In England and Wales there are approximately 160,000 total hip and knee replacement procedures performed each year, but many more struggle daily with pain and life-restricting stiffness. Revolutionary new treatments using stem cell procedures could offer a more popular alternative.
Musculoskeletal pain is one of the leading causes of absence from work, and conditions like osteoarthritis can cause debilitating pain, making it difficult for sufferers to carry out normal everyday tasks. Wear and tear has caused the fibrous tissue, cartilege, to become thinned, damaged or worn away altogether, and many of these patients will eventually require a joint replacement in order to reduce pain and increase flexibility.
However, there are drawbacks to surgery. The procedure usually requires 3-4 days in hospital, and a period of recuperation. Sometimes the joint will need replacement in future, however a revolutionary new treatment is set to revolutionise the way we manage joint pain.
A new study released today by YouGov and The Regenerative Clinic, found that more than a third of Britons (38%) would choose the new innovative stem cell treatments over a traditional joint replacement. The figure rose to 42% in the over 55 age group.
The study was conducted by YouGov with 2086 UK adults aged 18+, who were asked to imagine they needed to undergo joint replacement surgery. They were also given the option to have a non-surgical procedure called ‘Lipogems’ which takes adipose pre-cursor stem cells from your own fat and then injects them straight into your joints in order to regrow cartilage.
Lipogems® is a new minimally invasive treatment that harnesses natural repair cells removed from your own body fat to target problems affecting the tendons, ligaments, joints and muscles, including osteoarthritis. Lipogems® technology has the potential to aid the repair, replacement, reconstruction and support of damaged or injured tissues without the need for joint surgery, and where surgery is required, for example, where there is very serious deterioration, it may still be of benefit in improving post-operative healing.
Nearly half (45%) of Britons surveyed told researchers that stem cell procedures are the future of medicine with 48% demanding to learn more about these new emerging techniques. More men (49%) cite stem cell treatments as the future of medicine compared with 42% of women. This rises to 50% in 18 to 24 year olds.
Professor Adrian Wilson of The Regenerative Clinic said;
“It is an extremely exciting time for new procedures such as Lipogems. We are seeing tremendously positive results and we are encouraged by the open-mindedness of the British public who are always curious and resourceful about their health. We need to educate people about what’s available to them for both treatment and pain relief.”
While the efficacy and professionalism of traditional replacement procedures within the NHS and private sector is excellent not all individuals are able to tolerate such operations. 83% of people had concerns about having joint replacement surgery with only 14% saying that they would not have any specific worries at all.
Only 3% of those surveyed said that stem cell treatments like Lipogems were not for them.
People in Wales were most worried about spending time in hospital, 15% compared with the national average of 9%. Recovery time worried people in Northern Ireland the most (28%) compared with the national average of 19%. Women were slightly more worried about their operation working (29%) as opposed to men (27%). Londoners and those aged 55+ were most worried about their operation working – 35% and 32% respectively.
Men were most concerned with taking time off work – 10% compared with only 6% of women who were concerned with taking time off work to have a traditional joint replacement operation.
For further information please visit our website www.theregenerativeclinic.co.uk or call the clinic on 0330 223 3332.
