Stem cell therapy is a medical procedure aimed at improving the symptoms of joint-related conditions such as shoulder arthritis and rotator cuff injuries. Typically, patients struggling with these conditions have minimal treatment options which include surgery, long-term pain medication prescriptions, lifestyle changes, hot and cold compresses, and topical pain relief medications. Today, regenerative cell therapy could offer relief to many of these patients without the need for invasive surgery.

What Is Stem Cell Therapy?

Stem cell therapy requires the extraction of a patient’s own stem cells from his or her bone marrow. Then, the treatment team providing the therapy injects these healthy stem cells into the target treatment area, such as the shoulder joint for treating shoulder arthritis. Stem cell therapy works because stem cells have a unique properties such as immunomodulation where they can change the environment from a destructive one to repair and regrowth. Stem cell can also transform into various different types of other cells found in the human body.

For example, a patient suffering from shoulder arthritis pain experiences symptoms due to the deterioration of the cartilage between the bones of the shoulder joint. As cartilage breaks down, the bones rub together, causing pain. Stem cells injected into the shoulder joint can help repair the joint and possibly grow into new cartilage over time.

How Do Stem Cells Work?

A typical stem cell therapy procedure may only take a few hours. The treatment team begins by extracting stem cells from the patient’s own bone marrow and then injecting them into the target area for treatment. The recovery time from this procedure is generally one to two weeks, during which time the patient may experience soreness and stiffness in the affected joint and some mild pain from the stem cell extraction site.

After the first few weeks of recovery, patients generally report gradually increasing relief from their symptoms over the coming months. Stem cells will continue to repair the effected area for up to one full year following the first procedure, and many patients do not require more than one treatment session. Most patients report relief from their original symptoms within one month of their stem cell therapy sessions.

Experience Greater, Faster Relief Without the Risks of Surgery

For many people struggling with shoulder arthritis and similar conditions, surgery may seem like the only option. However, any surgical procedure entails a degree of risk of complications, including infection, anesthesia complications, stroke, blood clots, and more. Stem cell therapy could be a more effective treatment for individuals struggling with joint pain who do not want to deal with the risks and extensive recovery time of surgery.

Recent clinical trials and research conducted into stem cell therapy has been thus far very promising, with many patients undergoing the procedure and reporting significant decreases in their symptoms within a very short time, all while avoiding the risks and complications that often accompany surgery.

If you are concerned about how long stem cell therapy will take to work or if you suffer from joint pain in multiple locations and worry about dealing with recovery from multiple treatments, you should know that recovery time is minimal compared to the recovery from surgery. Stem cell therapy is less invasive and entails fewer side effects with a lower risk of adverse reactions since it uses the patient’s own stem cells in the treatment. Consider the potential benefits of stem cell therapy for your shoulder pain and schedule a consultation with a trusted provider if you want more individualized information about this innovative new treatment option for joint pain and the costs associated with stem cell therapy.