Australians living with osteoarthritis are spending thousands of dollars on stem cell injections to treat their knee pain, despite little evidence they actually work.
A new study by Queen Elizabeth Hospital rheumatologist, Dr Sam Whittle, has highlighted the uncertainty surrounding stem cells as a treatment option for the condition.
While there’s no cure for osteoarthritis, there is a lot of excitement around the potential of stem cells because of their ability to morph into cells that make up bone, cartilage and muscle.
But after combing through 25 trials from around the world in what’s known as a Cochrane review, Dr Whittle said the results showed the benefits of these injections were minimal.
“We can draw the conclusion from the results we have so far that it is possible that stem cells are a beneficial intervention, but we clearly don’t have enough certainty yet to make that decision,” he said.
“The benefits that we found on aggregate were small to negligible, but our confidence in those results is very low.
“Large, high-quality trials ought to give us much more clarity on that and there are some going on at the moment, so that may give us a more definitive answer if it works or doesn’t work.”
Dr Sam Whittle
Osteoarthritis is a condition which causes pain, swelling and stiffness of the joints, with more than a million Australians impacted by knee osteoarthritis alone.
Still considered an experimental procedure, the use of stem cells to treat osteoarthritis is not approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration.
However, these injections are still offered as a treatment option through private clinics.
Dr Whittle said this contributed to the uncertainty, with there being no uniform method of harvesting the stem cells and what type, how frequently they needed to be injected or the cost.
“Everyone does it differently because nobody knows for sure,” he said.
“There are all sorts of potential risks there for consumers because of the way our system regulates these interventions and because of our lack of certainty in the evidence.”
Total knee replacements remain the most effective option to treat osteoarthritis but is also a last resort, so interventions like physical exercise and a healthy weight can help ease pain.
Supported by The Hospital Research Foundation Group – Arthritis, this publication is a ‘living review’, meaning it can be updated as soon as new evidence becomes available.
Although Dr Whittle said he wouldn’t recommend stem cell injections, it is always best to talk to your doctor about what treatments might work for you.
