically.
What This Means for Patients With Discogenic Low Back Pain
For patients living with chronic, disc-related low back pain that has not improved with standard conservative care, this meta-analysis offers cautious optimism. The pooled data suggest that MSC injections into the degenerated disc can significantly reduce pain and improve function, with a low rate of serious side effects and reoperations.
MSC therapy is not yet a universal, first-line treatment for discogenic pain, and much work remains to refine protocols, identify ideal candidates, and confirm long-term outcomes in larger randomized controlled trials. Still, the evidence to date supports MSC injection therapy as a promising, biologically targeted option that goes beyond symptom control and aims to support disc health at the tissue level.
As research continues to evolve, patients considering regenerative approaches should discuss the latest evidence, risks, and potential benefits with experienced clinicians and seek care in settings that follow rigorous standards for cell processing and clinical monitoring. With ongoing high-quality studies, mesenchymal stem cell therapy may become an important part of the future treatment option for managing discogenic low back pain and improving the quality of life for many individuals.
Source: Zhang, W., Wang, D., Li, H., Xu, G., Zhang, H., Xu, C., & Li, J. (2023). Mesenchymal stem cells can improve discogenic pain in patients with intervertebral disc degeneration: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology, 11, 1155357. https://doi.org/10.3389/fbioe.2023.1155357
by Stemedix | Jun 10, 2024 | Back Pain, Chronic Pain, Health Awareness, Pain Management, Regenerative Medicine, Stem Cell Research, Stem Cell Therapy
“Back pain” is a general term that can mean many different things. From nerve pain to strained back muscles, there are various reasons your back might hurt. Dealing with chronic back pain is mentally and physically exhausting, and you deserve relief. The first step in properly managing your chronic back pain is to know what’s behind it. Use this guide to shed some light on the potential root cause of back pain, and available treatments for your comfort.
Why Does Your Back Hurt?
If you’ve experienced severe back pain before, your first question is probably, “Why?” It might feel like you’re willing to do anything to stop the pain.
Unfortunately, there isn’t one universal cause for severe back pain. If you’re struggling with it, it’s time to examine what might be causing it.
Some of the circumstances that can cause chronic back pain include:
- Neurodegenerative disease (like MS or ALS)
- Car accidents
- Sports injuries
- Musculoskeletal problems
- Spinal alignment issues
- Spinal cord infections and diseases
- Orthopedic (bone) problems
- Strained back muscles
- Poor posture
- Neuropathic pain
These are just a few of the debilitating problems you may be dealing with. A qualified healthcare professional can guide you to the proper diagnosis.
Muscular Back Pain
Your back is full of muscles that help you sit, stand, and move around. When one of these muscles’ experiences overuse, stress, or strain, you’ll feel it in major ways.
Movement Injuries
If you twist, sleep, or lift something in the wrong manner, you could end up with a strained back muscle. This will feel different than regular soreness after a back workout.
Sports injuries can affect your back muscles. Especially in contact sports and other intense activities, your back faces many risks each time you play. The more conditioned and flexible you are, the less likely you are to get an overuse or muscle strain injury.
Stress
Psychological stress can also lead to muscular back pain. When you’re stressed, your body tenses up in ways you may not even notice. The muscles in your back may become stiff, strained, or generally uncomfortable as a result.
Lack of Sleep
You also tend to lose sleep when you’re undergoing lots of mental stress. Your body uses sleep as the primary time to repair your muscles and make them stronger. If you aren’t getting enough rest at night or you work the third shift, your back muscles are more prone to pain and injury.
Neurological Back Problems
Your nervous system sends messages to all parts of your body using electrical impulses. The central hub for all of the nerves that extend outward from your body is your spinal cord. Neurological diseases and spinal cord injuries can impair your back in surprising ways.
Neuropathic Pain
Neuropathy develops when nerves throughout your body become damaged in some way. This is a common symptom of neurodegenerative diseases like MS. When your peripheral nerves are damaged, they can’t communicate with your brain properly, leading to strange sensations and pain.
Neuropathic back pain may feel like numbness, tingling, burning, “pins and needles,” or sharp excruciating pains. If you suffer from a neurological health condition, there’s a solid chance your back pain is related.
