Musculoskeletal pain is one of the most common causes of chronic pain in the United States. In 2012, 54.5% of U.S. adults had a musculoskeletal pain disorder. This can be seen as a silent epidemic flowing through society without people noticing. The main issue is that chronic pain is a condition that affects the quality of life of the patient and their loved ones. Meaning around 50% of the American population suffers every day without having the chance to find rest from their chronic pain.
One of the most common causes of chronic musculoskeletal pain is knee pain. Around 15 to 20% of men suffer from chronic knee pain, and more than 20% of women suffer from this same condition. To solve this epidemic, the health science community has put all of its efforts into finding a definitive solution for these kinds of conditions. One of the most promising ones is stem cell treatment.
What is the effect of stem cell treatment on knee pain?
To comprehend the effect of stem cells on knee pain, it's crucial to understand what stem cells are. Stem cells are immature cells. This means they have not fully developed and differentiated yet. Thanks to this, they can serve as building blocks for any tissue in the body. Therefore, when injected into unhealthy knees, they could serve as a repair crew for the damaged structures of the joint.
The knees are complex structures composed of bones, muscles, cartilage, tendons, and ligaments. All of these tissues can be damaged. Whenever they suffer damage, they need to go through a recovery process to restore their normal structure.
But, with the wear and tear of everyday life, this process may start being insufficient as time passes. This is why this structural damage accumulates and starts creating chronic pain. And so, when stem cells are applied, this damage can be slowly reverted. Further, the improvement in the structural integrity of the knee will allow the patient to feel more secure in their movements. Which is fundamental in order for physical therapy to work.
On the whole, stem cell therapy is a way for the body to get an extra push in its recovery. Which can be useful whenever structural damage to joints adds up. And, in a sense, this could be seen as the only way for the body to properly heal itself from these kinds of incapacitating conditions.
Find out more about knee pain stem cell treatment.
