There are many conditions that can cause hip pain and stiffness, including osteoarthritis. The most common form of arthritis, osteoarthritis affects more than 25 million people in the U.S. and is responsible for nearly $90 billion in treatment costs each year. Of course, this isn’t the only condition that can affect the hips; issues such as bursitis, labral tears, and other difficult-to-treat conditions can also impact an individual’s mobility and daily life.
While hip replacements have widely been used to address hip-related issues, these procedures are invasive and long recovery periods. As an alternative to surgery, medical experts have been increasingly using stem cell therapy to treat hip conditions. This modern technique uses mesenchymal stem cells, which have the ability to mature into different cell types and self-renew. When injected at the site of the damaged tissue, these powerful cells prompt the body’s natural healing processes. As a result, the treatment can restore tissue, alleviate inflammation and pain, and increase mobility.
A Look into the Success Rate of Stem Cell Therapy for Hips
Trusted medical experts throughout the U.S. have been reporting promising results in their use of stem cell therapy for the hips. For example:
- At the Mayo Clinic, doctors are using stem cell therapy as a minimally invasive, outpatient procedure that allows new hip bone to grow in patients with conditions like osteonecrosis. According to Dr. Andre Terzic, Director of the Center for Regenerative Medicine at the Mayo Clinic, the treatment goes after the root cause of the problem instead of simply addressing its symptoms. It helps the body heal itself, which can lead to actual cures. Dr. Terzic believes that these advances in technology could delay the need for hip replacements—potentially indefinitely. Stem cell treatment has effectively halted the progression of osteonecrosis by at least two to five years in 80% of their patients.
- Doctors at NYU Langone are offering stem cell injections to alleviate pain and swelling in patients with hip conditions. They report that while the results may not show right away, most patients notice the stem cells’ regenerative effects, including pain relief and improved function, within two to six weeks.
- In a study published by the ACTA Biomedica, patients experiencing hip osteoarthritis received mesenchymal stem cell injections derived from adipose tissue. Their clinical scores improved significantly, including their Harris Hip Scores and WOMAC osteoarthritis indexes, which measure pain, stiffness, and physical function. Moreover, the researchers reported no adverse events, deeming the treatment “simple, economic, quick,” and “minimally invasive.”
While stem cell therapy for hips is still considered a groundbreaking treatment, the results we’ve seen so far are clearly promising. For many patients, it could very well be the solution that helps to improve mobility and reduce pain levels without the need for immediate, invasive surgery.
This post was written by Becky Palmer, a medical professional at Stemedix Inc. At Stemedix we offer Regenerative Medicine, also known as Stem Cell Therapy in Tampa, this therapy naturally acts to rebuild and regenerate neural tissues that are lost from the progression of all different types of diseases.
