Suffer From Knee Pain? 3 Things To Know About Stem Cell Treatments

If you're plagued by chronic knee pain, it's a smart decision to explore all of your options for effective pain relief. One treatment that can reduce your pain levels and restore functionality to your knees is stem cell therapy. Read on to learn a few more information about stem cell therapy for your knee pain.

1. Stem Cell Injections are Non-Surgical

One of the top benefits of stem cell injections is that they are a non-surgical way to alleviate your knee pain. Surgical options to reduce knee pain typically have long recovery periods, causing you to miss extended bouts of work.

Your doctor will remove the stem cells for the procedure from your body, usually from your bone marrow or fatty tissue. The stem cells are then concentrated and injected into the knees.

Once the stem cells are in your knee, they will help the knee repair itself by stimulating the formation of cartilage. They can also decrease inflammation levels and encourage the release of proteins that prevent further degradation of the knee.

Your doctor usually completes the entire injection process in a single appointment, though you'll likely need a consultation appointment to make sure that stem cell treatment is appropriate for your needs. A follow-up appointment is also recommend to make sure the procedure went as intended and that your knees are starting to reap the benefits.

2. There are Few Side Effects with Stem Cell Treatment

A great benefit of stem cell treatment is that it produces very few side effects. You may experience a little bit of pain and stiffness at the site of your injection, but this discomfort usually subsides within a few days.

Since the stem cells used for the injections are from your own body, this decreases the chance that your body has an adverse reaction to the injections. 

3. Your Insurance Company May Not Cover Stem Cell Injections

The use of stem cell injections to alleviate knee pain is a fairly new procedure. Unfortunately, some insurance companies have not extended their coverage to include the injections. You may be able to appeal your insurance company's coverage decision if you can prove that you have tried other alternatives to reduce your knee pain with little or no success.

Even if your insurance company absolutely refuses to cover the treatment, there are other ways to make the procedure fit your budget. See if your doctor offers a discount for customers who pay for the injections themselves. You can also explore medical loans or credit cards that have low interest rates and affordable monthly payments.