The New Zealand-born actor Russel Crowe is known for his love of sports and for doing a lot of the stunts in his Hollywood films himself. It should come as no surprise to learn that many of his cinematic exploits are in adventure films, including the historical drama Gladiator, his big breakthrough.
During the filming of Mystery – Alaska: A matter of Honor, Russel injured his ankle and Achilles tendon for the first time and since then has been suffering recurrent pain. In the role of Robin Hood in the blockbuster of the same name, the legendary actor had to attempt a jump of almost four meters – and injured his ankle yet again.
Russel Crowe complained about his failed jump to the Daily Express: “It was a jump of four meters. Normally, you land on your toes to counterbalance the shock to the body, but due to the pain in my Achilles tendon, I tried to land between the ball of the foot and the heel. I was really in a lot of pain and was walking around like an eighty year-old,” the actor said. The director even considered changing the script and having Robin Hood appear with an injured leg…
When joints are overstrained through sports, accidents and as a consequence of overweight, joint damages occur repeatedly, which eventually lead to joint deterioration – the medical term for this is arthritis. This is often accompanied by chronic pain and over time the mobility can be restricted to the extent that an artificial joint seems to be the only way of restoring the joint’s function. However, an artificial joint can never replace a natural one.
After years of positive experiences with the therapeutic use of autologous stem cells in veterinary medicine involving thousands of dogs and racehorses, research is being conducted on stem cell application for the treatment of human joints. In September 2013, the preliminary results of a study were presented for 51 patients suffering from degenerative arthritis of the knee or hip. The goal of the study was to demonstrate alternatives to conservative therapies and the use of artificial joint replacement for joint problems caused by arthritis.
During the study, the patients affected joints were injected with autologous stem cells. After three months, the participants in the study stated that their pain had lessened and the joint function of hip and knee had improved. In addition, all joints treated with stem cell therapy remained free of infection. Similarly positive reports on the therapy of arthritis using autologous stem cells were also presented in a recent German-French study.
Due to its high level of potential, the therapy of joint degeneration using stem cells from fat seems to be a promising development for improving the quality of life of those persons suffering. Mesenchymal stem cells, the progenitor cells of connective tissue, have a strong regenerative effect and inhibit inflammatory stimuli. Luckily, every person has enough of these vital cells, which are present in much higher concentrations in fat tissue than in bone marrow. Therefore, stem cells from autologous fat do not have to be artificially reproduced in a laboratory, as it is usually necessary for stem cells from skin and bone marrow.
Joint treatment with stem cells is carried out on an outpatient basis using local anesthesia. First of all, a small amount of fat is extracted using liposuction with microcannulas, from which stem cells are obtained in a complex procedure. The stem cells are injected into the affected joint immediately thereafter where their regenerative effect begins to work. The patient is fully mobile after treatment; the therapeutic effect should begin within just a few weeks. Any further treatment needed can be carried out several months later at the earliest, regardless of the improvement achieved.
Could the brave defender of the poor, Robin Hood have taken riches from the nobility and given to the poor with an injured ankle? It is certain that there were no suitable methods for treating deteriorated joints in the Middle Ages. In contrast, thanks to our knowledge these days about stem cells from autologous fat, we have the advantage of being able to use totally different, innovative therapies – even if we cannot simply change the script like Russel Crowe.
DDr. Heinrich, MD