How are Stem Cell Injections Performed?

Many patients question, what is stem cell therapy and how is it performed? Stem cell therapy is performed by Dr. Verma and his team as a non-surgical procedure that takes under one hour to complete. During the procedure, Dr. Verma will harvest stem cells from the bone marrow in a patients hip. The stem cells are then inserted into the damaged shoulder, knee or elbow joint. Stem cell injections come from a patients own body so the rejection risk is extremely low.

In some cases, allograft (donor) stem cells can be used in an office based procedure for specific conditions such as arthritis and tendon inflammation. In most cases these cells are harvested from donor placenta tissue which is otherwise discarded after birth. The cells are isolated and processed in a sterile fashion for use in a clinical setting.

Have a question about biologic treatment? Dr. Verma answers frequently asked questions.

It is important to note that stem cell therapy is not for all patients. In general, Dr. Verma recommends this procedure to patients who have moderate osteoarthritis in the shoulder, knee or elbow where a complete collapse of the joint is not present. Stem cell injections are also recommended for a number of tendon injuries that have not responded to other treatments.

It is believed that stem cell therapy will become more common as additional research studies are completed by physicians. Dr. Verma and his colleagues at Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush are involved with researching biologic treatments, such as stem cell injections, to learn more about therapy outcomes. The orthopedic physicians also document their patients outcomes to contribute to their research findings. As the science around stem cell procedures evolve, more medical indications will be developed and utilized by Dr. Verma and his team.

For more resources on stem cell therapy or to determine if you are a candidate for stem cell injections, please contact the office of Dr. Nikhil Verma, shoulder surgeon and knee specialist serving the Chicago, Westchester, Oak Brook and Hinsdale, Illinois area.

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