Sep 20, 2016
Last week, a patient called and cancelled her scheduled Bone Marrow Concentrate Regenexx SD Stem cell procedure declaring that she had found a less expensive provider for stem cells. I wished her well and devoted some time to trying to better understand the price range posted on the internet for the Regenexx SD procedure. While I couldn’t really get a grasp on the geographic differences in costs, I did realize the chaos and confusion potential of trying to compare apples and oranges. The Regenexx SD Stem cell procedure is the gold standard in the emerging world of Cellular Orthopedics (Regenerative Medicine). There is a seven year outcomes data base supporting the safety and efficacy of the Regenexx methodology. We have been monitoring the successful outcomes of our procedures for a longer time and with the most detailed, reproducible criteria in the field. If you look at non Regenexx websites, you frequently find our outcomes data reproduced (many times without permission).
The Regenexx mission statement is to get the patient back to things he or she loves faster and without surgery. The actual preparation for the procedure, the harvesting and processing of the bone marrow and the follow up management is proprietary in nature; that’s why price shopping doesn’t work. If it isn’t a Regenexx SD procedure, it is a generic knockoff and you will really minimize the chance of success. There are several Regenerative Medicine practices outside of Regenexx in the Midwest; yesterday, a patient called to schedule a Regenexx SD procedure after having gone elsewhere for less cost and experienced the anticipated unsatisfactory outcome.
This is not cookie cutter technology. The harvesting of the bone marrow cannot be from a single site or you risk a marked diminution in the number of adult mesenchymal stem cells harvested. The amount of bone marrow harvested must meet the quantitative requirements for maximum benefit. The simple recovery of 10 ccs of bone marrow is doomed to fail yet the latter is frequent in some settings so as to minimize charges. Then there is the proprietary system of concentrating and processing only available through Regenexx. Last of all, the counting of cells is not a futile exercise as suggested by the “knock off” clinics. We are able to sense success in numbers.
To determine if you are a candidate for stem cell management of your arthritis, you need to make an appointment. A telephone interview doesn’t do it nor does my looking at your images. The determinant is based on my intake and my experience. There are patients whose needs are better served by a joint replacement. If you do meet the inclusion criteria for management for your arthritis with stem cells, there is no better alternative than the Regenexx SD intervention
312 475 1893 to schedule an appointment.
Tags: arthritis, athletes, Benefits and Risk, bone marrow, Bone Marrow Concentrate, Hip Replacement, Interventional Orthopedics, joint replacement, Knee Pain Relief, Mature Athlete, medicine, Orthopedic Care, Orthopedic Surgeon, Orthopedics, Osteoarthritis, Pain Management, Regenerative, Regenexx, Regenexx-SD, stem cells, treatment
Sep 12, 2016
First of all, let me expand on the concept of Regenerative Medicine at times also understood as Cellular Orthopedics or Stem Cell therapy. Cells with stem cell properties are present in bone marrow, the peripheral circulatory system, adipose tissue, synovial tissue, muscle tissue, and tendon. At this time, the FDA allows point-of-care bone marrow aspirate intervention for arthritis. From a clinical standpoint, the stem cell concentrate of bone marrow aspirate is technique-dependent and I have found it to be an ever increasingly important factor of therapeutic benefit. When it comes to Adipose-Derived Stem cells, use of these products places risk upon the clinician and the patient because they do not meet the criteria of homologous use and are not autologous. Enter the latest interest in amniotic fluid concentrate with all the marketing hype. As of this time, to the best of my knowledge, there is no clinical outcomes science to justify such use. I should know as I am the Principal Investigator in the largest Clinical Trial involving amniotic fluid for arthritis ever undertaken.
Next, the reader should understand that Osteoarthritis is graded, not all OA is the same. To qualify for a Regenerative Medicine procedure, the degree of arthritis must not exceed grade three based on Imaging and Physical Examination. The standard grading system is termed the Kellgren-Lawrence Scale in which the X-ray image is scored. The physical examination is also taken into account to confirm that the extent of degenerative deformity has not exceeded inclusion criteria.
Now let me explain how Stem Cell intervention is accomplished in my setting, who may benefit, and when Regenerative Medicine is not a reasonable option. Actually if you watch my Webinar,
https://sheinkopmd.com/webinar/
you will better understand.
