The Incredible Potential of Regenerative Medicine for Shoulders
Cellular therapy is an exciting new treatment option for patients suffering from shoulder pain caused by injuries, conditions, or diseases. Given its many potential benefits, some patients may find that receiving stem cell therapy for shoulders wracked by pain could provide a relatively safe and natural alternative to surgery. This could hold especially true for patients suffering from rotator cuff tears or many different conditions or diseases that cause inflammation or restricted range of movement.
Which Type of Cellullar Therapy Are We Talking About?
There are different kinds of cell therapy, and the one you choose to receive has major implications, so you should carefully consider your options. It is always a good idea to discuss your treatment options with a doctor in order to come up with a customized treatment plan for your unique situation.
For most patients, we’ll propose the use of medicinal signaling cells (MSCs), which seem like they might hold the highest potential for treating shoulder pain for the right patients. Cell therapy could treat the painful symptoms of inflammation caused by injuries, conditions, and diseases. These may include shoulder injuries such as a torn rotator cuff or arthralgia brought on by osteoarthritis and similar forms of arthritis.
For patients with nerve damage, we propose umbilical-derived mesenchymal stem cells, which exhibit the potential to promote regeneration of crushed and damaged nerves. This could be especially promising when using stem cell therapy for conditions like scapular winging, because the most common cause of a winged scapula is damage to the long thoracic nerve. Properly applied, cell therapy might be able to assist in the repair of this nerve, treat winged scapula related pain, and help patients achieve a higher quality of life.
We do link to and mention research including other types of cells, but we prefer adipose or umbilical cell therapy for shoulders. Of course, every patient is different so each patient’s unique case is considered individually based on the type of injury or condition involved. However, cell therapies are comparatively easier on the body and could prove more efficient and effective than current alternatives.
Why Choose Cellular Therapy?
As previously mentioned, cell therapy is a quick, minimally invasive procedure that involves harvesting cells from your own blood or thawing umbilical cord product, then injecting them into your shoulders. Umbilical-derived cells such as those from amniotic fluid are donated and have the potential to repair nerve damage. Both of these options are much less invasive than many alternatives and offers a comparatively fast recovery time with minimal discomfort.
The whole process takes just one hour, and patients enjoy that they can walk themselves out of the office the same day. As an alternative to a shoulder replacement (shoulder arthroplasty) or shoulder surgery (shoulder arthroscopy), cell therapy is less invasive and could offer much quicker recovery time with the potential to substantially reduce pain and increase mobility for the patient. The potential for cell therapy to treat painful conditions may especially appeal to patients with a winged scapula, torn rotator cuff, or shoulder osteoarthritis.
Of course, in conjunction with any such plan, a doctor may recommend a complete plan including goals for diet and exercise that may also help alleviate your pain and strengthen your body, as appropriate for your unique circumstances.
What is the draw of using Regenerative Medicine for Shoulders?
Cell therapy procedures are performed in the hope of a positive clinical outcome for patients, potentially combating the symptoms of diseases like arthritis and other causes of shoulder pain. These cells may offer one of the lowest risk and highest reward options for treating shoulder injuries with cell therapy.
They can reduce inflammation and improve range of motion while lowering pain as the MSC’s turn into a plethora of cell types in the affected area. Potentially, cells could regenerate all sorts of cells that could help improve your body’s condition. This is one of the things that makes regenerative medicine so incredible as a science.
Additionally, options exist for using amniotic fluid or PRP in an attempt to accelerate the healing process of damaged or injured joints. Regenerative cells have even been seen to potentially be more suitable for cardiovascular tissue engineering and clinical regeneration than amniotic cells. A study which contains more than 250 resources indicates that using PRP in conjunction with cells could create such a strong regenerative effect that they may even be able to aid in the regeneration and reparation of bone damage.
What Benefits Could Regenerative Medicine for Shoulders Offer?
Performed with care, Regenerative Medicine could offer many benefits, and the short recovery time and quick return to daily activity are an added bonus. Current cell therapy procedures are quick and minimally invasive, allowing patients to return to normal activity with little downtime.
