Is Stem Cell Therapy for Hip Arthritis Safe and Effective?

What are stem cells? 

Stem cells are the raw cells of the body. Essentially, this means that the stem cells are the cells from which all other specialized cells are derived. The specialty of stem cells is that they are able to become any cell in the body. The cells of the heart, the cells of the liver, the cells of the kidney all come from the basic stem cells. Any cell that has been derived from a stem cell is called a daughter cell. Stem cells can be made to develop and divide into daughter cells in the right laboratory conditions. In recent years, there have been a lot of research about stem cell transplant for arthritis.

Is stem cell therapy safe?

Stem cell therapy is considered much safer than traditional procedures that may involve implantations. The reason for this increased safety is because of the body’s immune system. The body’s immune system is always on high alert to intercept and destroy any foreign particle in the body. Because in an implant, you are placing a foreign object in the body, there are chances that there will be rejection or high wear and tear of these objects. The success rate of stem cell therapy for hips is very high because stem cells are a part of our own body. They have our DNA, and because of that, they are not considered as foreign particles.

How do stem cells help in managing and curing arthritis?

When they are applied to an arthritic joint, the stem cells might start becoming cartilage cells that are required in the hip joint. The main reason for extreme pain in the hip joints of a person with arthritis is the degeneration of cartilage. The cartilage is a tissue that is similar to bone and helps keep the bones intact, and the hip to move freely.

The cartilage cells often become hard and brittle because of old age and start wearing out with passing time. Stem cell transplant for arthritis works by considering that the stem cells can become any specialized cell in the human body, doctors think that the stem cells will either become new cartilage cells and replace the old ones. Or the stem cells will help in slowing down the aging of the cartilage by releasing certain proteins (called cytokines). This slowing down will help reduce the pain of arthritis in the patient. When it comes to stem cell therapy vs. hip replacement surgery, It looks like stem cell therapy has a smaller number of complications that are associated with it.

The only risk of complication with using stem cell therapy for hip arthritis is swelling and infection. Infection and swelling are also major risks of having traditional hip replacement surgery. Swelling can be controlled with a few drugs that help in blood flow and will not hamper the healing of the patient. Infection, on the other hand, may pose a bigger problem and threat later on for the health. In stem cell therapy, the infection could happen if the wrong types of stem cells, for example. Pluripotent stem cells are used instead of adult stem cells. When it comes to traditional hip replacement surgery, the infection can be because of the implantation of an infected hip joint or because of the entry of any foreign particle through the cuts that have been made for the implant surgery. Considering all these factors, stem cell transplant for arthritis looks like a safer and better option.

Am I eligible for stem cell therapy for hip arthritis?

Firstly, there are not many centers around the world that have mastered the art of treating hip arthritis with stem cell therapy. There are a few surgeons and doctors who have performed stem cell therapy successfully for hip arthritis with satisfactory results. You should try and approach doctors who have already done this treatment first and have performed them with ease.

There are a lot of serious conditions that have been met with the patient who wants to take the option for stem cell transplant for arthritis. Firstly, the patient must be stable enough to undergo stem cell therapy. The stem cells have to be harvested first for this treatment to work. Harvesting may not be possible in all patients, and the patient may not be able at times to take this route of treatment for curing hip arthritis.

Is there any research going on for stem cell therapy for hip-related conditions?

There is a lot of research that is going on to identify diseases that can be cured by stem cell therapy. One of the hotly researched topics is stem cell transplant for arthritis. It will not be a very long time before stem cell therapy will become the go-to option to cure people of hip-related arteritis and other related conditions. Extensive research is happening in all major universities as well as pharmaceutical companies regarding stem cell transplant for arthritis.