Many individuals struggling with medical issues like shoulder arthritis and rotator cuff tears typically have limited treatment options. Lifestyle changes, pain medications, topical treatments, or surgery have been the standard options for these conditions for many years, but stem cell therapy offers tremendous promise and a less invasive option to traditional treatments.

What Is Stem Cell Therapy?

Stem cells are unique cells in the human body that can transform into many different types of cells depending on how and where a doctor injects them into the patient. Stem cell therapy uses the patient’s own stem cells extracted from their bone marrow, and then the doctor performing the stem cell therapy procedure injects the extracted stem cells into the target area.

Stem cell therapy, also known as regenerative medicine, holds tremendous promise as an alternative treatment for medical conditions that typically require surgery to fix. Many people who experience shoulder arthritis, rotator cuff tears, and other joint-related injuries and degenerative conditions may find stem cell therapy offers better results while avoiding the typical side effects of surgery.

How Long Does Stem Cell Therapy Last?

After a stem cell therapy procedure, the stem cells injected into the patient will continue to repair in the target area for up to one year. However, this does not mean it will take one full year for the patient to experience relief. Most patients report improvement within three to six weeks following their stem cell therapy procedures. Following treatment, patients continue with physical therapy and the recommended treatments from their doctors as the stem cells continue to work.

Consider shoulder arthritis for example: the typical treatments for shoulder arthritis may include pain medications, massage, topical pain relief creams and gels, lifestyle changes, and hot and cold compresses. While these treatments may help with acute pain spikes and may offer substantial relief for some patients, they do not work well in the long-term as patients’ conditions deteriorate. Degenerative injuries and conditions like arthritis and soft tissue injuries will continue to worsen over time, eventually prompting many people experiencing these conditions to seek surgical remedies.

While surgery can be an effective treatment for some shoulder injuries and other joint conditions, surgery also entails a host of adverse side effects including painful recovery time, potential for infection, and the requirement to take heavy-duty pain medication following surgery. By comparison, most people who undergo stem cell therapy for their joint problems start experiencing relief within a few weeks after their stem cell injection sites in the shoulder heal.

Is Stem Cell Therapy Right for Me?

The clinical results of stem cell therapy testing have proven very promising thus far. Stem cell therapy isn’t for everyone, including those with active cancers, infections, and blood-related medical conditions. If you have struggled with joint pain from a serious injury or degenerative condition and want to avoid surgery, consult with your physician about whether stem cell therapy could be an acceptable alternative for you.

Instead of contending with months of recovery after an invasive surgical procedure, stem cell therapy could help you experience relief from common shoulder injuries within just a few weeks or months. The stem cells injected into the target area will continue working for up to one year, and many patients do not require multiple treatments. Consider the benefits of trying stem cell therapy for your joint problems and experience an effective alternative to surgery.