Madonna has been a successful singer for more than thirty years and when her music is not in the spotlight her great looks and pep keep her fans enthralled. It is therefore not surprising that she is also surrounded by young men. Madonna’s current boyfriend is 26 year-old Timor Steffens from Holland, ironically called “Toy Boy” by the media.
The dancer’s youthful buzz is obviously keeping Madonna on her toes – she regularly visits big parties and events with him. The superstar spent New Year’s Eve at Valentino’s private party in Switzerland, and was recently seen living it up at a yacht party in Rotterdam, her young partner’s home city.
Madonna really does deserve the title Queen of Pop – after all, she goes on tour, continually produces new music, visits big events and manages to look fantastic and radiate energy at the same time. Nonetheless, even a pop queen is not immune from the pitfalls of female fashion: Recently, she injured her ankles badly when disco dancing in high heels and posted a photo of herself on crutches on Instagram.
High heels seem to be dangerous even for women used to wearing them. Kelly Osbourne, famous from the reality show The Osbournes, has said that she has very flexible joints. However, this does not prevent her from often tripping up on high heels and makes her prone to accidents. Victoria Beckham created a stir when she was seen wearing high-heeled shoes during the advanced stages of pregnancy, and has said that she will probably have to have her toes operated on due to continually wearing high heels.
Physiotherapy, weight loss or symptomatic pain therapy are usually recommended for joint problems, whereby the condition can worsen if the damage itself remains untreated. Injuries to the ankles frequently cause lasting damage later developing into arthritis, a degenerative disease of the joints. By the time this occurs, the implant of an artificial joint is often the only solution, but, of course, this can never adequately replace a natural one.
Madonna still looks very attractive, although it is rumored on the web that this might be due to number of factors, including facial rejuvenation with autologous fat and hormonal regeneration with bioidentical hormones (Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy, BHRT). However, joint injuries should always be taken seriously, even if they are not visible to others – after all, Madonna’s joints have to put up with the stress of her elaborate live performances, as recently seen at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards.
As a star, who travels a great deal, which options would Madonna have for the regeneration of her damaged joint, without too much time being lost? Treatment of the joints with autologous stem cells from body fat would possibly have the potential to support joint regeneration and healing early on. Initial feedback gained from studies on this promising innovative method states that pain is reduced and joint functions improved.
Stem cells and progenitors of connective tissue cells, so-called mesenchymal cells, have the capacity to promote healing in cartilage, bones and joints. These cells are present in sufficient quantities in every person’s fat tissue. They can be obtained from a small quantity of fat, removed using liposuction with microcannulas. The stem cells isolated are then immediately injected into the affected joint area.
Stem cell therapy for the treatment of joint damage takes place on an outpatient basis using local anesthesia, and, depending on the joints affected, takes up to two hours. Since the joint is not opened up during this surgery, mobility is retained. Regardless of the improvement achieved, any further treatment must be carried out several months later at the earliest.
In spite of Madonna’s accident, high heels won’t be requiring a health warning in future, and will continue to be bought by women everywhere. We can also assume that joint treatment with stem cells from autologous fat will be replacing many complex joint operations in future. Nevertheless, we hope that the Queen of Pop will soon be able to find her balance on high heels again without tripping up and needing medical assistance, and continue to be in the spotlight.
DDr. Heinrich, MD