What are a patient’s options when a first intervention isn’t long lasting? Assume if you will that you have not realized the outcome that would be satisfying to you and rewarding to your interventional orthopedic specialist; there are two options:
Repeat Stem Cell Procedure
I have had at least ten patients in my practice who ultimately reached their goals after a repeat Bone marrow stem cell intervention
Joint Replacement
While it is a procedure that we seek to postpone, perhaps even avoid with a Regenerative Medicine intervention, stem cell procedures do not burn bridges
After watching my webinar, to learn more or schedule an appointment call 312 475 1893
Tags: Amniotic, arthritis, athletes, Benefits and Risk, bone marrow, Bone Marrow Concentrate, Clinical Studies, Clinical Trial. Mitchell B. Sheinkop, Hip Replacement, Interventional Orthopedics, Knee Pain Relief, Mature Athlete, medicine, Orthopedic Care, Orthopedic Surgeon, Orthopedics, Osteoarthritis, Pain Management, Pilot Study, Regenerative, Regenexx, Regenexx-SD, treatment
Sep 1, 2016
You may be the first to see the preview
A web-i-nar according to the dictionary, is a seminar that takes place over the internet.
Dr. Sheinkop’s Webinar on Regenerative Medicine
While not yet ready for prime time, it will go live in 45 days, but readers of this Blog may view it now by clicking the above. My purpose in creating this educational endeavor is and was to better inform the prospective patient as to the scope of my regenerative practice, to allow the new patient to become better informed, and to facilitate review of the informed consent process should you chose to avail yourself of my services. The webinar plays for about 30 minutes but you don’t have to watch it all in a single session. One of the advantages of this form of communication is watching at your own convenience plus the option to return as you chose.
In planning and editing this undertaking, I took into account that which I have experienced over a four year plus regenerative medicine practice emphasizing and repeating wherever I deemed appropriate. The majority of the patients I treat present with grades two and three osteoarthritis of one or two joints. Of over a thousand I have treated, the majority have received Bone Marrow Concentrate/Stem Cell approach. For those who present in an earlier stage of osteoarthritis no longer responding to cortisone and hyaluronic acid, I do explain the Multicenter Amniotic Fluid Concentrate Clinical Trial for which I am the Principal Investigator. By the same token, for those patients who have advanced arthritic changes, that is grade four, and who otherwise would require a total joint replacement, I cover cellular orthopedic options as well although not necessarily bone marrow derived. One major possibility in the webinar format once accessed through the internet will be the opportunity to post questions and I will do my best to respond in 24 to 48 hours. Another area of explanation is the subchondroplasty for which there continues to be increasing evidence that both intraarticular (inside the joint) and extra-articular (the bone supporting the joint) options should be employed when treating arthritis of a major joint. I want to emphasize, the main treatment on which I base my practice is Bone Marrow Concentrate containing stem cells, anti-inflammatory Cytokines and Growth Factors owing to the potential to regenerate the joint, eliminate or reduce pain and increase functional capacity while, on a molecular basis, halting, maybe reversing the arthritic process.
Tags: arthritis, athletes, Benefits and Risk, bone marrow, Clinical Studies, Clinical Trial. Mitchell B. Sheinkop, Concentrated Stem Cell Plasma, Hip Replacement, Interventional Orthopedics, joint replacement, Knee, Orthopedic Care, Orthopedic Surgeon, Osteoarthritis, Pain Management, Regenerative, Regenexx-SD, stem cells, treatment
Aug 12, 2016
“Whether arthroscopic partial meniscectomy for symptomatic patients with a meniscal tear and osteoarthritis results in better functional outcomes than physical therapy alone is uncertain.”
The above article appeared in the May, 2013 edition of the New England Journal of Medicine but is still a subject matter of great debate in the orthopedic community. The major reason for the continued debate has to do with arthritis and the nature of the meniscal tear. In the study cited, 351 symptomatic patients 45 years or older with a meniscal tear and evidence of mild to moderate osteoarthritis were followed for up to 12 months using the same outcomes measurement modalities that I use in my Regenerative Medicine practice. The end result indicated no difference in outcomes for those who underwent arthroscopy and physical therapy as compared to those who underwent physical therapy alone.
