Arthritis Pain
What to Do, When to Get it Done
By Reuben Gobezie, MD
Question
I have bone-on-bone arthritis. Does that disqualify me from treatment?
Answer
No, we have helped many with bone-on-bone, or stage four, arthritis. Regenerative medicine procedures are used to stimulate healing and speed up repair for a wide range of painful bone, muscle and joint conditions. We have found it is especially helpful for patients with osteoarthritis.
Regenerative treatments work by activating the body’s natural healing process through injections of the body’s own healthy stem cells to stimulate tissue regeneration and natural healing. Using our own stem cells for therapy is the standard of care for this sort of treatment, and is what has been regulated by the FDA.
We all carry stem cells that act as the body’s “repairmen.” With arthritis, the body’s ability to sustain healthy cartilage may have diminished. The Regen procedure takes healthy, regenerative cells from an area of your body, typically your hip bone, in which these cells are more abundant and injects them into the affected area. When stem cells are concentrated and injected into a joint with arthritis, this can help restart a new healing response that will eventually help ease pain and may also stimulate the growth of new cartilage in that area.
For many patients, these treatments have allowed them to avoid surgery or ongoing steroid injections, or lets them stop taking regular pain medications. Our patients walk out of the procedure and can return to normal activities in just a couple days after rest. Most patients find their mobility greatly improved with pain relief lasting for as long as two to eight years. The treatments are non-surgical and are outpatient, performed in one office visit, and result in little downtime for the patient.
Have questions about musculoskeletal conditions such as arthritis, chronic pain and injuries? Send your questions to Reuben Gobezie, MD. He may answer them in the next issue. Email [email protected].
Dr. Gobezie is founder/director of The Cleveland Shoulder Institute, GO Ortho and Regen Orthopedics.
For more information, visit clevelandshoulder.com, regenorthopedics.com or godoctornow.com.
