Hello,

            I am looking at the possibility of doing some stem cell treatments on my knees. I notice that there are one or two companies here in CM who offer this service. Anyone here have any experience with them or any recommendations?
Thanks!

Edited August 25, 20169 yr by pachoderm
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Yes: AVOID at all costs.

 

These companies are operating outside the law and in defiance of accepted medical practice. The Thai Medical Council is working on guidelines to crack down on this, as there have been serious complications of unlicensed stem cell therapy in Thailand, including at least one death.

 

Stem cell treatment for arthritis is still in the experimental stage. The only safe way to undergo it is to join a formal clinical trial.

 

If your problem is severe osteoarthritis and you have not already done so, viscosupplementation (injection of hyluronic acid compounds, the substance that naturally lubricates joints)  can be very effective and has an excellent safety profile if done by an experienced orthopedic specialist.

 

 

In a bad clinic anything can be dangerous but of themselves adult stem cells are not. The problem is clinics have sprung up and some are maybe cowboys so it’s hard to know which to use. Especially in Thailand. Treatment options for knee osteoarthritis are all poor. The hyaluric acid Sheryl mentioned came out no better than a placebo in a recent trial. Glucosamine ditto. Having said that neither are likely to hurt you like a dodgy clinic might. Cortisone shots don’t stop the disease progressing and may damage the joint - hence only three are advised. NSAID’s damage cartilage and cause stomach problems. In other words the choices are crap. Getting on a stem cell trial would be almost impossible because big drug companies are not interested. They can’t patent someone else’s cells so there is no money in the pipeline for them. They’d prefer to keep selling you the acid injections or having knee operations that frequently make the knee worse in the long run. So that leaves people with painful knees wondering what to do. My advice is find a reputable clinic/ hospital and do the stem cells. certain clinics have kept there own data and there is little doubt that it can work. Alternatively you could try Invossa K which is a gene therapy approved in Korea and proven to stop the disease progressing - they hope to prove its heals joints but the trial is still ongoing. Invossa k is available in big hospitals in a Seoul so that would make me feel more comfortable than using some fly by night stem cell clinic- but I still think stem cells at the right clinic are the thing to do.

Edited April 21, 20188 yr by Leef
I’d be looking at clinics in Thailand and also overseas.