The hip joints are some of the most important components in the body for mobility. They help to balance your core and bear your weight when you are standing, while also playing a critical role in turning and lifting. Strong, healthy hips are needed for virtually every athletic activity and sport.
Patients that are over the age of 50 and have a hip fracture may face a heightened mortality risk for nearly a decade afterward. Additional factors that come into play are infections, embolisms, and heart failure. A severe loss of mobility in elderly people also accelerates the decline of muscle mass.
Fortunately, today, stem cell therapy has shown promising options for those who suffer from hip joint pain.
What Causes Hip Joint Pain?
Even if a hip joint is not fractured, one that is inflamed can significantly affect one’s mobility. A number of things can contribute to this, including arthritis and tendon or ligament stresses or injuries. It can also be caused by the degradation of the articular cartilage.
Those who are at higher risk of hip injury include people who play high-impact contact sports such as football and those who are chronically overweight. There is also a genetic component to hip concerns. Hip dysplasia can run in families and commonly affects females.
Treating Hip Maladies with Stem Cells
The goal of treating hip joint problems with stem cells is to repair the tissue so the patient can potentially avoid surgery. If someone has had surgery, stem cells can still be a healing agent as well. Some procedures involve the use of a patient’s own stem cells.
The doctor will extract the stem cells from the bone marrow or adipose (fat) tissues. The tissue is processed to isolate the mesenchymal stem cells and then readminister through intra-articular injections to the damaged tissues of the hip.
This procedure has advantages. It is far less invasive than open surgery. The risk of infection is therefore much lower. It reduces the risk of human error on the surgeon’s part. An injection is also far less costly than surgery while eliminating the risk of potential post-surgical complications that often come with operating on a joint.
With more people between the ages of 45 and 64 receiving joint replacements, it could represent a giant stride toward reducing the need for surgery while enabling people to retain their original tissue.
This post was written by a medical professional at Stemedix Inc. At Stemedix we provide access to Regenerative Medicine for Orthopedic also known as Orthopedic Stem cell Therapy. Regenerative medicine has the natural potential to help improve symptoms sometimes lost from the progression of many conditions.