1. Regenerative Medicine Could Treat Rotator Cuff Tears
Treating a torn rotator cuff with cell therapy is a minimally invasive alternative to many of the currently available options. A quick trip to a clinic, a minimal time is required to procure or thaw cells, and finally injecting them into the shoulder is all it takes. This simple procedure may provide a substantial boost to the tendon-to-bone healing rate of affected patients.
MSC’s, like the kind used by Dynamic Stem Cell Therapy, have been demonstrated to have better healing properties and more effectively increase biomechanical strength in animal models. Yet another study showed that applying medicinal signaling cells to injured rotator cuffs in elderly rats had the potential to biologically improve rotator cuff healing and produce mechanically superior tissue with improved tendon strength compared to the other methods in the study.
The Neer Award, so named after the late Dr. Charles S. Neer II, M.D., created a fund in 1985 to created a fund to provide recognition for outstanding clinical investigation contributing to the understanding, care or prevention of injuries to the shoulder and elbow. In 2013, this award was granted to a research team for the publication of a study on using MSC’s for the improvement of rotator cuff regeneration. This study was conducted on 40 rabbits, and the findings indicated that adipose cells might have the possibility to improve muscle function and tendon healing after cuff repair.
However, surgery should typically be a last resort, as it is so invasive and has such a long recovery time. For patients who could benefit from it, we recommend trying cell therapy for shoulders prior to surgery. However, if surgery is required, we recommend using cell therapy to assist in the healing process.
In fact, in a study on 53 patients that did undergo arthroscopy for the repair of a complete rotator cuff tear, each patient was followed up with over the course of 2 years. Patients that did receive PRP experienced reduced pain and improved healing of grade 1 and 2 rotator cuff tears compared to those who did not. Additionally, patients in the PRP treatment group regained significantly higher strength in external rotation within the first 3 months.
These results seem very promising, and we look forward to new studies on the efficacy of using cells for rotator cuff tears as they become available.
2. Regenerative Medicine Might Help Patients Combat Shoulder Osteoarthritis
In a recent series of case studies, doctors used cell treatments to regenerate cartilage in some patients with osteoarthritis. Over the course of three months, many of the patients involved in the study experienced substantial reductions in pain and increases in meniscus growth and mobility.
In a randomized, double-blind, control study of 55 patients at 7 institutions, patients in two groups were treated with varied amounts of adult human MSCs (medicinal signaling cells) while a third group served as a control group. Patients with osteoarthritic changes in the two groups treated with cells experienced significant reductions in pain. Some of these patients experienced more than a 15% increase in meniscal volume after receiving cell therapy treatments.
Additionally, this paper on clinical studies that treated patients with cartilage disorders using adipose derived MSCs (ADSCs) suggests that with a carefully customized treatment plan, patients could have hope for an improved clinical outcome.
Applying Regenerative Medicine for shoulders could allow for the regeneration of cartilage, a reduction in inflammation, and an accompanying increase in mobility and lessening of pain. While still being researched, a great deal of evidence indicates that cell therapy can potentially be very beneficial for patients with comparatively low risks. The cell therapy we use here especially falls into this category, as the acquisition of cells from blood or donated umbilical product is much easier and less invasive than most alternatives.
These studies suggest the possibility for patients to experience potentially significant improvements in mobility and pain management when using Regenerative Medicine for arthritis related pain. This might offer hope that Regenerative Medicine for shoulders could be a viable natural alternative to surgery for many potential patients suffering from conditions such as osteoarthritis and arthralgia.
3. Regenerative Medicine from Your Own Body Could be a Natural Alternative to Surgery
Autologous cell treatments use Regenerative Medicine taken from your body, which have even been shown to potentially help patients treat baldness by regenerating hair follicles for patients suffering from alopecia. In recent times, there has been a shift towards using autologous adipose-derived adult MSC’s, or cells taken from the fat on your own body. Since these are healthy cells from your body, it makes sense that they could carry much less risk than treatments using foreign manufactured or biological materials.
For instance, your body might not recognize and could attack some foreign materials. Additionally, as mentioned in this article that highlights reasons some joint replacements fail, large metal and plastic implants could serve as a vector for infection by playing host to bacteria that can latch onto them.