In analyzing the study, there is no emphasis placed on the nature of the clinical tear or whether the osteoarthritis affects the entire joint or only a single compartment. What allows me to opine on the subject is my 40-year experience in treating the same type of patients prior to my having graduated to Cellular Orthopedics. During my surgical career, I used arthroscopic surgery when indicated and joint replacement, both total and partial when the latter were deemed appropriate. Now I use stem cells derived from bone marrow in almost every setting as there is evidence that the regenerative potential inherent in bone marrow concentrate will significantly impact the outcomes of patients with a degenerative meniscal tear with associated degenerative arthritis.
Be aware that the vast majority of patients over age 45 will show meniscal changes on an MRI. Also be aware that the vast majority of those meniscal changes will be accompanied by arthritic changes in the articular cartilage of the knee. The only absolute indication for arthroscopic intervention is the mechanical symptom such as “clunking”, locking or giving way. Otherwise, it is the judgement of the orthopedic surgeon that will lead to the definitive recommendation. Therein is the problem as the reconstructive orthopedic surgeon will tend to make one type of recommendation while the sports medicine oriented arthroscopist will tend to be surgically oriented.
If any cohort of patients with osteoarthritis and a degenerative meniscal tear is followed for five to ten years, progressive arthritic changes will be documented via a history and physical as well as via imaging studies. There is only one way to date to potentially alter this natural history and that is by intervening with stem cells and putting their regenerative potential into effect. If not addressed early on, those knee joint changes will result in an eventual grade four osteoarthritic degeneration and an indication for a knee replacement be it partial or total.
To learn more, come in for a consultation 312 475 1893
Tags: arthritis, athletes, Benefits and Risk, bone marrow, Bone Marrow Concentrate, Hip Replacement, joint replacement, Knee, Knee Pain Relief, Orthopedic Care, Orthopedics, Osteoarthritis, Pain Management, Regenerative, Regenexx, stem cells, treatment
Jul 22, 2016
As the regular readers of this Blog are aware, one way to catch my attention is to send me another announcement found in a local newspaper regarding “free” Amniotic Fluid Concentrate seminars in which the reader (victim) then learns at the seminar that he or she can receive stem cells to cure whatever ails that person for a fee ranging between $7,000 and $9,000.
Based on what is scientifically certain about Amniotic Fluid Concentrate, in spite of what you are told at these seminars by the marketing spokesperson, there are no viable stem cells once the amniotic fluid is processed, concentrated, gamma irradiated, and fast thawed for the injection. Nevertheless, the Camp Followers are saturating the media with claims of benefit for almost every malady known to mankind by paying this exorbitant sum for a single injection. That is not to say there is not anti-inflammatory benefit and growth factor content in amniotic fluid concentrate so there is some pain relieving potential. What is not known is the optimal dose schedule, dosage concentration, and the duration of benefit.
In order to scientifically determine how to properly use amniotic fluid concentrate in a clinical practice and statistically measure value, I have accepted the invitation from a major Ortho-biologic producer of amniotic fluid concentrate to participate in a multicenter Clinical Trial under FDA regulatory scrutiny. Our study group will determine the benefit of amniotic fluid concentrate in the arthritic knee, the proper dosage schedule, the appropriate concentration and the duration of effect.
For those who elect to partake in this Clinical Trial and who meet inclusion criteria, there is no charge for the pharmacologic agent (Amniotic Fluid Concentrate). On the contrary, the participant will be reimbursed for travel expenses. By helping us understand the benefit of Amniotic Fluid Concentrate (if any) when used for an arthritic knee and determining appropriate dosage scheduling, the Ortho-biologic industry and we clinicians will finally learn if it works; and if so, for how long and at what dosage. So you decide, either call the number appearing in the media ads and be ready to pay up to $9,000 for a stem cell intervention without living stem cells or call 312 475 1893 to learn if you meet the inclusion criteria for the Multicenter Trial.
Tags: Amniotic, arthritis, athletes, Benefits and Risk, bone marrow, Bone Marrow Concentrate, Clinical Studies, Clinical Trial. Mitchell B. Sheinkop, Hip Replacement, Interventional Orthopedics, joint replacement, Knee, Knee Pain Relief, Mature Athlete, medicine, Orthopedic Surgeon, Orthopedics, Osteoarthritis, Pain Management, Pilot Study, Regenerative, Regenexx, Regenexx-SD, stem cells, treatment
