Meniscus tears are very common. Surgery to remove the torn part of the meniscus is also very common. Unfortunately, many people who have torn their meniscus, or who have the torn piece removed will go on to develop osteoarthritis. Until recently, a person with persistent pain following meniscus surgery had very few options. They could undergo a meniscus transplant, or simply try medications or injections to treat the pain.
In January 2014 a preliminary, but exciting study revealed that a single injection of stem cells may help certain patients regrow a portion of the meniscus which was removed at the time of surgery. This study also showed that pain relief was higher in the stem cell-treated meniscus tear group.
Each knee contains two menisci. The meniscus functions as a shock absorber. It also helps distribute your weight across the knee joint to minimize the stress on the bones and articular cartilage. A torn meniscus is not capable of functioning normally. This results in abnormal stresses around the knee which can lead to arthritis, further loss of cartilage and pain.
There was evidence of meniscus regeneration and improvement in knee pain following treatment with allogeneic human mesenchymal stem cells. These results support the study of human mesenchymal stem cells for the apparent knee-tissue regeneration and protective effects.
What are stem cells?
Stem cells are unique cells within our body. They are “immature” which means that they haven’t grown into a skin cell, a cartilage cell, or a heart cell yet. Stem cells have the ability to grow into almost any type of cell within our body. Each tissue in our body has unique chemical compounds. Those chemicals can cause stem cells to start the process of maturing and becoming a fully developed cell. Theoretically.. if a stem cell is placed in the knee, the chemicals present in the knee will lead the stem cells to mature into cartilage cells.
Can Stem Cells Treat A Meniscus Tear?
The study quoted above was the first (to my knowledge) to show that stem cells, injected into the knee can regrow a portion of the meniscus which was removed at the time of surgery. The study showed that some patients regrew up to 20% of the torn part of the meniscus. More importantly, this study showed that patients who received the stem cells after their surgery felt better and had better pain scores.
This is the first in what will likely be a number of studies to determine whether or not stem cells possess the ability to completely regrow a meniscus after a portion of it is removed. Further studies will be needed to see if two or more treatments can improve the amount of the meniscus that grew back. Further study is also needed to see if these results stand the test of time. Will the new meniscus tissue last?
This is a very exciting time. Can stem cells treat meniscus tears? Should you receive stem cells after your meniscus surgery? These are very important questions and it is something you need to discuss with your doctor.
Please keep in mind that this is still considered experimental.
Markel
I am 21 and an active football player looking to be drafted in the top 3 rounds but have had meniscus damage to my knee In the past as far as having to trim parts of the meniscus out I feel as a Runningback I need as much shock absorbers as I can get would stem cell treatment aid that at all if so is there a certain recovery time to stem cell treatment afterwards? I’m really anxious about it because I’ve always had that thought in my head that I will never have a decent meniscus again it’s a mind thing as well
Howard J. Luks, MD
Hi Markel… the stem cells will not regrow your meniscus. We need a lot more studies on this area. Right now the options that will substitute or replace the meniscus include a meniscus transplant and maybe ?? a collagen meniscus scaffold which can be sewn into a meniscus defect. The right answer to this problem has not yet revealed itself. The goal should be to fix most all meniscus tears instead of removing them.
Good Luck to you!
fabienzan
I have 2 small meniscus tear on the lateral meniscus and one larger one on the medial meniscus . Can this be regrown or fixed using PRP ? No resection has been made so far as I had a knee reco which was done at the same time as my surgeon looked at the meniscus.
Bryan
I had a meniscus transplant done about 6 years ago and have pretty consistent soreness now. The last arthroscopy showed the doctor that my articulate cartilage was “pristine” yet the pain persists and doc’s can’t really pin point it. I have a lot of post op changes in the knee but apparently they are “normal” and shouldn’t necessarily cause pain. I was contemplating PRP or PRP/Stem Cell but not sure if it is the right move considering not sure what is actually causing the pain. Have you dealt with/seen any data on transplant patients getting PRP or Stem Cell treatment?
Howard J. Luks, MD
I haven’t Bryan … Sorry.
Nasser
Hi Dr. Howard,
Thank you for responding to my question I posted on Nov. 14, 2014. I did x-ray which indicates I don’t have osteoarthritis. My knee was improving, but I had a trip and it looks that there is a set back now. I have pain and stiffness again. I just wanted to ask your opinion here. At my age, is the stem cell therapy a good option fir tear meniscus? What current treatment method will be more beneficial?
Thank you for your help.
Stan
I am a 72 yr. old active playing golf, swimming, and playing basketball. I just had arthroscopy for meniscus tear and the surgeon discovered arthritis. Do you believe PRP/stem cell therapy will help me recuperate? Thanks.
Howard J. Luks, MD
Sorry Stan … without examining you and seeing your X-rays I can not answer that question.