Main
Osteoarthritis, OA, Knee injury, arthritis, pain
OSTEOARTHRITIS, INFLAMMATION, DEGENERATIVE, ARTHRITIS, CHRONIC DISEASES
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative condition that affects millions of patients every year. Although arthritis is considered a disease of abnormal joint mechanics marked by periods of inflammation, the underlying etiology is biochemically mediated leading to destruction of articular cartilageThe potential of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs, also referred to as mesenchymal stromal cells) as a treatment for chronic diseases has been investigated in several areas of medicine, including orthopedics. Although still debatable, it is thought that common responses from these cells are inhibiting inflammation, protecting, and supporting chondrocytes, and providing a healthier joint environmentIn this Article, our objective is to identify the most effective source of cellular injections for knee OA. To accomplish this, three types of cellular preparation including autologous bone marrow aspirate concentrate (BMAC), autologous stromal vascular fraction (SVF) and allogenic human umbilical cord tissue MSCs (UCT) were each compared against the gold-standard corticosteroid injection (CSI). Our co-primary outcome measures are visual analog scale (VAS) and Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) pain from baseline to 1 year. We hypothesized that cell therapies would be superior to corticosteroids for treatment of knee OA at 1 year.