Did you know that as much as 20% of the general population suffers from nickel allergies? Of course, this won’t affect how patients react to the cells injected during cell therapy for patients with osteoarthritis, torn rotator cuffs, winged scapula, or other causes of shoulder pain. However, there is a possibility for a severe allergic reaction to surgical implants containing nickel.
In the case of Diane Velluci, she experienced such an agonizing allergic reaction to her implants that she felt like she was poisoned and dying. After having two joints replaced with metal implants, her allergies left her so weak and exhausted that she required a leg lifter just to get on and off the couch. Ultimately, a revision surgery was necessary to replace her implants with ones that were nickel-free.
Regenerative Mediciney could be an easy way to avoid the potential pain, weakness, and exhaustion that could accompany an allergic reaction to a shoulder implant. Not only that, but Regenerative Medicine is a much less invasive procedure with a much faster recovery time than arthroscopy or shoulder replacement surgery, allowing you to walk out of the office on your own within just one hour. However, keep in mind that you may need someone to drive you home!
Traditional Treatments vs. Regenerative Medicine
Traditional treatments for shoulder injuries often focus on managing symptoms and facilitating recovery through methods such as rest, physical therapy, medications, corticosteroid injections, and in severe cases, surgery. While these approaches can provide relief and support healing, they may not always address the underlying causes or promote long-term recovery.
In contrast, regenerative medicine represents a paradigm shift by harnessing the body’s innate ability to heal itself. This innovative approach aims to stimulate and accelerate the natural healing processes within the injured shoulder tissues. Here’s how regenerative medicine techniques compare to traditional treatments:
Regenerative Medicine Techniques
1. Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) Therapy
- Mechanism – PRP is created by concentrating platelets and growth factors from the patient’s blood. When PRP is injected into wounded shoulder tissue, it stimulates cellular repair processes by releasing growth factors.
- Benefits – PRP promotes tissue regeneration, reduces inflammation, and accelerates healing. It can enhance collagen production and improve the structural integrity of tendons and ligaments.
- Application – Commonly used for tendonitis, rotator cuff tears, and osteoarthritis, PRP therapy aims to facilitate healing and improve shoulder function without the need for surgery.
2. Stem Cell Therapy
- Mechanism – Stem cells have the unique ability to transform into various types of cells, including those found in tendons, ligaments, and cartilage. By injecting stem cells directly into the damaged shoulder tissue, this therapy promotes tissue regeneration and repair.
- Benefits – Stem cell therapy aims to replenish damaged cells, reduce inflammation, and facilitate tissue repair in a targeted manner. It can potentially restore shoulder function and alleviate pain associated with chronic conditions.
- Application – Utilized for various medical conditions such as rotator cuff tears, osteoarthritis, and tendon injuries, stem cell therapy for shoulders offers a promising alternative to surgical interventions.
3. Prolotherapy
- Mechanism – Prolotherapy involves injecting a solution (often containing dextrose or other irritants) into the injured tendon or ligament. This solution triggers a localized inflammatory response that stimulates the body’s natural healing mechanisms.
- Benefits – By inducing controlled inflammation, prolotherapy promotes the growth of new, healthy tissue and strengthens weakened ligaments or tendons. It can improve stability and function in the shoulder joint.
- Application – Used for chronic tendonitis, ligament sprains, and joint instability, prolotherapy offers a non-surgical option to enhance tissue repair and restore shoulder function.
Advantages of Regenerative Medicine
- Targeted Healing – Unlike traditional treatments that may mask symptoms, regenerative medicine techniques aim to address the underlying cause of shoulder injuries by promoting tissue regeneration and repair.
- Minimally Invasive – Most regenerative medicine procedures are minimally invasive, involving injections performed in an outpatient setting. This reduces the risk of complications and shortens recovery times compared to surgery.
- Potential for Long-Term Benefits – By stimulating natural healing processes, regenerative medicine treatments may offer sustained relief from pain and functional improvement, potentially reducing the need for ongoing medications or repeated interventions.
Regenerative medicine is at the forefront of treating shoulder injuries and conditions. By leveraging the body’s natural repair mechanisms with techniques such as platelet rich plasma (PRP) therapy, stem cell therapy, and prolotherapy, specialists aim to address not only symptoms but also foster regrowth and rehabilitation for long-term shoulder function. Ongoing research in orthopedics and sports medicine is refining these methods, potentially transforming how shoulder problems, including rotator cuff repair, labral issues, tendinitis, and stiffness, are managed. This advancement offers promising outcomes, potentially improving quality of life for patients dealing with shoulder conditions.
