A recent systematic review looked at any current studies investigating clinical outcomes and cartilage repair after the clinical application of regenerative cells in human subjects with knee osteoarthritis. With strict criteria, a total of 17 studies were used in the review, 8 of which used bone marrow derived regenerative cells. The 17 studies included 499 knees with osteoarthritis. The mean age included was 57.3 years of age with a mean follow-up period of 20 months.
The results showed that all studies except 2 reported significantly better clinical outcomes in the patients that received regenerative cell injections. When looking at the cartilage repair, 9 out of 11 studies showed improvement in cartilage thickness on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Six out of 7 studies reported repaired tissue with direct visualization from arthroscopies.
These results are encouraging for patients with knee osteoarthritis. Regenerative cells are an excellent treatment option that can improve pain and function, as well as contribute to cartilage repair. Furthermore, bone marrow derived regenerative cells are proven to be a safe treatment option. This is a level 3 study, meaning it includes the opinions of respected authorities, based on clinical experience or reports of expert committees. As always, more research can be done to better understand the use of regenerative cells.
Ha, Chul-Won, et al. “Intra-Articular Mesenchymal Regenerative Cells in Osteoarthritis of the Knee: A Systematic Review of Clinical Outcomes and Evidence of Cartilage Repair.” The Journal of Arthroscopic Related Surgery, vol. 35, no. 1, Jan. 2019, pp. 277–288.
