Qualifying For Stem Cell Rejuvenation Therapy

By Steven Cook


Until the last decade, orthopedic doctors had few options when it came to treating people for bone and joint conditions. They often had to perform invasive surgery to repair fractures, relocate joints, and strengthen tendons and ligaments. Many times, these surgeries left people in debilitating pain and without the ability to move or work normally. Their recoveries often lasted for weeks if not months or longer. Now, however, doctors have the option of using stem cell rejuvenation therapy on patients who make good candidates for this procedure.

The premise of this treatment involves the use of cells that come directly from a patient's own body. The materials used do not come from donor tissue nor are they synthetic or mass produced. A blood draw will be taken from your arm or hip bone prior to the treatment getting underway. This draw will then be put through a process that removes the cells from the blood.

These cells are then injected into parts of the body where you experience the most pain and limited mobility. This area could be your upper or lower back, shoulders, knees, ankles, or anywhere else in the muscular or skeletal system. The injections are meant to be minimally uncomfortable. However, many patients are anxious about them anyway.

Before the injections are put in, the physician may use a numbing agent to prevent you from feeling any sensation. Without this agent, the injections could be painful. When the last injection is finished, your nurse will observe you for a few hours to watch for signs of distress like bleeding or pain. You could be discharged and permitted to go home to rest within a few hours after your treatment is finished.

However, your total recovery depends significantly on you meeting the outlined patient criteria. To start, the ideal candidate for the injections should not be pregnant or breastfeeding. Women who are pregnant or nursing are generally encouraged to wait until after they have given birth or weaned their babies before going through the treatment.

Similarly, you cannot go through the treatment if you have an illness like diabetes or hemophilia because you could bleed uncontrollably and develop an infection or lose a lot of blood. High blood pressure that is not controlled and heart disease likewise may disqualify you from the procedure. You generally are expected to be in relatively good overall health.

Another important criteria that you will be expected to satisfy is having good overall mental health. Your physician may tell you upfront the treatment will not cure debilitating illnesses of the skeleton like MS or osteoporosis. However, it might give you back some of your former movement and help you find relief from the worst of your pain. As such, the physician will expect you to have a reasonable expectation of your outcome and not view the procedure as a type of miracle cure.

However, when you want to feel better than you do now without relying on medication, you might ask your physician about stem cell injections. This therapy may be your best alternative to moving around better each day without needing help. You also could avoid having to go through invasive surgery that is painful and time consuming from which to recover.




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