MOUNTAIN LIFE - Coast Mountains | Fall / Winter 2017

FALL/WINTER 2017 MLCM 113 words :: Danielle Baker Stem cell treatments – only recently available in Canada – have been eliminating the need for orthopedic surgeries for many patients in the United States for the last decade. Pemberton skier Dan Kaminski heard the tell-tale ‘pop’ of a torn ACL in his right knee when he went down skiing last winter. Having blown his left knee previously, Dan immediately knew that his options for repair were dismal. “A lot of doctors won’t choose to do surgery until you fully tear your ACL,” he says. “The doctor did say I could go back to skiing after a bunch of rehab and getting my knee strong, but I wouldn’t have been able to do the things I wanted to and her feeling was that ‘when it goes it goes.’” Even if he did get surgery, Dan knew there there would be a lengthy recovery. Then, by chance, he heard about stem cell treatments at his physiotherapist’s office. When our bodies become injured, our stem cells naturally convert or ‘differentiate’ into other types of cells that are needed to repair the damaged area. However, as we age, the number of stem cells in our body decreases – and this is where the stem cell treatments come in. Using a concentration of the patient’s own stem cells drawn from their bone marrow, doctors are able to inject the needed cells directly into the injury site using image-guided x-ray and ultrasound. The main goal in treating someone with stem cells is to avoid surgery. With a minimally invasive outpatient procedure, it’s possible to get the same outcome without the risk – and with much shorter recovery times. An ACL reconstruction surgery patient can expect to be out for an average of 12 months. With stem cell treatments, patients with the same injury can be back to their activities within 3–6 months. Over the last decade, Regenexx—a network of clinics that uses the same proprietary procedures for concentrating the stem cells—has kept an open source database of their nearly 60,000 patients to date. In it, they track detailed information on injury, treatment, and recovery; as well as whether or not surgery was eventually needed. This information allows their team to set fairly accurate expectations of success with new patients. “It’s not a one pill kind of thing that treats everything and anything,” explains Dr. Jason Markle who practices at the Centeno-Schultz Clinic in Denver, Colorado. “We have an honest conversation after a full evaluation–and a lot of times we can help them.” One of the most common problems Dr. Markle and his colleagues treat is osteoarthritis in the knee. “Of all those knee patients–all [were] probably knee replacement candidates but maybe only 10–15 per cent of them have gone on to a knee replacement.” In July, Dan went down to the Centeno-Schultz Clinic for treatment with Dr. Markle. Due to the significant size of the tear in his ligament, the doctors told him he would have a 60 per cent chance of 100 per cent regrowth. Dan considered this a better option than simply waiting for his knee to get worse before eventually having surgery. Since the necessary stem cells only make up approximately 0.1 per cent of the bone marrow, doctors withdraw two ‘turkey baster-size syringes’ of it from multiple sites in the pelvic girdle. “I actually had a good count,” Dan says. “Most people have about 400–500 million good stem cells from a procedure like that and I had 800.” The actual injection of concentrated stem cells is a dynamic process. “The doctor injected my knee in four or five different ways – maybe more.” During the injection, Dan describes feeling like his knee was being filled with water and he could feel the pressure and swelling almost immediately. Incidentally, the swelling is positive and enhances the growth of the stem cells. With a price ranging from US$5000-$7000, Stem cell treatments have proven effective for everyone from professional athletes to the average person who is simply looking for an improved quality of life. Reputable clinics like Regenexx will offer phone consultations while examining MRI pictures and reports to help determine who is a good candidate. Three months post-treatment (with another three to go before returning to dynamic movements), Dan says his range of motion now is already greater than it was post-surgery on his other knee. This has allowed him to get moving sooner and rehab more quickly. “Not everyone always has time to make their entire life just rehab and physio,” Dan says, “Even though it’s really important. I wanted to share my story so people can find other ways of helping themselves so that they can get out there and enjoy it.” Stem cell treatments have also recently become available in clinics in Ontario and Alberta. Using a concentration of the patient’s own stem cells drawn from their bone marrow, doctors are able to inject the needed cells directly into the injury site using image-guided x-ray and ultrasound. WELL NESS SURGERY PLAN B Human embryonic stem cells. WIKIMEDIA COMMONS STEM CELL THERAPY IS HELPING HEAL BLOWN KNEES