Car Accidents and Spine Injuries
Automobile accidents exert a lot of force and impact on your body all at once. When you get into an accident, even if it’s minor, your back and neck muscles can experience whiplash. In extreme cases, car accidents can also cause spinal injuries.
Spinal cord injuries are very serious. Your spinal cord protects your nerves and secures their pathway to your brain. Chronic back pain, numbness, and loss of limb function could indicate an underlying spinal injury.
Herniated Discs and Pinched Nerves
If one of the cartilage discs between your vertebrae becomes dislodged, it can press on the nerves surrounding it. A herniated disc can spell trouble for your mobility, limb functions, and comfort for years.
Vertebral problems can also pinch the nerves in your back, which results in the same thing — long-lasting sharp back pain. Discomfort from a pinched nerve will likely feel sudden, sharp, and breathtaking.
Lifestyle Factors and Back Pain
Certain aspects of your lifestyle may be causing your chronic back pain and soreness. These factors aren’t considered diseases themselves, but they can lead to chronic health problems that become long-term conditions.
The following are risk factors for chronic back pain:
- Obesity
- Poor posture
- Sedentary lifestyle
- Overtraining
- Poor nutrition
- Labor-intensive jobs
- Improper lifting techniques
Whenever possible, you should avoid these risks. Steps like wearing a posture corrector and lifting heavy objects with your leg muscles can help prevent chronic back problems.
Solving Your Pain: Back Treatment Options
You don’t have to live in unbearable pain forever. You have options when it comes to severe back pain treatment. Every person has a different threshold for pain, and you may prefer less invasive, more natural treatments than someone else.
Medication
Pain medication will block your brain from receiving pain signals in your back. Medication is a valid option for people struggling to function due to chronic back problems. However, most medications don’t treat the root cause of your back pain. It’s a good idea to consider other treatments along with medication.
Surgery
Back surgery is intense, invasive, and risky, but for some people, it’s the best and only option. Severe spinal cord injuries and disc herniations may require immediate surgery to correct the problem. After surgery, you’ll likely be instructed to perform back exercises to improve your mobility.
Regenerative Medicine
Regenerative medicine, also known as stem cell therapy, for back pain may offer an innovative and cutting-edge option. By utilizing human-derived stem cells to repair and renew damaged tissues throughout your body, these “blank” cells can form into almost any type of specialized cell, making them a potential effective modality to help manage and heal chronic back pain.
Evaluating Your Options
It may take a few different interventions before you experience back pain relief. What’s important is that you don’t give up. With the proper treatment, you can experience mild to intense relief and continue on with your life. Medicine is always improving, and you have more options than ever before.
by Stemedix | Apr 22, 2024 | Age Management, Bone Marrow, Health Awareness, Osteoarthritis, Pain Management, Regenerative Medicine, Stem Cell Research, Stem Cell Therapy
As the human body ages, most people assume that “wear and tear” will take over and deplete their health. This isn’t always true, and it’s important to separate fact from fiction when discussing joint health problems.
Osteoarthritis is a painful, inflammatory joint condition that can make it difficult to function. Some folks refer to it as “just” arthritis, but this minimizes the incredible discomfort and damage it causes. Living with this condition can feel impossible at times.
You don’t have to sit back and let joint health problems take over your life as you age. Learn more about osteoarthritis so you can make the best decisions for your health and pain management.
Developing Osteoarthritis: What’s Happening to Your Joints?
Before you can appropriately manage this condition, you must learn what’s happening in your joints. Developing osteoarthritis is not inevitable, but unfortunately, it is common, especially in aging adults.
What Is Osteoarthritis?
Osteoarthritis is an inflammatory joint condition that occurs when the cartilage that supports and connects your bones wears away. As a result, your bones grind together, and the spaces around your joints become inflamed and tender.
Is This Condition Inevitable?
No. Osteoarthritis is not just a “normal” part of aging, nor is it inevitable. As science and research advance, it’s becoming more obvious that osteoarthritis is the result of many risk factors interacting with each other.
