Stem cells ligament damage
Ligament damage (including ruptured or otherwise damaged tendons) has long been a concern for many medical staff for a number of reasons, primarily due to the fact that while most ligaments can be reattached or repaired in some way to return functionality to an individual they may not necessarily be able to return 100% usability to a damaged area. This is particularly true for highly sensitive areas such as fingers where repair of severed tendons commonly results in some partial loss of motor functions, even if done at a young age with an individual given plenty of time to recover.
With this in mind many researchers have turned to stem cell research – particularly research into adult stem cells that can be extracted from bone marrow – as a viable alternative to other commonly highly invasive and potentially damaging surgical procedures. The reason for this focus lies in the fact that stem cells gathered from bone marrow and modified slightly to regenerate specified tissues have a number of advantages that are unavailable in many other medical procedures, namely the fact that they come from the patient’s own body and therefore have virtually no risk of being rejected as well as the fact that they can work to actively form cellular bonds between two damaged ligaments that would otherwise only be able to be achieved through extensive surgical reattachment and the loss of some usable ligament in the process.
While advancements have been made in this regard there are still a number of concerns related to these developments, however. One of the largest issues related to this form of treatment lies in the fact that the high tensile demand of ligaments means any weak cellular bonds could easily be broken again should they not regenerate properly, resulting in further tissue damage. Additionally modified adult stem cells may not be able to adapt fully to the desired cellular construct, meaning that harvested and modified stem cells from the patient’s own body may not be sufficiently capable of regenerating the tissue effectively enough to be a viable treatment.
Nevertheless continued research into this method has shown many promising results, with similar research being cone into cartilage and other soft tissue regeneration also potentially aiding in this regard through the development of various regenerative techniques using both modified stem cells and conventional medical treatment. Current medical treatments for ligament damage involving stem cells are being carried out in medical institutions throughout the world with particular interest in Texas and London with promising success rates, helping to drive even further interest into these areas from both the private and public sectors.
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