Posted: Wednesday, November 19, 2014 1:16 am
By Steve Johnson
http://buffaloreflex.com/news/stem-cell-therapy-knee-injections-successful-for-women/article_600dfa7c-6f57-11e4-91ee-3b79201b0bb4.html
Last year Vicki Pegalow, Buffalo, received bad news that she needed to have her left knee replaced. Having experienced total knee replacement of her right knee 14 years earlier, she was distressed about the anticipated surgery and the road to recovery she would be facing.
Pegalow happened to run into a friend at the grocery store who had faced the same issue the year before. Carolyn Patterson, Buffalo, who had also suffered chronic knee-joint pain, had chosen a different route, though, and assured Pegalow that the procedure she had done was more than everything she had hoped for.
The treatment that Patterson spoke of was stem-cell therapy injections in the knee. And she had them done as an outpatient at the office of Innovative Sports Medicine in Springfield.
Pegalow was concerned that she might not be an eligible candidate for the treatment since X-rays and MRIs on her knee showed a torn meniscus, and she had taken a Synvisc injection nine months prior. She learned that the Synvisc would not hinder or cause adverse effects if she proceeded with the stem-cell injections.
Synvisc is an injection that contains a gel-like mixture made from a substance called hyaluronan that comes from chicken combs. It supplements the fluid in the knee to help lubricate and cushion the joint. It can provide up to six months of osteoarthritis knee pain relief. Stem-cell injections not only relieve pain, but can help heal the damaged knee joint through the process of one’s own body healing itself.
Stem-cell research has been around for over a century, but it hasn’t been until the last couple of decades that it has gained so much controversial publicity. Over the last few years, national policies and debate among the public as well as religious groups, government officials and scientists have resulted in various laws concerning stem-cell harvesting for research or disease treatment purposes. The goals of such policies are to safeguard the public from unethical stem-cell research and use while still supporting new developments and advancements in the field.
The less controversial issue seems to be using one’s own stem cells to regenerate damaged or diseased tissues. Such are the cases of Pegalow and Patterson. Both had bone marrow removed from their own posterior pelvic bone. The extracted bone marrow was centrifuged to separate the stem cells, mixed with fat cells taken from the abdominal area, and then injected into the effected knee joint.
Patterson said that when she heard of the alternative option of stem-cell injection instead of surgery, she was ready to try it.
“I didn’t think twice; I was definitely game to try it,” she said, although she did do some of her own research into what it was and what it entailed. “I figured I didn’t have much to lose. If it didn’t work, there was still the option of surgery. And if it did, great.”
She was amazed at how the pain dissipated in just a few days. She was also able to perform a lot of previously painful tasks without experiencing any pain.
Pegalow agrees and said, “I walked out of the doctor’s office on Jan. 8 just a few hours after the injections and couldn’t believe the difference. I was actually square dancing a month later, and we’re talking rigorously. They don’t call it ‘Hot Hash’ for nothing.”
Pegalow has become Innovative Sports Medicine’s “poster child” for stem-cell injection with square-dance groups, their families and friends. And Patterson appeared in a 417 Magazine advertisement, showing her managing a tall flight of stairs with a smile on her face. Both were surprised at the affordability of the procedure, even though most insurance and Medicare do not cover it. Also both feel like it was worth every penny.
Pegalow, who also had her meniscus repaired during the injections, says, “I’m so fortunate that Carolyn told me about it; otherwise I’d have two fake knees.” Plus two visible, long, knee scars.
Both Pegalow and Patterson had their right knees totally replaced around 15 years ago. Both have the nearly 7-inch-long battle scars of the surgeon’s knife on that knee. But their left knees show no indication of trauma.
The cells, called mesenchymal stem cells, that were injected possess the ability to self-renew the traumatized or degenerative cartilage and repair the torn meniscus. Doctors who work in this line of medicine believe it takes approximately a year to fill in the area of degeneration with new cell growth, but patients are encouraged to exercise and strengthen the area during regeneration.
Patterson was a meat wrapper for 25 years and just wore her knees out with repetitive, stressful movement. Pegalow suffered a major leg injury as a youth that took its toll on her knees over the years. The pain for each became unbearable from the torn meniscus and bone rubbing against bone. Both say that the relief they felt only hours after injection was “nothing less than a miracle.” But recuperation time may vary for each individual, and therapeutic exercises are often recommended and implemented after the initial recovery.
Today stem-cell research has progressed dramatically, and many research studies are published in scientific journals each year. Adult stem cells are already being used to treat many conditions, such as heart disease and leukemia. Actress Suzanne Sommers had stem-cell injections to help regenerate her breasts that she had removed because of cancer. The potential for cures and treatment of diseases is overwhelmingly positive based on reports from scientists. Just think, perhaps one day the power of stem cells may be used to treat you or your loved ones.