Certain risk factors make it more likely that you’ll develop osteoarthritis. Many of them are preventable through lifestyle changes and a proactive approach to protecting your joints.
Who Gets Osteoarthritis?
Age is a big risk factor for osteoarthritis, but again, this condition is not inevitable. Here are some of the risk factors for developing osteoarthritis.
Stress, Strain, and Injury
Any type of strain or stress on your joints can lead to osteoarthritis later in life. Even if your joints feel fine when you’re younger, you’re still at risk if you’ve experienced harsh impacts or prolonged joint strain.
Sports injuries, obesity or being overweight, and physically demanding jobs all put you at a higher risk of developing osteoarthritis. All these risk factors slowly degrade the cartilage between your bones. These tissues can only support lots of impact, weight, or use for so long.
Genetics and Sex
Your genetics play a role in whether you develop joint health problems. Having a family history of osteoarthritis raises your chances of dealing with the same condition.
An estimated 60% of osteoarthritis patients are women. This means that if you were assigned female at birth, you’re at a slightly increased risk of developing osteoarthritis. However, through a healthy lifestyle, you may be able to prevent it.
The Silent Pain of Living with Arthritis
To the outside world, you might appear healthy and fully capable of living your daily life as normal. However, arthritis pain can stop you in your tracks. It can be intense or even disabling.
If your condition gets bad enough, you might find yourself unable to walk around, twist, or pick things up. Osteoarthritis pain is not something to ignore or minimize.
Swelling and Inflammation
The inflammation doesn’t just happen inside your body. Sometimes, your joints may become swollen, tender, and visibly inflamed. When this happens, chances are you can’t move the affected joints much. Any impact, no matter how slight, may throw you into a pain flare.
Crepitus
Some osteoarthritis patients experience a crunching or grinding sensation (crepitus) when moving the affected joints. This can be terrifying and uncomfortable, leading to increased mental stress and physical pain.
Weakness and Limited Mobility
Osteoarthritis causes muscle weakness, fatigue, and limited mobility. You might not be able to move your body in ways that feel good to you or allow you to keep up with others anymore. These limitations not only affect you physically, but they also come with a mental price tag as well.
Stigma and Shame Around Aging
Some people might feel like their osteoarthritis symptoms mean they’re “getting old.” While there should be no shame in aging, social stigmas suggest otherwise. Experiencing these symptoms might make you feel embarrassed about your age.
If you struggle with joint pain, others might not see what you go through. You might feel pressured to “just get over it” or take pain medication to keep up with everyone else. This can also create feelings of shame and contribute to a poor stigma around joint health problems.
Treating Osteoarthritis: Enjoy a Better Quality of Life
Getting an osteoarthritis diagnosis doesn’t mean you’ll never be able to enjoy life and movement again. With the proper therapies, especially early treatment, you can improve your comfort and quality of life. Here are some of the best options for treating osteoarthritis pain and inflammation.
Stem Cell Therapy
Stem cells are at the forefront of regenerative medicine. These cells, also known as “blank” or “programmable” cells, can develop into specialized tissues, like cartilage. This makes them useful for regenerating and healing wounds, damaged tissues, and inflamed areas of your body.
One advantage of stem cell therapy is that it’s drug-free and comes with almost no risks to your health.
Stem cell therapy may also reduce your pain and increase your mobility. It gets to the root cause of your joint problems instead of covering up the symptoms.
Exercise and Physical Therapy
Getting more movement in your day may help reduce the severity of your osteoarthritis symptoms. Regular physical activity prevents the painful stiffness that osteoarthritis patients often experience.
Exercise also assists in weight management, which is key to reducing your joint pain. Every extra pound of body fat adds about four times the amount of pressure onto your joints.
Whether you (gently) exercise on your own or enlist the help of a physical therapist, your joints will thank you for it.
Get the Proper Support for Your Osteoarthritis
Living with osteoarthritis can be challenging, but you’re not alone. There are steps you can take to improve your quality of life with this condition. Evaluate your treatment options to find what works best for you. Visit our website to learn more about osteoarthritis pain.
by Stemedix | Apr 8, 2024 | Age Management, Osteoarthritis, Pain Management, Regenerative Medicine, Stem Cell Research, Stem Cell Therapy
Living with any type of arthritis is painful, debilitating, and frustrating. You miss out on a lot of the physical activities you used to love. This condition can even make it harder to keep up with children and grandchildren.
