Has anyone had regenexx injections for knee osteoarthritis? This is a newer procedure (has been used for years on horses and dogs with great success) using your own stem cells to re-grow articular cartilage. Denver based clinic. Any Denver peeps with experience or know of friends, etc with experience? They claim to have done about 250 procedures since 2007.
They tout a 68 year old surgeon who qualified and finished Kona '08 after this treatment.
Sadly, with a $200 evaluation fee, and then $8000 for the procedure (not counting two separate trips to CO), and not being covered by insurance, it’s way out of my price league.
A quick database search on Pubmed (US library of medicine database) gives no mention of Regenexx. To me this means that the proceedure has not been evaluated by research studies.
They may have research published under another name, or in different places (website?) but I would like some 3rd party outcome studies (short term and long term) showing the benefits.
These statements should be quantified by the company:
“has been used for years on horses and dogs with great success”
“They tout a 68 year old surgeon who qualified and finished Kona '08 after this treatment”
The statements are mine. The 68 year old and links to his treatment and his Kona finish are on the regenexx site. The horses and dogs statement comes from other articles on this procedure that I have found over the last year.
They have several self-published studies on their site. I am not qualified to evaluate them.
I’ve been following people’s progress who have had this procedure done at http://www.kneeguru.co.uk/KNEEtalk/index.php?board=29.0 Seems that they have had good success with this procedure and the 68 year old who finished Kona is Dr Joe Maroon Neuro Surgeon to the Pittsburg Steelers.
Know nothing about this - but this is the future. Articular cartilage can not be regrown by our own bodies (unlike fibrocartilage, muscle, tendon, bone, etc. that can heal). Stem cell transplantation has been successfully done in animal models for years, but use in humans is tough for a variety of reasons (cost, political, social, etc.)
As for using your “own” stem cells … I think not and a little more understanding may be needed by you (or possibly me).
By “own” stem cells I mean they harvest them from your own bone marrow, multiply them through growth in a lab and re-inject them. It is called an autologous mesenchymal stem cell transplant.
Know nothing about this - but this is the future. Articular cartilage can not be regrown by our own bodies (unlike fibrocartilage, muscle, tendon, bone, etc. that can heal). Stem cell transplantation has been successfully done in animal models for years, but use in humans is tough for a variety of reasons (cost, political, social, etc.)
As for using your “own” stem cells … I think not and a little more understanding may be needed by you (or possibly me).
Could this possibly work for joint damage caused by rheumatoid arthritis (assuming the disease is well managed)?
As for using your “own” stem cells … I think not and a little more understanding may be needed by you (or possibly me).
Could this possibly work for joint damage caused by rheumatoid arthritis (assuming the disease is well managed)?
Sure, for the damaged cartilage I would think - but since RA is an autoimmune disease, I suppose you would just “attack” the joint again. I assume you (or whoever) is also on immunomodulating drugs for RA as well (Embrel, methotrexate, etc.)
By “own” stem cells I mean they harvest them from your own bone marrow, multiply them through growth in a lab and re-inject them. It is called an autologous mesenchymal stem cell transplant.
Cool - didn’t know they could differentiate into hyaline cartilage cells. I think that has been used for vascular issues for some time?
As for using your “own” stem cells … I think not and a little more understanding may be needed by you (or possibly me).
Could this possibly work for joint damage caused by rheumatoid arthritis (assuming the disease is well managed)?
Sure, for the damaged cartilage I would think - but since RA is an autoimmune disease, I suppose you would just “attack” the joint again. I assume you (or whoever) is also on immunomodulating drugs for RA as well (Embrel, methotrexate, etc.)
Orencia. Probably would just get inflamed again, oh well. Maybe in 10 years when they have a better artificial knee I will go that route. For now, I will just keep turning the pedals.
By “own” stem cells I mean they harvest them from your own bone marrow, multiply them through growth in a lab and re-inject them. It is called an autologous mesenchymal stem cell transplant.
Cool - didn’t know they could differentiate into hyaline cartilage cells. I think that has been used for vascular issues for some time?
Yes. Apparently they can now make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear.
I have an interest in this treatment as I have a damaged left knee that I had a successful microfracture procedure on. The acid test for me is how well did the return to running go. Dr. Maroon’s run split in Kona was 6:19:49. I ran 3:34:48 (it got a little ugly for me). I’m 46. I’d like to see a case where someone with the treatment has returned to a high level of running.
I’m not sure if this is the same or not, but this procedure sounds very similar to the latest treatment for the effects of Multiple Meyloma which presents as advanced ostioperosis. the stem cells are your own and I have no other real deatails, but I know that ‘they’ are using stemcells to regrow bones etc.
is this technique more durable than, say, ACI ? Is it really all that different, except they are harvesting bone marrow cells as opposed to cartilige ones?
Yes I’m 46 as well. I would love to return to running, although not necessarily IM or marathons. Even if I can’t run again, what I’m doing now is pain managment and there’s something to be said for simply being able to live without chronic pain. Running would be the bonus.
I am going to get an evaluation from these guys and I will post again as I hear more.
“Stem cell transplantation has been successfully done in animal models for years, but use in humans is tough for a variety of reasons (cost, political, social, etc.)”
**
I hope your “etc.” includes the only relevant reason:
Lack of SCIENCE.
The science is not there, since there are multiple unresolved issues with stem cell transplants of any kind.
It has been shown over and over again that the results of animal studies are not completetly transferable to humans. Especially if it comes to long term prognosis.
These therapies are UNSAFE and DANGEROUS at the current state of research and science.
If one wants to believe the anectodal evidence and wants to be another test rabbit… oh well.
Hope they are willing to take the risks of an inflammation completely eating the joint or if they develop cancer (no scientific babbel required to make this clear).
I think the Gov. should really step in and regulate stem cell gene therapy ASAP, since right now this seems to be the field where all the greedy unethical and unqualified MDs seem to pool.
One last pointer:
If one really wants to have the procedure done: China
They offer the exactly same procedure for a fraction of the cost (including airfare).
And the quality of the procedure is the same (it really is not complicated).