With age, it is common joint degeneration, especially hips and knees, which are the ones that support the greatest load in our day to day life and usually develop what is known as osteoarthritis. This deterioration of the articular cartilage causes pain, stiffness, and loss of function. Therefore, it can represent a significant decrease in the quality of life of people who suffer from it. There is no treatment capable of curing osteoarthritis, but in recent years therapeutic avenues have emerged to alleviate its symptoms, slow down its evolution and achieve an improvement in the patient’s quality of life.
It is the case of los treatments with plasma rich in growth factors and with stem cells, applied to stop the progression of osteoarthritis, especially in large load-bearing joints. “But its benefits go further,” explains the doctor. Jesus Vila y Ricoboss of Orthopedic Surgery and Traumatology Service of the hospital complex Ruber Juan Bravo of Madrid. “These treatments also promote cartilage repair and reduce characteristic symptoms of osteoarthritis, including synovial swelling, effusion, deformity, pain, or loss of motion.”
Plasma and stem cells
There are many patients who are benefiting from advances in regenerative medicine in fields such as aesthetic medicine, ophthalmology or dentistry, but also in the field of traumatology. It stands out not only its use in reducing recovery time in bone, muscle and tendon injuries, but also in the treatment of inoperable osteoarthritis cases or where conservative treatments are not enough.
“It has no side effects or risk of rejection or intolerance, since the plasma comes from the patient’s own blood”
dr Jesús Vilá y Rico, Ruber Juan Bravo hospital in Madrid
Platelet-rich plasma, from the patient’s own blood, is capable of promoting the regeneration of tissues damaged by osteoarthritis thanks to the proteins and substances it contains. Stem cell treatments also allow the regeneration of these tissues. “Growth factors produce biological effects such as cell proliferation and differentiation, the generation of blood vessels and the migration of cells to the places where regeneration is necessary,” explains Dr. Vilá. “No exogenous agent can mediate all these processes so effectively.”
No payback period
The treatment is performed under medical prescription, in a sterile environment and with locoregional anesthesia. “For its application, blood is first drawn from the patient, then it is processed and the portion of plasma rich in growth factors is infiltrated into the area to be treated. The process can take between 25 and 40 minutes», adds the traumatologist.
Regarding the number of infiltrations, the protocol varies depending on the pathology. The head of the Orthopedic Surgery and Traumatology Service of the Ruber Juan Bravo Hospital Complex in Madrid specifies that, in the specific case of joint pathologywhich is the most frequent, are carried out three sessions for three consecutive weeks, with a refresher session after six months or one year if the evolution is favourable. Infiltrations do not imply a recovery period, so that the patient can lead a normal life from the first moment.
Alternative to surgery
The main benefit of this type of treatment is “the improvement of symptoms, that is, the reduction of pain and inflammation. In the case of tendon and muscle injuries, it has been proven that it accelerates healing. Also no side effects or risk of rejection or intolerance, since the plasma comes from the patient’s own blood,” says Dr. Vilá. “This treatment is only contraindicated in case of local infection, neoplastic processes and certain blood diseases,” he clarifies.
In the specific case of stem cell treatment, infiltration represents an alternative to reconstructive surgery for chronic tendinopathies, acute tendon tears, chronic tendon tears and ligament tears and osteonecrosis. «In ligament surgeries, such as the anterior cruciate ligament of the knee, extraordinary results have also been obtained. In the case of muscle injuriesmore important than the reduction in recovery time is that the use of plasma rich in growth factors allows recovery without the formation of fibrous tissue», adds the expert. It is also used in the adjuvant treatment of osteochondral injuries in order to favor the regenerative process of the fibrocartilage, as well as in patellar tendon pathology, acute or chronic tendinitis, and in ligamentous injuries.