Your long-term health is worth fighting for. When it comes to osteoarthritis pain management treatments, it’s important to know your options. Here are some pain relief methods to try when managing your osteoarthritis over time.
How Osteoarthritis Develops and Becomes So Painful
The joint pain and inflammation alone can keep you off your feet for days. Along with severe pain, osteoarthritis also causes damage to your cartilage and joints, affecting your mobility and activity levels.
Cartilage Breakdown Leads to Joint Pain
If you’ve dealt with osteoarthritis pain, you might wonder what led you to develop this condition. The root cause of osteoarthritis is cartilage degradation. This means that the rubbery cushion between your bones starts to thin and eventually wear away entirely.
When your joints no longer have adequate cushioning or support between them, they start to rub together. This leads to inflammation, irritation, and intense pain. As the bones rub together, they also break down and lose some of their function.
Risk Factors for Developing Osteoarthritis
There is no single universal cause of osteoarthritis. Certain risk factors can increase your chances of developing this condition. If you have multiple risk factors at once, your chances are even higher.
Some risk factors for developing osteoarthritis include:
These risk factors don’t guarantee you will develop osteoarthritis, but they do play large roles in this condition.
Continuous Inflammation and Discomfort
Osteoarthritis can feel like a never-ending cycle. Once your joints start grinding against one another, you develop inflammation, which leads to even more pain and discomfort.
Over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medications may not resolve your pain, and they certainly don’t treat the root cause of it. In order to experience osteoarthritis relief, you need to prevent the inflammation from occurring in the first place.
At-Home Remedies and Lifestyle Changes
You may be able to control your osteoarthritis pain with lifestyle modifications. This means changing how you move, eat, sleep, and respond to stress in your daily life. Try these at-home therapies and improvements if you want to take the natural pain treatments for osteoarthritis.
Flexibility and Mobility Exercises
You must be careful when exercising with osteoarthritis. Some high-impact activities can make your pain worse. However, strength training, conditioning, and mobility exercises can improve your condition.
Certain stretches and gentle movements can help support your joints and reduce the burden on your bones. This ultimately leads to reduced pain and more mobility over time.
Cold Therapy
Cold temperatures can help reduce inflammation and swelling near your joints. This is because cold conditions trigger a restrictive mechanism in your blood vessels, reducing the blood and fluid supply to the affected areas. If you struggle with inflamed cartilage and joints, cold therapy might be just what you need.
Try applying an ice pack or sitting in an ice bath (with a doctor’s approval) for up to 20 minutes. It’s best to alternate cold and hot applications for the best results.
Heat Therapy
Similar to cold therapy, heat therapy works by changing the blood flow around your inflamed joints and cartilage. Heat opens up your blood vessels, allowing more blood and fluid to reach the affected area. This can supply oxygen, nutrients, and regenerative compounds to your joints.
Alternate applications of hot and cold compresses, using each for up to 20 minutes. You should experience a temporary reduction in swelling and discomfort.
Rest and Sleep
Getting plenty of rest is essential for restoring your joint and cartilage health. Your body needs sleep to rebuild damaged tissues and relieve pain effectively. If your pain is debilitating, try resting the affected area for a few days and catching up on some much-needed shut-eye.
Natural Joint Pain Treatments
From acupuncture to massage, many patients benefit from alternative pain relief therapies. If you want to avoid over-the-counter drugs, these natural pain treatments might be right for you.
Therapeutic Massage
You can perform self-massages at home or go to a licensed professional for these services. Either way, massage has been shown to improve blood circulation to injured areas and relieve some pain and discomfort. You may even notice improvements in your mobility after a restorative massage.
Acupuncture
Acupuncture uses tiny needles to activate trigger points in your body and release tension and pain. Some patients have experienced noticeable improvements in their osteoarthritis pain after regular acupuncture treatments. Contact an acupuncturist to see if this therapy is right for you.
