How are Autologous Stem Cells Obtained?

Stem cells needed to repair degenerated and injured structures can be found in many places throughout the body. Through years of experience, the experts at Twin Cities Pain & Regenerative Medicine have learned that harvesting stem cells from the hip bone can be performed quickly and fairly painlessly. Stem cells are obtained from a patient’s own bone marrow; and in only a few minutes they are ready to be used for treatment.

Harvesting stem cells from a patient is completed in our office and begins with patients lying down on their front on an examination table. Next, the skin is numbed with a novocaine solution. Then the cortex of the hip bone is numbed. Next, with the help of x-ray guidance, a specialized needle is pushed through the bone to the cortex where the bone marrow is located. The marrow, which contains the stem cells, is taken into a syringe. The needle then is removed, and the area is bandaged.

The syringe of stem cells is taken to our lab and spun in a centrifuge. The centrifuge acts to separate the stem cells from the non-useful cells. The concentrated stem cells are then placed into a new syringe. The stem cells now are ready to be placed into the treatment area.

The following conditions respond well to stem cell injections and are the most common that we treat in our office:

• Sacroiliac joint pain
• Osteoarthritis of the joints including hip, knee, ankle and shoulder joints
• Chronic partial rotator cuff tears
• Spinal facet pain
• Muscular tears
• Chronic partial tendon tears like tennis elbow, plantar fasciitis, quadricep and patellar tendon tears
• Cartilage tears in the knee
• Discogenic back pain
• Pinched nerve