Stem Cell Therapy Helps Arthritis Patient Return to Exercise

Following stem cell therapy at the XCell-Center in Cologne, Germany, one patient with painful knee arthritis is on his way to regaining his mobility without the pain.

Malcolm Pasley is once again jogging and doing squats, despite being told in early 2010 that he would probably need a knee replacement due to the osteoarthritis present in both his knees.

“I started researching on the internet about stem cells as I had never heard of them before. I got information about how they do it in countries like Germany. After speaking to an XCell-Center representative, I weighed up the expense against the possibility of fixing up my knees and decided to give it a go,” said Mr. Pasley, in a press release.

Pasley obtained detailed computed tomography images of his knee with the XCell Imaging Center's GE Discovery HD CT750 CT High-Definition & Ultra-Low-Dose CT scanner. He then received an injection of the stem cells into the damaged areas in both knees under local anesthesia by the clinic’s orthopedist.

“It is now about 7 weeks ago that the stem cells were administered and I notice a huge improvement in both knees while at work,” Pasley is quoted as saying. “I can do squats and go jogging, which previously I had not been able to for a few years without my knee swelling up quite large. It has stopped swelling altogether. I used to go skiing and do karate which are two sports I probably could do again. I now do a lot of cycling with no knee pains or a swollen knee which is great.”

The arthritis treatment requires a collection of a small amount of bone marrow from the patient's hip bone using a thin needle under local anesthesia. Next, the stem cells are separated from the bone marrow at the XCell-Center's EU certified cGMP laboratory. The cells are then counted and their vitality is confirmed before they leave the lab. The last step is the minimally invasive implantation procedure.

Pre-treatment MRI and/or CT imaging is performed when necessary. The implantations can also be performed under CT scanning whenever required.

The XCell-Center is the first clinic in Europe to specialize in regenerative medicine using autologous bone marrow stem cell therapy. The specialized medical team consists of German physicians, including specialists in neurosurgery, orthopedics, cardiology, radiology, anesthesiology and pharmacology.

The center also treats patients with diabetes and diabetic complications, stroke, cerebral palsy, autism, spinal cord injuries, orthopedic diseases, heart disease, and degenerative diseases such as Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and several eye diseases. The center opened in 2007 and more than 3,500 patients have been treated.