Regenerative Medicine: Stem Cell Therapy for Osteoarthritis Pain
Stem cell therapy is a drug-free alternative you can use to treat your osteoarthritis pain. The potential healing properties of your body’s “blank cells” may lead your joints and cartilage to strength and health again.
How Stem Cells May Relieve Your Pain
Stem cells can be programmed to develop into almost any kind of cell your body needs. In osteoarthritis patients, this means turning them into cartilage tissue.
Stem cells may be able to regenerate damaged soft tissues around your joints, leading to more comfortable movements. This can help you regain some mobility and experience lower pain levels over time.
Low Risk of Side Effects
When you’re dealing with debilitating joint pain, the last thing you want is painful side effects from the treatment you’ve chosen. Stem cell therapy is known for its high safety profile since it uses human cells to regenerate damaged tissues. This means there’s little to no risk of adverse reactions.
Stem cell treatments are fast, generally safe, and potentially very effective at treating osteoarthritis pain. If you want to try a new avenue for joint pain relief, consider regenerative medicine.
Tackle Your Arthritis Pain Your Way
You have the final say in how you treat your osteoarthritis pain. Whether you opt for natural at-home remedies or test out regenerative medicine, what’s important is that you have choices. Take control of your health and mobility again with these pain management treatments for osteoarthritis.
by Stemedix | Mar 25, 2024 | Osteoarthritis, Pain Management, Regenerative Medicine, Stem Cell Research, Stem Cell Therapy
Living with osteoarthritis pain can be debilitating. You might feel barred from activities you previously enjoyed. With osteoarthritis, everything feels more difficult, including playing with your grandkids, enjoying sports, and walking in nature.
Addressing osteoarthritis pain involves a combination of lifestyle changes, modern scientific therapies, and medications. Here are some of the ways you can get relief from the pain and discomfort osteoarthritis brings to your life.
The Root Cause of Osteoarthritis
Arthritis is an inflammatory joint condition that currently has no cure. If you have osteoarthritis, your body experiences cartilage degeneration. This means the spongy tissue that connects your bones together is starting to break down.
Bone Friction and Damage
When enough cartilage is lost, the friction of your bones rubbing together causes pain, inflammation, and discomfort. Your ligaments start to stretch in painful, unhealthy ways.
Osteoarthritis operates in two ways. Cartilage breakdown causes bone friction, which increases your pain levels. Bone friction also causes serious bone damage that worsens your pain.
Because of these stressors, osteoarthritis pain can be debilitating. This condition can be progressive, getting worse as your joints and ligaments become stressed due to lack of cartilage. If you get proper treatment, however, you may get rid of your symptoms altogether.
There are a few risk factors for developing osteoarthritis. With proper treatment, you can go into remission and experience far fewer painful symptoms.
Who Gets Osteoarthritis?
What causes your cartilage to break down in the first place? The answer is more complex than you might expect. Some people are more susceptible to joint and cartilage damage than others.
Older Adults
Age is a major risk factor for developing osteoarthritis. Patients who are 40 or older are more likely to develop this condition.
Throughout your life, your joints and connective tissues experience “wear and tear,” and the effects accumulate as you age. This can create problems with your cartilage’s structural integrity, eventually leading to osteoarthritis. It makes sense that aging adults experience higher rates of this inflammatory health condition.
People With Sudden Injuries
You may develop osteoarthritis if you’ve experienced a sports injury or sudden joint impact. Injuries can harm the cartilage that connects your joints, increasing your risk of developing this condition.
If you’re an older adult who played sports in your younger years, you may notice symptoms of osteoarthritis popping up as you age. Car crash victims and people with traumatic joint injuries are also vulnerable.
Obese Patients
Obesity raises your risk for this degenerative disorder. The more extra fat you carry, the more stress and pressure your joints experience. Over time, excess body weight can break down connective tissues in your knees, legs, and feet.
Since osteoarthritis is an inflammatory condition, being obese can exacerbate the symptoms. If you eat a poor diet full of processed foods and refined sugars, your body is more vulnerable to inflammation. These conditions make osteoarthritis symptoms even more debilitating.
