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Arthritis Treatment
Have you been told your only option for joint pain is steroid injections or joint replacement surgery? Our minimally invasive regenerative alternatives offer pain relief and can help you get your lifestyle back
Arthritis is a joint pain or joint disease and affects an estimated 10 million people in the UK. People of all ages can suffer from arthritis, not just older people.
Arthritis is caused by an inflammation of the joints. Inflammation is part of the body’s normal healing process after injury and if it becomes extreme, it can cause pain, stiffness and swelling.
Our expert team specialises in treating all types of arthritis using advanced non-surgical techniques including stem cell therapy, AMPP® Activated Mesenchymal Pericyte Plasma (using Lipogems® technology) and Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) therapy.
Our Treatment
AMPP® Activated Mesenchymal Pericyte Plasma (using Lipogems® technology)
At The Regenerative Clinic we exclusively offer our patients AMPP® injections. A pioneering new treatment using your body’s own stem cells from a combination of Lipogems® and Platelet Rich Plasma Therapy to treat pain and inflammation. The minimally invasive procedure is a possible alternative to having an operation or can be used after surgery to help healing. It harnesses natural repair cells removed from your body fat to target problems affecting joints, tendons, ligaments and muscles. The procedure takes around an hour and early results suggest an improvement for 75 per cent of suitable patients
This treatment contains concentrated blood plasma PRP/PRGF, as well as adipose-based pericytes harvested with Lipogems®. Theoretically AMPP® is superior in regeneration and healing. You may have AMPP® in conjunction with the treatment of other joints, the results of which have been very positive.
Read Angela’s story who had Lipogems® treatment in her knees. She is now pain free and her life has changed completely.
Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) Therapy
PRP Therapy supports your body’s self-healing processes by using your own cells. Blood is mostly liquid (called plasma) but also contains solid component including red cells, white cells and platelets. The platelets are important for clotting blood but they also contain proteins called growth factors which are important in the healing of injuries.
With a higher concentration of growth factors than typically found in blood, PRP injections support the restoration of injured tissue and inhibit painful inflammatory processes.
This treatment is widely researched and supported in clinical papers. See our PRP evidence section
Click to find out more about AMPP® or PRP treatments or make an appointment with one of our specialist orthopaedic consultants.
Our expert team works as part of a collaborative partnership of Surgeons, Sports Medicine doctors and Physiotherapists to provide the perfect patient pathway to get you quickly on the road to recovery. Whether you require conventional treatment or if you are a candidate for these new regenerative treatments, you can be sure that will get the best advice from teaching hospital specialists.
nSTRIDE® Autologous Protein Solution
The nSTRIDE APS injection treatment is designed to alleviate pain and bring balance back to your inflamed knee joint by introducing high levels of “good” proteins concentrated from your own blood. These good proteins can block the “bad” proteins responsible for the inflammatory condition in your joint. At the same time, nSTRIDE APS also concentrates growth factors which are beneficial for cartilage health.
Bone Marrow Aspirate Concentrate (BMAC)
Bone Marrow Aspirate Concentrate (BMAC) is a non-surgical, minimally invasive, regenerative treatment that harnesses the natural ability to heal the body through the assistance of biological growth factors. BMAC utilises the regenerative stem cells collected from bone marrow to aid in the acceleration of healing moderate to severe osteoarthritis and tendon injuries.
Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis is also known as “wear and tear” or degenerative arthritis and most often affects people in their late 40s or older. It is more common in women and people who have a family history of the condition.
Osteoarthritis affects the smooth cartilage lining of the joint which makes movement difficult and causes pain and stiffness.
The cartilage inside the joint acts as a shock absorber. If the cartilage lining starts to thin out, it is harder for the tendons and ligaments which move the joint to work. This can cause swelling and the growth of bony spurs. If the cartilage loss is extreme it can lead to bone rubbing on bone which can change the shape of the joint.
The most common joints affected by osteoarthritis are:
Hands
Spine
Hip
Foot and ankle
Rheumatoid arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disorder and happens when the immune system attacks the joints. This causes inflammation, pain and swelling around the joint. Women are much more likely to be affected by rheumatoid arthritis than men.
Rheumatoid arthritis affects the lining of the joints and can result in bone erosion and joint deformity.
People with rheumatoid arthritis may develop problems with other tissues and organs in their body.
The most common joints affected by rheumatoid arthritis are:
Hand and wrist
Foot and ankle
Elbow
Knee
Causes of arthritis
There are a number of factors which can cause arthritis, including:
Gender – certain types of arthritis are generally found more in women than in men
Age – osteoarthritis often affects older people
Genetics – arthritis can run in families, particularly rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis of the fingers
Injury – damage to a joint , for example a sporting injury, can cause osteoarthritis when people are older
Infections – some viral and other infections can prompt types of arthritis
Lifestyle – osteoarthritis is more common in people who are overweight. Smoking is more common in people who have rheumatoid arthritis
Other treatments
Treatment for arthritis aims to relieve symptoms and improve the function of the joint.
Initial treatment may include medications such as analgesics which help reduce the pain, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs – NSAIDS – which reduce the pain and inflammation and steroid injections which reduce inflammation and provide short-term relief.
Physiotherapy can help with some forms of arthritis and splints or braces may be used.
Surgery including arthroscopy, joint replacement and joint fusion may be recommended if other methods don’t help.