One exciting new development in the treatment of chronic musculoskeletal conditions is the creation and use of adult mesenchymal stem cells. This process has begun to revolutionize the way these conditions are treated, and you need to know exactly how it works to get started. After all, your health and continued comfort are two of the most important priorities of your local Lawrence physicians.
What are Stem Cells?
Stem cells in Lawrence, KS are cells that have the potential to become any cell you may need. These cells are considered to be either “embryonic,” meaning they come from unborn fetuses, or “adult,” meaning they were obtained from fully-grown adults. There is quite a bit of controversy around embryonic cells, but this is not true of adult cells.
Companies that work in this complex field, such as the Center for Manual Medicine, began to use this method to help patients with musculoskeletal conditions obtain a better and brighter future. Currently, there are more than 70 proven therapies using adult cells, and millions benefit from their use each year.
MSC are multipotent cells that can differentiate into a wide variety of different cell types, including osteoblasts, chondrocytes, adipocytes, and more. With these wildly versatile cells at your disposal, your condition is far easier to understand and to treat with fewer invasive procedures.
How They Are Obtained
Harvesting MSCs for injection therapy is done in your physician’s office. Your doctor will remove these cells from adipose tissue, otherwise known as fat, or from your bone marrow. The tissue is taken from your abdomen, while the bone marrow is usually removed from the hipbone.
Although this may sound painful, your doctor will completely numb the areas, and thus, you will feel no pain at all during the procedure.
Once the stem cells are harvested, they are concentrated and passed into a new syringe, from which the injections are administered. From start to finish, the entire procedure will take about an hour, and it will only cause minimal discomfort. Now that you know more about these therapies, contact your Lawrence medical professional and ask whether they will work for you.
