While skiing last week in Vail, Colorado, I had the opportunity to sit down with Mitchell Sheinkop, MD, Fellow of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgery and Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, to learn about the emerging field of Interventional Orthopedics. In 2007, Dr Sheinkop received the Shaare Zedek International Humanitarian Award in recognition of his global orthopedic educational endeavors.
Question: Do stem cells really work?
Answer: There is a misconception regarding joint restoration as it is not the adult mesenchymal stem cell alone that is responsible for postponing or even avoiding a joint replacement in the arthritic setting.
Question: All I read and hear about are stem cells?
Answer: Unfortunately, ad placement hype is competing with good science for the patient’s attention and owing to advertising and marketing; the real message may be getting lost.
Question: Would you please explain?
Answer: When I “graduated” from a knife to a needle, I too believed that it was the stem cell that would morph into cartilage. We now know that the Adult Mesenchymal Stem cell orchestrates the regenerative process and directs other cells and molecules to help reverse the arthritic process, effect healing and improve function.
Question: Who are the members of the orchestra, so to speak?
Answer: When injury occurs, platelets aggregate to initiate the healing process. The activated platelet recruits the cells lining capillaries (pericytes) that then function as stem cells. Control of the bio-immune response and the regeneration affected by anti-inflammatory molecules termed Cytokines and cellular secretions known as Growth Factors are directed by the stem cell.
Question: Where do all of these stem cells, cytokines and growth factors come from?
Answer: When it comes to the musculoskeletal system, we look to the patient’s own Bone Marrow Aspirate Concentrate as the only FDA tolerated resource .While you may be aware of the potential of adipose tissue as a stem cell resource, in order to liberate the stem cell, fat has to be digested with an enzyme, collagenase. As of this interview, enzymatic digestion is not approved by the FDA nor are there significant scientific studies to support adipose derived stem cells for arthritis.
Question: I am aware of plastic surgeons offering fat graft for arthritis, is it effective and legal?
Answer: Neither but it is expensive. Fat graft is not a source of regeneration; it is filler for cosmetic surgery.
Question: I am aware of a media blitz promoting Amniotic Fluid Concentrate as a source of stem cells?
Answer: The research at the Interventional Orthopedic Foundation demonstrated that while there are stem cells in amniotic fluid along with Hyaluronic acid, anti-inflammatory Cytokines, and Growth Factors when that fluid is harvested in conjunction with a Cesarean section; after processing, freezing and the quick thaw, there are few if any viable stem cells remaining.
Last Question: How might a patient seeking to manage arthritis without surgery make the right therapeutic decision?
Answer: Just as our presidential campaigns, paraphrasing Dahleen Glanton in the Chicago Tribune, Monday, February 22, are a cesspool of empty promises and lies, so too is the marketing of stem cells; witness the advertisement featuring a chiropractic spokesperson in The Chicago Tribune, Tuesday, February 9, 2016, placed by The Stem cell Institute of America.
When you seek a Regenerative Medicine consultation, make sure that physician is fellowship trained, board certified and integrates clinical research with his or her practice. Don’t depend on anecdote; inquire about outcomes data. In my practice as well as in those other members of the Regenexx Network, we base our clinical decisions and therapeutic recommendations for Cellular Orthopedics on Documented Results.
Mitchell Sheinkop, MD accepted Emeritus Professor status as the director of the joint replacement program at Rush University Medical Center six years ago where he had played a major role over 37 years in the development of the department of orthopedics and in the founding and growth of Midwest Orthopedics. Since that time he has played a major role in the emerging field of Interventional Orthopedics.
Tags: arthritis, athletes, bone marrow, Bone Marrow Concentrate, Clinical Studies, Hip Replacement, Interventional Orthopedics, joint replacement, Knee, Knee Pain Relief, Mature Athlete, medicine, Orthopedic Care, Orthopedic Surgeon, Osteoarthritis, Pain Management, Regenerative, Regenexx, Regenexx-SD, stem cells, treatment