It is the most banal, recurring, boring, ordinary and meaningless phrase that my assistant and I have to listen to on the phone or at every office setting. Osteoarthritis is a disease that affects almost all persons to some extent as they age. It may affect one joint, some joints or many joints. The causes may include genetic predisposition, trauma, or any of varying diseases at different ages. No matter the causation be the arthritis primary or secondary, the presentation is progressive pain and decreasing function. The X-ray is diagnostic in most cases: loss of cartilage joint space, subchondral sclerosis and osteophyte formation. The pain generator is inflammation and not bone on bone. Images help with diagnosis; but the degree of arthritic change on X-ray does not necessarily correlate with the severity of the symptoms or the functional impairment.
A normal joint has a bony support, a cartilage interface, a synovial lining, a capsular envelope, stabilizing ligaments and surrounding muscle. All these anatomic structures are affected by the inflammation associated with degenerative changes on a bio-immune basis. When a physician undertakes the care of an arthritic joint, the management is based on addressing the inflammatory pain generators and not until the subchondral bone is severely altered and the cartilage gliding surface has been severely destroyed is a joint replacement indicated (Grade 4 OA). Until that time the classic approach has been weight loss, anti-inflammatories either by mouth or via injection, bracing, strength training, range of motion therapy; that is, until the new world of cellular orthopedics came into being.
My initial approach in my practice is to address pain and altered function from inflammation of osteoarthritis, not “bone on bone”. By a combination and concentration of platelets and growth factors, I now have the ability to reverse the pain generating arthritic inflammation and alter the bio-immune basis for degeneration of the joint; this is called joint preservation. On the other hand, my initiative for joint regeneration is based on autologous bone marrow concentrate; the latter containing in addition to platelets and growth factors, adult mesenchymal stem cells, precursor cells, hemopoietic stem cells and more. The attempts at joint regeneration are directed both to the joint itself by intraarticular injection and subchondral injection; the latter to help repair the supporting bone.
There is a lot to process here so let me address your needs best and answer your questions following an office assessment and a review of images. Call (312) 475-1893 to schedule a consultation. You may learn more on my website www.Ilcellulartherapy.com where you will find our webinar
Tags: arthritis, Bone Marrow Concentrate, bone on bone, Cartilage, Hip pain, joint pain, knee pain, Mesenchymal Stem Cell, Osteoarthritis, PRP, Regenerative Pain Center