Many people are told that surgery is the only option when dealing with foot and ankle pain symptoms, particularly arthritis. But that’s not the only option! For some of our patients, Stem Cells For Ankle Arthritis may relieve symptoms. 

Many patients have turned to stem cells as a better alternative to ankle surgery, with an easier and faster recovery and significantly fewer complications.

But before we explain further, let’s start with the basics.

What is Ankle Arthritis?

Arthritis is inflammation of one or more of your joints. In some types of arthritis, cartilage may start to wear away, and, as a result, your bones rub and wear against each other. Arthritis causes pain and stiffness and is common in the small joints of the foot and ankle. 

Arthritis comes in many forms (there are over 100 forms of arthritis!), and many of them affect the foot and ankle. Some of the most common forms of arthritis are osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and posttraumatic arthritis.

Ankle Arthritis Symptoms

The symptoms of arthritis may vary depending on the joint and type of arthritis. Generally, it causes pain that develops gradually over time, although sudden onset is also possible. Other symptoms include:

  • Pain with motion 

  • Difficulty walking 

  • Pain that flares up with vigorous activity 

  • Increased pain and swelling in the morning

  • Tenderness when pressure is applied to the ankle

Ankle Arthritis Causes

One of the causes of ankle arthritis is occult instability. This happens when someone sprains an ankle, and while they seem to recover, the ligaments that protect the ankle joints are stretched out. Over time, the slight extra motions in the ankle lead to a breakdown in the joint, and arthritis develops.

There are many arthritis causes, however. That varies according to the type of arthritis. For example, osteoarthritis may signify aging, rheumatoid arthritis is an auto-immune disease, and posttraumatic arthritis occurs after an injury.

Stem cells for Ankle Arthritis Treatment

The most common treatments for arthritis don’t initially involve surgery. Common treatments for ankle arthritis include:

  • Lifestyle changes

  • Physical therapy

  • Wearing a brace

  • Custom-fitted shoes

  • Medication

Surgery is a viable treatment for many types of arthritis, but there’s always the risk of complications with surgery. In the case of ankle surgery, some of the complications include (these vary according to the specific surgery being done):

  • Pain and swelling due to non-union of the joint

  • Needing a second surgery to fix complications from the first one

  • Problems with wound healing

  • Loss of motion 

  • Arthritis in adjacent joints years after surgery

Current surgical treatments for ankle arthritis are painful and often not effective in the long run. These surgeries usually involve a painful post-surgical recovery with a lengthy rehab period. You can avoid this pain and long recovery period with stem cell treatments.

How Stem Cells can help

First off, what are stem cells?

Stem cells are a type of cell in the body from which specialty cells develop, including muscle cells, brain cells, ligament, tendon, bone, cartilage, and more.

What is stem cell therapy?

Also known as regenerative medicine, stem cell therapy uses stem cells to help repair diseased, dysfunctional, or injured tissue. 

Stem cells can come from very different places, including bone marrow, placenta, and fat. The most common method for ankle arthritis or foot pain treatment is getting the cells from fat in your body. The process of harvesting these cells only requires a local anesthetic. 

Stem cell therapy is a non-surgical injection-based procedure.

Benefits of stem cell therapy

  • Reduces pain effectively

  • Minimal post-procedural recovery

  • Increases functionality and range of motion

  • It helps avoid surgery and its complications

  • Potentially reverses injury

  • No need for general anesthesia

  • Little to no risk of rejection

Nona Medical Arts is proud to offer our patients innovative technology and treatments to provide long-lasting relief from pain without complications. Stem cell therapy is one of those treatments. Call us to book an appointment or click the button below to learn more about our regenerative medicine solutions.

Note: This blog post provides general information to help the reader better understand regenerative medicine, health conditions, and the connection between the two. All content of this post is not intended and should not be used as a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Please consult with a health professional to discuss your particular situation.