Conclusion
These studies might hint at major changes to the world of healthcare through regenerative medicine. Cell therapy may be the future for treating shoulder injuries, diseases, and conditions for the right patients in the right circumstances. With further testing, we may discover new frontiers for patients of all kinds.
Given the results of these studies, using cell therapy for shoulders might offer relief to patients with shoulder pain, injuries, and inflammatory conditions or diseases like osteoarthritis to recover more quickly, safely, and comfortably than was previously thought possible.
New studies, government approved clinical trials from around the globe, and patient testimonials continue to point to the incredible benefits using cell therapy for shoulders could offer. For patients suffering from osteoarthritis and arthralgia, this could prove even more beneficial, with the potential to substantially improve range of motion and decrease pain.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Here are some FAQs about regenerative medicine for shoulders:
Q. What types of shoulder conditions can be treated with regenerative medicine?
Regenerative medicine can effectively treat a variety of shoulder conditions including rotator cuff tears, tendonitis, osteoarthritis, labral tears, and shoulder instability. These therapies aim to stimulate healing and regeneration in damaged tissues, offering an alternative to traditional treatments like surgery or prolonged medication use. Consultation with a specialist can determine if regenerative medicine is suitable based on the specific condition and individual health factors.
Q. How effective is regenerative medicine for shoulder injuries?
Regenerative medicine has shown promising effectiveness in treating shoulder injuries by harnessing the body’s natural healing processes. Techniques like PRP therapy, stem cell therapy, and prolotherapy aim to promote tissue repair and regeneration, potentially improving shoulder function and reducing symptoms. While outcomes can vary depending on the specific injury and individual response, many patients experience significant relief and functional improvement without the need for invasive surgery.
Q. Who is a candidate for regenerative medicine treatments for shoulder problems?
Candidates typically include individuals suffering from conditions like rotator cuff tears, shoulder labral tears, or chronic shoulder pain due to degeneration or overuse. Assessment by a specialist or orthopedic surgeon helps determine suitability for these therapies.
Q. What activities should be avoided after undergoing regenerative treatments for the shoulder?
While recovery times vary, patients are generally advised to avoid strenuous activities or heavy lifting that could strain the healing tissues. Guidance from a surgeon or rehabilitation specialist helps ensure optimal recovery and long-term shoulder health.
Q. What are common shoulder problems that regenerative medicine can address?
Regenerative medicine can effectively treat a range of shoulder issues including rotator cuff injuries, shoulder arthritis, labral tears, and chronic tendinitis. These treatments aim to address the root causes of pain and dysfunction by stimulating tissue repair and regeneration.
Q. Is regenerative medicine a viable option for older adults with shoulder degeneration?
Yes, regenerative therapies like PRP and bone marrow concentrate injections can benefit older adults experiencing shoulder degeneration and related joint issues. These treatments offer a less invasive alternative to surgery and can improve quality of life by reducing pain and enhancing mobility.
New Hope for the Future
This brings hope for athletes, soldiers, and everyday people to enjoy a higher quality of life with less pain and more mobility, which is an incredible thing in and of itself. With such promising results from so many studies on cell therapy, the potential to help patients manage pain and inflammation while increasing mobility and quality of life seems to grow every day. The future of healthcare is as exciting as ever, and we can’t wait to discover which new developments lie in store for us in this new generation of cell therapy and regenerative medicine.
It is this hope and our personal, anecdotal experiences that give us such a strong belief in the importance of the treatments we offer. It is imperative for each patient to discuss the risks and benefits of each treatment option with their doctor. When it comes to applying the art and science of cell therapy for shoulders, you want an especially practiced and knowledgeable doctor to formulate a customized treatment plan for your individual circumstances.
If you have questions about cell therapy for shoulders, Dynamic Stem Cell Therapy employs an incredible staff and a compassionate, world-class doctor that can help you find the right path for your personalized treatment. Book a consultation or contact us today, and we’d love to help you discover if Regenerative Medicine could be right for you.
Click here to learn about regenerative medicine.
