Stem Cell Therapy for Arthritic Knees

Im sorry Im a little dense. The stem cells were successful? And the replacement did not work? Is this correct? Im in need of stem cells for my thumb arthritis. I am a classical guitarist and Im terrified of surgery. I would love to be clear on your experience.

The day I had my stem cell procedure done, I notice two others who followed me and they were younger males. The drilling in the hip for the stem cells had very little pain. Blood was taken from both arms, it was mixed with the cells, three hours later the cells and blood was injected in the knee. I needed a cane to go home. The next day I had one more injection. Four weeks of relaxing, reading, tv etc and I was good to go. My knee was bone on bone. I was fitted with a neat knee brace and I do wear it when I golf, bike and garden. Not sure if I need to but it's my crutch. Having had a terrible time with total knee replacement I just use it for peace of mind. I have been told by the doctor if I feel I need a booster shot that can be done.
There are a lot of doubters out there but I ignore them. Downside is no insurance coverage. I suspect it will happen some day when you consider the cost of a total knee replacement, three days in a hospital and many trips for p/t. It was a bad time for me and my frustration was I went into the surgery in good shape. I had worked out for a year to have good strength etc. did not work out for me. I do have friends that it worked for them. If you have the finances then you must weigh your options.

Thank you for such valuable information! I had a TKR and it was terrible!!! This was three years ago and my knee is still painful, off and on. My other knee now needs it but I cannot put myself through that torture again! Keep going for cortisone shots every three months and now taking Tumerin, which seems to have helped. I would be very interested in stem cells for both knees and for my back!

Thank you for such valuable information! I had a TKR and it was terrible!!! This was three years ago and my knee is still painful, off and on. My other knee now needs it but I cannot put myself through that torture again! Keep going for cortisone shots every three months and now taking Tumerin, which seems to have helped. I would be very interested in stem cells for both knees and for my back!

I had stem cell therapy on my knee in 2016 (I think) and the cost was $5000. It is the best investment I’ve ever made. The procedure was done at Mayo in Jacksonville and the recovery was brief and easy and I am able to do so many things again.

Last year I had a combination of stem cell and PRP done on my feet and did not have near as good of an experience. I can’t tell you why either.

Good luck, chronic pain is awful.

mab - what went wrong with your TKR? I had both of mine done in 2022 and my knees are absolutely great. I attend spin class 5 times a week and the recovery took time and hard work, but it was worth it. I'm not trying to kid anyone - TKR is a traumatic procedure and recovery takes a lot of time and personal effort.

If the bad result was the fault of the surgeon or hospital It may be time to find another place. All the best.

Hi Joe, I had a top Boston surgeon who I continue to see for my left knee for cortisone shots. The problem that I had was that I was allergic to each pain killer that he prescribed. After having reactions from four of those prescriptions, I was advised to just take Tylenol Extra Strength, which did nothing for my pain. I fell way behind in PT because I could not do a lot of the exercises. So……it took me a long time to recover from that surgery. I was in good shape going into the surgery because I had been exercising ahead of the surgery. It still is painful today…..more in an arthritic way. I asked my surgeon if arthritis can develop around the knee replacement and he said that he has heard of that. I think that is going on with me. I will continue to exercise, along with getting a cortisone shot every 3-4 months in my left knee. I have seen your posts on here, helping people out with terrific advice! I am very happy for you that you had such success with both knees!

I had a knee replacement three years ago on the right knee. It still is swollen, and bottom line it did not work for me. In my discussions with others I would say 3 out of 10 have trouble. I swore I would not do that again. My left knee was bone on bone but I heard of stem cells. Last January I did stem cells on my knee. They use my stem cells. I was referred by a female friend who had both knees done with stem cells. The difference is I have full mobility,very little pain and I can knell on my knee in gardening etc.
next I did my back which had an L 4 L 5 rubbing on my nerve. I had an injection to stimulate the stem cells.4 weeks later, no pain, fullmobility, back playing golf,pain free. The downside is the procedure is out of pocket. I would do it again . I have friends who have had their hip injected. There is no hospital stay, I used no pain pills. I wish it was available before I did the knee replacement.

Hi, how has this recovered, your message been posted 2016 - after 8 years? Obviously many developments since then, not sure if you will be able to reply. regards, Elvira