Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatments Mobilize Stem Cells
According to a study to be published in the American Journal of Physiology-Heart and Circulation Physiology, a typical course of hyperbaric oxygen treatments increases by eightfold the number of stem cells circulating in a patient’s body. Stem cells, also called progenitor cells are crucial to injury repair.
Stem cells exist in the bone marrow of human beings and animals and are capable of changing their nature to become part of many different organs and tissues. In response to injury, these cells move from the bone marrow to the injured sites, where they differentiate into cells that assist in the healing process. The movement, or mobilization, of stem cells can be triggered by a variety of stimuli – including pharmaceutical agents and hyperbaric oxygen treatments.
WHAT ARE STEM CELLS?
Stem cells differ from any other human cells because they have the ability to divide and replicate themselves; and even develop into a different kind of cell with a specific function, as needed by the body. For this reason, stem cells adapt to meet a certain need when placed in a specific area in the body.
With those traits, stem cells are geared to treat sports injuries. Injured athletes can now hope for a quicker and more effective road to recovery. Here are the top 3 benefits an athlete can reap from stem cell therapy.
Where as drugs are associated with a host of side effects, hyperbaric oxygen treatments carry a significantly lower risk of such effects.
“This is the safest way clinically to increase stem cell circulation, far safer than any of the pharmaceutical options,” said Stephen Thom, MD, Ph.D., Professor of Emergency Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and lead author of the study. “This study provides information on the fundamental mechanisms for hyperbaric oxygen and offers a new theoretical therapeutic option for mobilizing stem cells.”
“We reproduced the observations from humans in animals in order to identify the mechanism for the hyperbaric oxygen effect,” added Thom. “We found that hyperbaric oxygen mobilizes stem/progenitor cells because it increases synthesis of a molecule called nitric oxide in the bone marrow. This synthesis is thought to trigger enzymes that mediate stem/progenitor cell release.”
For athletes, their bodies are their investment. Most of the time, however, their bodies are put under a lot of stress which can result in various injuries.
Surgery and physical therapy are the more common options to treat injuries and manage the pain. But in recent years, due to modern medicine, stem cell therapy surfaced and has been the focus of both studies and treatment.
TOP 3 BENEFITS OF STEM CELL THERAPY FOR SPORTS INJURIES
Although stem cell therapy is not the standard for doctors practicing sports medicine and often not covered by insurance companies, it is still gaining traction in treating sports injuries. Let’s go over why athletes opt for stem cell therapy for injuries.
1. FASTER, MORE EFFECTIVE HEALING AND RECOVERY
Recovery is usually the longest and most taxing part of any surgery. In sports medicine, one of the primary goals is to get athletes back on the field or court. They need to heal and regain their strength to play again.
With stem cell treatment, the healing and recovery process is substantially faster than compared to surgery. Patients are typically back to normal activity within a week instead of months.
2. REDUCE INJURY INFLAMMATION TO HELP AVOID FUTURE INFLAMMATION
One of the impressive capabilities of stem cells is their ability to reduce inflammation. Stem cell therapy does not only ease the pain but quickly reduces joint inflammation.
With stem cell therapy, improvements can be noticed within a few weeks and the anti-inflammatory effects have been shown to last up to two years.
3. REGENERATION OF INJURED TISSUE
Some sports injuries can cause severe and even permanent damage to the tissue. With the help of stem cell therapy, damaged tissues can steadily regenerate. According to this study, adult stem cells have self-renewal capacity and multipotency, making them crucial for tissue regeneration.
This makes stem cells extremely useful for tendon tears and regenerating new cartilage that is essential to sports injuries and recovery.
SPORTS INJURIES THAT CAN BE ADDRESSED BY STEM CELL THERAPY
While stem cells can be used for a wide array of treatments, athletes could explore stem cell therapy to fully recover from a sports injury or a chronic condition.
Some common sports injuries that can be treated by stem cell therapy are Achilles tendonitis, ACL tear, sprains and strains, shin splints, tennis elbow, and runner’s knee.
HOW ARE STEM CELLS USED FOR SPORTS INJURIES?
Stem cells have vast medical applications. For sports injuries, stem cell therapy can be used for damaged tendons, torn ligaments, and other damages to muscles, bones, and cartilages. Depending on the injury, a physician can apply stem cells through direct surgery, stem cell-bearing sutures, and/or injection.
In most cases, stem cells used for treatments are sourced from the patient themselves. These could be harvested from their fat or bone marrow.
Right now, there are no standard guidelines for the use of stem cell therapy to treat sports injuries. The decision to opt for this treatment and for its procedure is up to the patients and the doctors themselves.