Patterson and Pegalow both wish that stem-cell injections had been around 15 years ago when they had to have knee replacements. According to them, the difference is undeniable
By Steve Johnson
http://buffaloreflex.com/news/stem-cell-therapy-knee-injections-successful-for-women/article_600dfa7c-6f57-11e4-91ee-3b79201b0bb4.html
Last year Vicki Pegalow, Buffalo, received bad news that she needed to have her left knee replaced. Having experienced total knee replacement of her right knee 14 years earlier, she was distressed about the anticipated surgery and the road to recovery she would be facing.
Pegalow happened to run into a friend at the grocery store who had faced the same issue the year before. Carolyn Patterson, Buffalo, who had also suffered chronic knee-joint pain, had chosen a different route, though, and assured Pegalow that the procedure she had done was more than everything she had hoped for.
The treatment that Patterson spoke of was stem-cell therapy injections in the knee. And she had them done as an outpatient at the office of Innovative Sports Medicine in Springfield.
Pegalow was concerned that she might not be an eligible candidate for the treatment since X-rays and MRIs on her knee showed a torn meniscus, and she had taken a Synvisc injection nine months prior. She learned that the Synvisc would not hinder or cause adverse effects if she proceeded with the stem-cell injections.
Synvisc is an injection that contains a gel-like mixture made from a substance called hyaluronan that comes from chicken combs. It supplements the fluid in the knee to help lubricate and cushion the joint. It can provide up to six months of osteoarthritis knee pain relief. Stem-cell injections not only relieve pain, but can help heal the damaged knee joint through the process of one’s own body healing itself.
Stem-cell research has been around for over a century, but it hasn’t been until the last couple of decades that it has gained so much controversial publicity. Over the last few years, national policies and debate among the public as well as religious groups, government officials and scientists have resulted in various laws concerning stem-cell harvesting for research or disease treatment purposes. The goals of such policies are to safeguard the public from unethical stem-cell research and use while still supporting new developments and advancements in the field.
The less controversial issue seems to be using one’s own stem cells to regenerate damaged or diseased tissues. Such are the cases of Pegalow and Patterson. Both had bone marrow removed from their own posterior pelvic bone. The extracted bone marrow was centrifuged to separate the stem cells, mixed with fat cells taken from the abdominal area, and then injected into the effected knee joint.
Patterson said that when she heard of the alternative option of stem-cell injection instead of surgery, she was ready to try it.
“I didn’t think twice; I was definitely game to try it,” she said, although she did do some of her own research into what it was and what it entailed. “I figured I didn’t have much to lose. If it didn’t work, there was still the option of surgery. And if it did, great.”
She was amazed at how the pain dissipated in just a few days. She was also able to perform a lot of previously painful tasks without experiencing any pain.
Pegalow agrees and said, “I walked out of the doctor’s office on Jan. 8 just a few hours after the injections and couldn’t believe the difference. I was actually square dancing a month later, and we’re talking rigorously. They don’t call it ‘Hot Hash’ for nothing.”
Pegalow has become Innovative Sports Medicine’s “poster child” for stem-cell injection with square-dance groups, their families and friends. And Patterson appeared in a 417 Magazine advertisement, showing her managing a tall flight of stairs with a smile on her face. Both were surprised at the affordability of the procedure, even though most insurance and Medicare do not cover it. Also both feel like it was worth every penny.
Pegalow, who also had her meniscus repaired during the injections, says, “I’m so fortunate that Carolyn told me about it; otherwise I’d have two fake knees.” Plus two visible, long, knee scars.
Both Pegalow and Patterson had their right knees totally replaced around 15 years ago. Both have the nearly 7-inch-long battle scars of the surgeon’s knife on that knee. But their left knees show no indication of trauma.
The cells, called mesenchymal stem cells, that were injected possess the ability to self-renew the traumatized or degenerative cartilage and repair the torn meniscus. Doctors who work in this line of medicine believe it takes approximately a year to fill in the area of degeneration with new cell growth, but patients are encouraged to exercise and strengthen the area during regeneration.
Patterson was a meat wrapper for 25 years and just wore her knees out with repetitive, stressful movement. Pegalow suffered a major leg injury as a youth that took its toll on her knees over the years. The pain for each became unbearable from the torn meniscus and bone rubbing against bone. Both say that the relief they felt only hours after injection was “nothing less than a miracle.” But recuperation time may vary for each individual, and therapeutic exercises are often recommended and implemented after the initial recovery.
Today stem-cell research has progressed dramatically, and many research studies are published in scientific journals each year. Adult stem cells are already being used to treat many conditions, such as heart disease and leukemia. Actress Suzanne Sommers had stem-cell injections to help regenerate her breasts that she had removed because of cancer. The potential for cures and treatment of diseases is overwhelmingly positive based on reports from scientists. Just think, perhaps one day the power of stem cells may be used to treat you or your loved ones.
Patterson and Pegalow both wish that stem-cell injections had been around 15 years ago when they had to have knee replacements. According to them, the difference is undeniable