Stem cell therapy can reduce arthritis pain after knee surgery

People with arthritis who have meniscus knee surgery could benefit from stem cell injections, says research published in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery that highlights the technique is safe, relives osteoarthritis pain and may facilitate regeneration.

A total of 55 people aged 18 years to 60 years were involved in the study. Some were injected with stem cells (from healthy volunteers aged 18 years to 30 years) after the surgical removal of all or part of a torn meniscus. (The meniscus is a wedge-shaped piece of cartilage in the knee joint that absorbs impact between the thigh and shin bones.)

MRI scans showed that there was an increase in meniscal volume of 15% in 24% of people in the low-dose stem cell injection group and 6% of the high-dose injection group at one year, compared to none in the control group. But two years after the operation, the volume increase only persisted in three people.

Those with osteoarthritis had reduced pain after stem cell treatment that was not seen in people who did not receive the injections.

This is believed to be the first study to show that high doses of stem cells can be safely delivered to a knee joint without abnormal tissue formation occurring.

“I am very excited and encouraged by the results,” says Dr Thomas Vangsness who led the work. “With the success of a single injection, it begs the question: what if we give a series of injections?”

The technique is still in development phase and is only used in small numbers of people who are part of clinical trials.