Arthritis occurring on the ankle is one of the most common
foot problems affecting millions of people across the globe. Ankle arthritis
occurs when the cartilage in the ankle joint starts to wear down, causing
debilitating pain and swelling.
Typically, whenever bones meet, a special connective tissue
called the cartilage protects bone from rubbing against each other. This
cartilage has a very smooth surface and provides almost zero resistance during
joint movement and also act as a protective cushion between the bones.
Ankle arthritis typically occurs when the ankles have been
exposed to injury, trauma, and infection or could simply develop due to old age
or the “wear and tear” effect to the joint. Arthritis form as the cartilage
begins to deteriorate, losing its smooth slippery surface and slowly thinning
out, narrowing the joint space between the bones. These changes are easily seen
on X-ray and are early signs of ankle arthritis.
How does stem cell treatment help treat ankle arthritis?
The cartilage is a unique connective tissue because it does
not contain any blood vessels, the living cartilage cells or chondrocytes are
supplied by diffusion. Also, these chondrocytes are bound within the matrix
cavity of the cartilage and cannot migrate to the damaged areas. Hence, the
repair capability of cartilage is very poor.
Stem cell treatment offers a good solution for this poor and slow
healing of cartilage tissue. Stem cells are undifferentiated cells. These
special cells have not assumed the morphologic and functional characteristics
it will later acquire. This means stem cells have the potential to change to
any type of cells. In this case, when stem cells are introduced into an
arthritic or problematic joint, the stem cells will become undifferentiated and
transform to specific cells to regenerate and repair damaged tissues.
Stem cells will not cause any allergic reaction since the
cells are taken from the patient’s own blood. Also, amniotic stem cells can be
used since the amniotic fluid contains high concentrations of stem cells.
In the past, the only way to treat chronic joint problems is
thru surgery and actually replacing the joint. These days, with the help of
regenerative medicine, these degenerative joint problems can be treated
conservatively.
