When it comes to stem cell therapy — and most medical treatments, for that matter — not every approach and not every doctor performing the procedure is created equal. With recent news of multiple Major League pitchers sustaining partial ulnar collateral ligament tears in their elbows and their decisions to first attempt stem cell therapy in lieu of Tommy John Surgery, there is great hope on the horizon. But as is the case with most new-to-the-public treatment options, stem cell therapy will likely have to weather a storm of misguided information and snap judgments from some media outlets before it’s allowed to really demonstrate its value.
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Recent national sports reports reveal that Los Angeles Angels pitcher Andrew Heaney made the decision to undergo Tommy John Surgery to repair his partially torn UCL elbow injuries, after stem cell therapy was reportedly described as a “failed experiment” in his healing. Without proper understanding, and beyond the flashy and shock-provoking headlines, my fear as a physician is that this news will cause the public to dismiss stem cell therapy treatment options as ineffective or “just another fancy medical marketing ploy.” Perhaps people will figure, “If it didn’t work for a professional athlete who has access to some of the best doctors in the world, it certainly won’t work for the rest of us.” But I am here to tell you that nothing could be further from the truth.
When it comes to stem cell therapy, as with any other medical treatment, there are a host of factors involved in “success” — obtaining viable bone marrow aspirates, supplying them with the necessary growth factors and biologic proteins to enhance their efficacy, accuracy with where it’s injected, proper rehabilitation activities after injection and, yes, time. Stem cell therapy is a promising surgical alternative, but it shouldn’t be mistaken for magic. It requires a skilled medical expert to deliver it and someone who can adapt its application to the patient’s individual needs and circumstances.
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The term “stem cell therapy” may also mean different things to different people, and as I mentioned previously, not all of these cell-based therapies are the same. It’s often used in the media as a catchall phrase so it’s important to note what I’m actually referring to here. Biologic cell-based therapy with platelet rich plasma and bone marrow aspirate concentrate are a mouthful, but accurate medical terminology. The goal of this specific type of treatment is to enhance the recruitment, proliferation and differentiation of cells involved in tissue regeneration by speeding, restarting or redirecting the healing process.
Preliminary research has shown that PRP in combination with BMAC has demonstrated a more rapid regenerative response than PRP alone. But the data also shows that the regenerative response (success) is dependent upon the formulation of the PRP/stem cell product (quality of technique in harvesting the cells), the severity of the injury and supervised protected therapeutic/rehabilitative progression. In a 34-athlete study that I co-authored with my colleagues on the treatment of partial UCL tears with PRP, 30 of the 34 (88 percent) had returned to the same level of play without any complaints. The average time to return to play was 12 weeks.
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As with most treatments, how well surgery “works” is dependent on a number of factors. What I don’t want any potential candidates to think is that just because one particular type of biologic cell therapy may not have worked for one person, “stem cell therapy” in general will not work for anyone. With scientific data as our guide, I am here to tell you that PRP plus BMAC works when it’s delivered based on the severity of injury and whether it’s obtained skillfully, applied expertly and followed-up with well-supervised rehab. When we give it the time and consideration it deserves, the use of biologic cell therapies should never be described as a “failed experiment” because research has and continues to support it as a powerful therapeutic modality for use in muscle, tendon, ligament, articular cartilage and synovial joint injuries.
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Stem Cell Therapy Success and Failure in Pro Athletes originally appeared on usnews.com
