Could Stem Cell Injections Be The Solution To Your Elbow Problems?

20 July 2017

Jaime Allen

Tennis elbow is severe inflammation or pain of the outside part of the arm, just near the elbow. It is a form of tendonitis that is typically caused by a tear in the fibers of the tendon. This tendon connects the muscle to its bone. Tennis elbow is linked to repetitive motion and overuse, and it may last for months. If you have tennis elbow, the pain may go from light to worse over time, eventually expanding from the elbow to the forearm. Treatment may not work for you, and so may be enticed by the opportunity to have stem cell injections to treat your elbow pains:

How Do Stem Cells Help Treat Tennis Elbow?

Stem cells taken from your own body have the ability to renew themselves and then turn into other cells. They repair damage in your elbow naturally, but aging and other injuries may influence the ability of cells in your body to provide full repairs. This is why doctors may extract stem cells from one part of your body and inject them into your elbow. This typically occurs over a series of injections.

What Is the Stem Cell Injection Process?

First, the doctor will draw some blood from your arm. You will also provide a stem cell sample which will be processed in the laboratory. The doctor will numb your hip, towards the back, and use a needle to extract a sample of bone marrow. This is not an extremely painful procedure thanks to the numbing procedure. You will wait for the cells to be processed in the lab before the stem cells are then injected into your arm. This process may also require the use of an MRI and several other imaging techniques.

What Are Benefits of Stem Cell Injections?

Stem cell injections are a preferred course of treatment for issues like tennis elbow because they are less invasive than surgery. Surgery can also take about two hours, which is longer than the injection process. Surgery also comes with the risk of infection and may require physical therapy. Stem cell therapy uses your own body to heal itself, and it does not pose a significant risk of infection or permanent damage.

While stem cell therapy is still a new technique, it may be helpful in treating your tennis elbow. It is important to talk to your doctor about the possible treatment and how it may be used to treat health conditions like tennis elbow.

Contact a company like Well Life Family Medicine for more information and assistance. 

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