BigBill
Absent Comrade
I’m looking into stem cells for my wornout knees it’s $8 k to $25 k per shot? I know nothing about this.
Time for knee braces.
Time for knee braces.
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Stem cells
- Thread starter BigBill
- Start date
billwill
Member
I have heard that there is great potential in that process. Amazing what can be done. Keep us updated cause I'm sure there are more than one person around here that could benefit. Years of biking and running took a toll on mine. Good luck.
BigBill, $8K to $25K per shot?! For something that may or may not work? (And how many shots do the sellers of the product say you might need per knee?)
Speaking as a guy who’s been through it, knee replacement, if not eligible for Medicare yet, wait until 65 and sign up for Plan B. If not signed up and past 65, bite the bullet, pay the penalty, and sign up.
Get your knee(s) replaced. A major PITA, but almost all who have had it done are much happier. Several threads on this here.
Braces help some, but not that much, in my experience.
Regardless of what you decide, good luck to you.
Speaking as a guy who’s been through it, knee replacement, if not eligible for Medicare yet, wait until 65 and sign up for Plan B. If not signed up and past 65, bite the bullet, pay the penalty, and sign up.
Get your knee(s) replaced. A major PITA, but almost all who have had it done are much happier. Several threads on this here.
Braces help some, but not that much, in my experience.
Regardless of what you decide, good luck to you.
BigBill, see if there is any chance you can get into a clinical trial for this.
No idea of your location but if you are near any of the Mayo Clinic centers, they are doing a lot with stem cells.
What would be the source of the stem cells?
No idea of your location but if you are near any of the Mayo Clinic centers, they are doing a lot with stem cells.
What would be the source of the stem cells?
Hoo, boy. That sounds like a very high-priced snake oil treatment to me. I had both knees replaced eight years ago (and have been pain-free ever since), so I try to keep up with advances in knee osteoarthritis treatment. So far, I have not found one treatment, stem cell or otherwise, that causes cartilage regrowth. At the present time, the only real solution to severe knee pain due to cartilage loss is replacement surgery. You could hold on until stem cell injections are proven to actually work, but that is certainly several years away, at least. If you have reached the "Popeye Point", where you're saying "That's all I can stands, I can't stands no more!", I'm afraid that replacement surgery is your best option.
wood714
Member
Good friend of mine had the stem cell thing done on her knee by a doctor in Jax.
She went in for the initial visit, then went back for the bone marrow extraction from her hip. A couple weeks later she went in for the shots. They put one on each side of her knee.
She said it was a miracle. She was back riding her motorcycle in a couple months.
Lasted a little over a year, and now she's having problems again. Her case may be an odd one or not. The doctor does the procedure on a lot of pro athletes.
She went in for the initial visit, then went back for the bone marrow extraction from her hip. A couple weeks later she went in for the shots. They put one on each side of her knee.
She said it was a miracle. She was back riding her motorcycle in a couple months.
Lasted a little over a year, and now she's having problems again. Her case may be an odd one or not. The doctor does the procedure on a lot of pro athletes.
DeathGrip
US Veteran
I think my knees are the only good joints left. I'll say a prayer for yours.
BigBoy99
US Veteran
I had my knee replaced for $35K (of which insurance paid most) and that was a procedure which worked! An injection (maybe covered by insurance?) which MIGHT work and cost almost the same, is just a waste of time and money in my estimation.
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Old Arkansawyer
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I know a lady that had her knee done in Houston 2 years ago, doing great. Stem cells work unless you are down to bone on bone, my
understanding that you need some cartilage for the cells to grow.
She also told me that there are some people that it just does not
work, young or old. And she had a fight to get insurance to pay,
typical.
understanding that you need some cartilage for the cells to grow.
She also told me that there are some people that it just does not
work, young or old. And she had a fight to get insurance to pay,
typical.
Absalom
SWCA Member, Absent Comrade
Based on investigating stem cell therapy myself, although for something very different from knees, you need to break down your decision-making into two parts:
1. Can stem cells actually work?
It’s an “investigational” or “experimental” treatment for most conditions, which is the main reason it’s hard to get insurance to pay. In terms of research, the picture is murky. Remember that knowing some guy who ... doesn’t prove anything. They are being used for many issues where they seem to be not just useless, but can have serious side effects, such as the eyes.
But joints (like the knee) seem to have a more solid record for success than other applications closer to vital organs, and much less danger of negative side effects.
2. Who is going to do it?
Be very careful of commercial stem cell clinics whose websites and literature lure you with lots of happy stories of folks who were on crutches and are now running marathons. There are a lot of shady operators out there, and just because there are M.D.’s with impressive-sounding credentials involved, does not guarantee anything other than it’ll be pricey. Doctors need money, too.
So do your research, ask your personal physicians, and don’t just take advice from friends and strangers on internet forums!
1. Can stem cells actually work?
It’s an “investigational” or “experimental” treatment for most conditions, which is the main reason it’s hard to get insurance to pay. In terms of research, the picture is murky. Remember that knowing some guy who ... doesn’t prove anything. They are being used for many issues where they seem to be not just useless, but can have serious side effects, such as the eyes.
But joints (like the knee) seem to have a more solid record for success than other applications closer to vital organs, and much less danger of negative side effects.
2. Who is going to do it?
Be very careful of commercial stem cell clinics whose websites and literature lure you with lots of happy stories of folks who were on crutches and are now running marathons. There are a lot of shady operators out there, and just because there are M.D.’s with impressive-sounding credentials involved, does not guarantee anything other than it’ll be pricey. Doctors need money, too.
So do your research, ask your personal physicians, and don’t just take advice from friends and strangers on internet forums!
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