How to Get Relief from Osteoarthritis Pain
The joint pain and discomfort that come with osteoarthritis can impair your daily life. If you like to be active and move around a lot, this disease may force you to change your lifestyle. Luckily, you have options when it comes to osteoarthritis pain relief.
From over-the-counter pain medications to natural holistic remedies, there’s no shortage of osteoarthritis pain relief. You can choose what works best with your personal preferences and lifestyle.
Pharmaceutical Treatments
Most physicians recommend over-the-counter anti-inflammatory drugs to manage osteoarthritis pain. If you have debilitating discomfort, some doctors will prescribe stronger pain medication. These treatments are usually intended for short-term use.
While medication covers up the pain you’re experiencing, it doesn’t solve the underlying problem. You likely won’t get long-term relief from medication alone.
Stem Cell Therapy
Stem cell treatments for osteoarthritis may reduce inflammation and pain over time. This evidence-based therapy uses special “blank” cells to regenerate damaged tissues. Since osteoarthritis is a degenerative condition, stem cell therapy is a potentially effective solution to cartilage breakdown.
Stem cells come from the human body. These treatments are completely drug-free and use the natural powers of your body’s wound-healing process. Patients who seek stem cell therapy for osteoarthritis may notice significant improvements in their comfort levels after a few weeks.
Specialized Massage
Massages can help improve blood flow to the affected areas. As a result, massage therapy may be a good supplemental tool for relieving osteoarthritis pain.
Many people experience better mobility after a few massage therapy sessions. A massage therapist specializing in osteoarthritis pain relief can help you feel more comfortable and mobile in your daily life.
Acupuncture
Acupuncture is a holistic solution for joint pain osteoarthritis causes. Patients from different backgrounds and with various health problems have experienced pain relief from acupuncture. This therapy uses tiny needles to relax your muscles and redirect your brain’s pain signals.
Acupuncture should be used as a supplement to other types of therapy. It can provide short-term relief, but much like medication, it doesn’t treat the root cause of your osteoarthritis pain.
Lifestyle Changes
Lifestyle changes offer effective, natural solutions to your daily discomfort. Nutrition, weight, sleep, and stress management all play large roles in osteoarthritis pain relief.
Your body needs the right nutrients to control inflammation and accelerate wound healing. You also need plenty of sleep and stress management to maintain a healthy body. Any or all of these factors can improve or worsen your osteoarthritis pain.
As a rule of thumb, you should prioritize:
- Healthy weight management
- Good nutrition
- Sleep quality and quantity
- Stress relief
- Gentle daily exercise
These lifestyle factors will all help your body recover from osteoarthritis attacks. You may be able to prevent the inflammation from getting worse by improving these areas of your life.
Experience Osteoarthritis Pain Relief to Enjoy Healthy Movement Again
You’re understandably ready to get back to doing what you love. Managing your osteoarthritis pain doesn’t have to take over your life. Live a healthy lifestyle as you consider different therapies and treatments to take the edge off of your joint pain.
by Stemedix | Feb 12, 2024 | Age Management, Health Awareness, Osteoarthritis, Pain Management, Regenerative Medicine, Stem Cell Therapy
The National Library of Medicine states that 10% of people over 55 in the United States have disabling knee osteoarthritis. If you are one of these people, finding the right treatment can be challenging, especially if you don’t want to become dependent on pain medications or go through an invasive knee surgery.
For some, surgery can be the only option, but for many others, some management strategies and less invasive options could offer relief from symptoms.
What Is Knee Osteoarthritis? Understanding the Symptoms and Causes
Osteoarthritis of the knee occurs when the cartilage in your knee joint starts to break down. This causes the bones to rub together, leading to stiffness, swelling, and pain that can interfere with your life.
Women are more likely to develop knee osteoarthritis, as are people over the age of 40, but genetics and other factors can cause it in younger people.
Pain is the most common symptom of this condition, but there are other signs, including:
- A puffy or swollen knee
- Hearing a grinding or cracking noise when you move
- Knee stiffness
- Knee that locks up or feels stuck
- Knee that feels wobbly
There can be many causes of knee osteoarthritis. Having a body mass index of 30 or more puts pressure on your knees and can cause inflammation. This inflammation can lead to arthritis or make existing arthritis worse.
