Are Stem Cells an Alternative to Hip Replacement? Both Hips are Bad with Arthritis

Hip pain is a common complaint as we age. Unfortunately, if you are diagnosed with hip arthritis as you age, the chances of both hips being affected are great. Sometimes, isolated single hip pain with arthritis does occur, especially with preexisting trauma. Sometimes, the pain comes on slowly over time and coincides with developing arthritis over time, however it is not uncommon that patients relate only 6-9 months of symptoms yet display advanced or severe arthritis on x-rays.

Quite often these patients seek an alternative to hip replacement. That is frequently why they present for regenerative medicine therapies such as Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) and Stem Cell Therapy. It becomes more complicated as patients become more complicated. It is not difficult to treat both hips at the same time. Various other factors that might play into treatment must be considered. This is what separates the Regenerative Medicine expert, from non-regenreative medicine specialists.

Even when both hips are affected, it is not unusual to find one hip more advanced in the osteoarthritis phase than another. Experience in placing stem cells with visualization techniques such as fluoroscopic guidance or ultrasound assist in proper placement in the hip joint. If one hip is further along in degeneration, yet the other is showing advancing arthritic changes, it often is sensible to treat both hips in an effort to prevent the least damaged hip from progressing in arthritis development as well – giving patients greater hope for success with this alternative to hip replacement.