dislocated knee first day of MT

[Gerry Seymour]

As far as cartilage...

Most of cartilage is what’s known as an extra-cellular matrix. The cells make hyaline, elastin, etc. and basically spit it out to form cartilage. Inside the matrix, you have very few cells sitting inside holes (called lacunae). So other than a few cells, cartilage isn’t actual living tissue. I guess you could say it’s like hair or nails - stuff made by cells. Because it’s not made of cells, it can’t repair itself when torn. The cells inside the cartilage have no way of knowing the cartilage is torn.

I remember there being some chatter about stem cell therapy for cartilage regrowth a few years ago - that seemed to have some early promise, but I haven't heard anything about it since.

 

[JR 137]

I'll add a thought to this. Find a primary care doc who specializes in sports medicine. I stumbled upon one and was amazed at how different his approach (and understanding) is.

Those are quite rare. Way too much to do to get the Sports Med board certification without much payoff if you’re not an orthopedist or the like. I had a team doc for hockey at one college who was an family medicine guy. Great guy and great with orthopedic stuff. He didn’t get board certification for it because it was honestly a waste of his time and money. He treated my guys when they were sick, assessed ortho injuries better than some orthopedic surgeons, and could suture my guys.

 

[JR 137]

I remember there being some chatter about stem cell therapy for cartilage regrowth a few years ago - that seemed to have some early promise, but I haven't heard anything about it since.

I hear chatter about stem cell stuff and how it’s going to revolutionize the medicine field, grow new organs for transplants, make us live forever, yadda yadda yadda. I saw them grow a new human ear on the back of a mouse. But I never see any follow through nor hear about anyone actually treated.

I’m not cynical nor jaded. I’m sure it’s a quite difficult thing and it’s in its infancy, but where is all this stuff that was somehow controversial during the GW Bush-Gore and GW Bush-Kerry debates?

 

[Gerry Seymour]

I hear chatter about stem cell stuff and how it’s going to revolutionize the medicine field, grow new organs for transplants, make us live forever, yadda yadda yadda. I saw them grow a new human ear on the back of a mouse. But I never see any follow through nor hear about anyone actually treated.

I’m not cynical nor jaded. I’m sure it’s a quite difficult thing and it’s in its infancy, but where is all this stuff that was somehow controversial during the GW Bush-Gore and GW Bush-Kerry debates?

Agreed. And (as I recall) this wouldn't even have been of the controversial variety. It involved injection of adult stem cells - self-donation.

 

[JR 137]

Agreed. And (as I recall) this wouldn't even have been of the controversial variety. It involved injection of adult stem cells - self-donation.

I’m not sure it’s all self donation. Could be though. My first daughter was born when this stuff still had some traction. The physicians were asking us if we wanted to cryogenically bank some stem cells from I think the umbilical cord for her future use if need be (and if technology evolved to it being useful or something like that). We declined; not due to any controversy, but just out of common sense and cost. I’m pretty hopeful we don’t end up regretting that decision. No one asked when we had our second daughter. Different hospital, physicians, etc. I haven’t heard of anyone else being asked since either.