You can also develop this condition if you suffer a knee injury or have a prior knee injury. If you have close relatives who’ve had knee osteoarthritis, you’re also more likely to struggle with this problem.
If you frequently put stress on your knees, whether by playing sports or as a result of your job, you can also develop osteoarthritis in your knee.
Treating Knee Osteoarthritis
If you have signs of osteoarthritis, there are a number of treatment options you can talk to your doctor about.
Maintaining a Healthy Weight
If you have risk factors that can increase your chances of developing knee osteoarthritis or if you already have the condition, ensuring your weight is healthy is vital. The Arthritis Foundation states that being just 10 pounds overweight can put 15 to 50 pounds of extra weight on your knees. That makes the development of osteoarthritis more likely.
Losing weight allows you to reduce some of that strain on your knee joints. Aside from that, losing weight also helps reduce inflammation throughout the body, which can help with arthritis.
Getting Regular Exercise
Those who have knee osteoarthritis can also benefit from getting regular exercise. It can help you lose weight, increase your mobility, and build up muscle strength to support your knee joints.
It is important to choose low-impact aerobics options that are suitable for your health level. These can include:
- Swimming
- Cycling
- Yoga
- Stretching
- Walking
Riding a stationary bike can be very helpful for maintaining strength in the hamstring muscle groups without putting extra pressure on your knee. It’s best to have a doctor or physical therapist at your side to help you put together an exercise plan.
Using Medications for Pain and Swelling Relief
For people who are dealing with a lot of pain and swelling, one option is to turn to medications. Over-the-counter painkillers are one option, and many of them offer anti-inflammatory properties that help with the swelling that might be impeding you from moving freely.
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like ibuprofen, as well as acetaminophen for those who can’t take NSAIDs, can be helpful for osteoarthritis pain.
If these aren’t effective, there are prescription options your doctor could recommend. These may include opioids and even injectable steroids for people with severe inflammation.
Prescription medications can cause side effects. Because they don’t actually do anything to heal your body and only help you manage the symptoms of knee osteoarthritis, the moment you stop taking them, the pain and inflammation will usually return.
Turning to Regenerative Medicine
One promising option for the treatment of knee osteoarthritis is regenerative medicine. It is a field of medicine that strives to harness the body’s natural healing powers to make them work in the areas where you need them most. There are a number of treatments, including platelet-rich plasma therapy and stem cell therapy.
Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy uses the platelets in your blood, which have clotting abilities and can stimulate many healing processes.
By separating the platelets from the other components in your blood, like white blood cells, red blood cells, and more, and concentrating them in the liquid portion of your blood, you can give the treatment area a boost of growth factors. These growth factors encourage the healing process.
Stem cell therapy uses stem cells gathered from your fat or bone marrow to stimulate the regeneration of damaged tissue. Stem cells have endless regenerative powers, and they’re able to transform into the exact type of cells you need.
Regenerative medicine offers the chance to decrease inflammation in the area, allowing blood to flow more freely and bring with it oxygen and nutrients. Less inflammation can also mean less pain because you aren’t putting as much pressure on nearby nerves.
Another benefit of regenerative medicine is that it is minimally invasive, so you don’t have to worry about a long recovery period. Most people are good candidates for this type of procedure as well.
Choosing Surgery
In severe cases, surgery may be the only way to treat knee osteoarthritis. You can get arthroscopic surgery, which is less invasive because it uses an arthroscope. This is a small camera that guides the surgeon in repairing the damaged area.
A total knee replacement can be another option. It can be done as minimally invasive or open surgery, depending on your overall health.
Stem cell therapy can still apply as a post-surgery option to help speed up recovery and manage inflammation and pain during the healing process.
Getting Relief from Knee Osteoarthritis Symptoms
If you are struggling with knee osteoarthritis, getting relief from the inflammation and pain can mean considering all available treatment options. By turning to your doctor, you can make sure you have the best chance of achieving the help you deserve.
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