Is stem cell therapy safe for treating advanced arthritis?

Question

Hello, doctor,

My father is 70 years old and has been suffering from painful hips and knees due to advanced arthritis. He is hesitant about undergoing surgery and asked me to research stem-cell therapy as an alternative. We found a private clinic that offers this treatment. They claim that the therapy is safe and effective, but I am concerned because I have read mixed reviews. My father is desperate for relief, but we do not want to waste money on something that has not been scientifically proven to be effective.

Are these treatments regulated?
How can we verify whether the substances they are injecting are legitimate or even useful?

Kindly help.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I can understand your concern.

Honestly speaking, stem cell therapy is not an FDA-approved treatment for this condition.

It would be better to consider other treatment options, such as intra-articular steroid injections, hyaluronic acid injections, and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections.

All of these treatments are approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (US FDA) for this condition.

Please let us know if you have any further queries.

Thank you.