Dr. Robert G. Schwartz specializes in Physical, Vascular and Regenerative Medicine, and offers non-surgical specialty care for complex, chronic pain.
We are impressed and inspired by the outcomes we are seeing for stem cell therapy for osteoarthritis in knees, as well as in hips, ankles, back, shoulders and spine.
Greenville, SC (PRWEB) June 02, 2015
Dr. Robert G. Schwartz, the principal of Greenville, SC-based Piedmont Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, P.A., has published a new article that looks at the benefits of stem cell therapy for knees, and highlights it as a viable and in many cases preferred alternative to arthroscopy or knee joint replacement.
Dr. Schwartz, who is an internationally-renowned practitioner of Neuromusculoskeletal, Vascular and Regenerative Medicine, writes that both autologus and placental derived stem cells can produce outstanding results, as evidenced by the fact that 74% of his patients reported more than 80% of lasting relief*.
Dr. Schwartz also notes the key advantages and drawbacks to using autologus or placental derived stem cells:
Autologus stem cells, which derive from a patient’s own blood or marrow, typically lead to a “Eureka” day within 21 days of grafting, and seem to have a relatively faster onset of action compared to placental derived stem cells. As a result, pain relief occurs more rapidly in the majority of cases. Drawbacks include the need to harvest stem cells, and the need for a platelet rich plasma (PRP) booster one month after treatment to ensure full benefit and impact.
Placental stems cells, which are found in the placenta and collected after the blood from the umbilical cord is drawn, seem to keep working longer relative to autologus stem cells. Furthermore, the grafting procedure is simple, and an PRP booster is not required. However, they appear to work slower, which can result in the delayed onset of peak pain relief.
With respect to stem cell therapy for other conditions, Dr. Schwartz’s also highlights considerably positive success indicators, including:
- For chronic low back pain, 67% of patients reported at least 80% of lasting relief, and 72% reported at least 50% of lasting relief.
- For CRPS/RSD, Peripheral Neuropathy, and Peripheral Vascular Disease (PAD), 43% of patients reported at least 90% of lasting relief, and 86% reported at least 50% of lasting relief.
- For ankles and shoulders, 50% of patients reported at least 50% of lasting relief.
“We are impressed and inspired by the outcomes we are seeing for stem cell therapy for osteoarthritis in knees, as well as in hips, ankles, back, shoulders and spine,” commented Dr. Schwartz, who has been practicing medicine for 31 years, and who also serves as the Medical Director of Physical Medicine at Bons Secours Hospital in Greenville, SC. “It is not uncommon for patients to report that their walking endurance has increased more than 700%, and that the so-called `bad’ joint or limb that had been troubling them for years or decades actually feels stronger than the `good’ one!”
The full text of Dr. Schwartz’s latest article entitled “Stem Cell for Knees” is available at http://piedmontpmr.com/stem-cell-for-knees.
For additional information, article reprint/republication requests, or media inquiries, contact Sheri Schwartz, Practice Administrator, at (864) 235-1834 or ppmrpublic(at)safe-mail(dot)net.
About Piedmont Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, P.A.
Robert G. Schwartz, MD has independently owned and operated Piedmont Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, P.A. in Greenville, South Carolina, USA, since 1984. He specializes in Physical, Vascular and Regenerative Medicine, and offers non-surgical specialty care for complex, chronic pain. Learn more at http://piedmontpmr.com
- “Lasting relief” is defined by Dr. Schwartz as relief persisting more than six months after treatment. This definition is applied in order to generate more robust and credible results by filtering out any cases where a patient may report experiencing initial or short-term relief, yet later report that it has somewhat or significantly diminished.