Ryan Koonce, MD

We believe that science, not advertising and marketing, should drive medical practices.  Advertisements on the television, radio, and Internet sound convincing regarding "breakthrough" treatments for hip and knee pain.  Unfortunately, many of such treatments lack scientific evidence for their efficacy and safety. 

 

A prime example is the use of stem cells for the treatment of hip and knee arthritis.  While some stell cell research is promising for future treatments, the current use of stem cells for the treatment of advanced hip and knee arthritis is widely offered and results are often overstated.  Currently, no insurance companies will pay for this treatment, so clinics collect cash payments for stem cell injections.  The ethics and legality of the claims made by some clinics offering these treatments have been brought into question.  In fact, the Federal Trade Commission has started to crack down on clinics that falsely advertise the benefits of stem cell injections for arthritis and clinics are being fined for making false claims.

 

If you are considering stem cell injections for hip or knee arthritis, we recommend you understand the expectations of such injections.  Read the article below from AAHKS which states, "...there is no data to support the idea that stem cells can sense the environment into which they are injected and repair damaged tissue. The claim that either PRP or stem cells regenerate severely damaged or lost cartilage is not supported by scientific evidence."