Health
Natural Treatments to Alleviate Knee Pain
ESSENTIAL Naples
By Dr. Richard Hiler, DABCN
WINTER 2021
14
O “As we age, our own stem cells become less efficient. Young stem cells help the body heal like it did when it was younger and more capable.” - Dr. Richard Hiler, DABCN
ne of the common complaints among patients is finding an effective treatment for their knee pain. Standard medicine often only masks pain and symptoms with addictive drugs and corticosteroid injections and many times unnecessary surgery is recommended. The good news is there are ways to treat knee and joint pain without drugs and steroids.
Regenerative Medicine for Cartilage Wear or Tear
Due to injuries, mechanical issues, or overuse and aging; cartilage may be damaged or lost, resulting in pain. There are many alternatives to surgery, which are discussed here:
STEM CELL ALLOGRAFT
Allograft is a tissue donation and transplant from one person to another. Connective tissue from one source containing live mesenchymal stem cells may help with inflammation and regeneration of cells in a recipient. Umbilical cord stem cells from Warton’s jelly is considered a connective tissue. It cushions and protects the blood vessels within the umbilical cord from mother to baby. The cells come from the umbilical cord from a healthy birth. The umbilical tissue could either be discarded or preserved for medical benefits. The tissue contains no antigens so there is no rejection and no matching required for the recipient. In times of injury, the body recruits its own stem cells for repair and healing. As we age our own stem cells become less efficient. The addition of millions of young potent stem cells from the allograft helps the body heal like it did when it was younger and more capable. The allograft is administered with a simple injection and there is no downtime after the procedure. There is no known insurance coverage for live stem cell allograft procedures.
PLACENTAL AND AMNIOTIC FLUID ALLOGRAFT While Wharton’s jelly contains 7% by volume mesenchymal stem cells and 93% other growth factors, the placental allograft contains no live stem cells but 100% growth factors. While this application doesn’t work quite as well as the live cells combined with the growth factors, if it is done more than once similar results and outcomes can be obtained. This procedure may be covered by Medicare and supplemental insurance.
PLATELET RICH PLASMA PRP
Platelets from your own blood draw are concentrated and injected into the site of needed repair. Your own platelets release growth factors in the area to assist in regenerative healing. Results and outcomes are typically fair to good. There are many different techniques for concentrating the platelets. Also, the younger and healthier the patient, the healthier the platelets will be and better outcomes can be expected. This procedure is not covered by insurance.
VISCOSUPPLEMENTATION USING HYALURONIC ACID MOLECULES
There are many hyaluronic acid products available that are commonly used to cushion and lubricate the joints. The natural f luid within the knee joint space is normally high in hyaluronic acid molecules. As we age the concentration of these molecules is less, therefore the addition of these products can help the joint move better and feel better for a period of time. These products will do nothing to regenerate or repair the joint and the results are temporary. The advantage is that these products are often covered by Medicare and supplemental insurance.
