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Wonder
Why?: A Scientific Editorial
The Regeneration of Articular Cartilage
with Prolotherapy
Ross A. Hauser, MD
What most people may not realize is that chondrocytes,
the cells that make articular cartilage, are metabolically
active. Chondrocytes proliferate and actively make
articular cartilage. Osteoarthritis is an example of
this, in that both the degradation and synthesis of
articular cartilage are enhanced. It is well known that
in osteoarthritis, chondrocytes retain their proliferative
activity. Osteophytes or bone spurs are an example of
this activity.
Another example of adult articular cartilage cells’
replication is acromegaly. In this condition the body
produces an excessive amount of human growth
hormone and with it, articular cartilage. Acromegalics
often suffer from joint abnormalities caused by
proliferation of chondroytes in articular cartilage. In
other words, they produce too much cartilage.
When a healthy articular cartilage cell is injured, it
demonstrates an enhanced reparative response and can
replicate its DNA to form new cells. The rate of formation
of articular cartilage can be enhanced by such stimuli
as altered hydrostatic pressure, varied oxygen tension,
growth factors, as well as nutrient and substrate
manipulation.
If by traditional orthopedic surgery or medical standards,
articular cartilage injury or degeneration causes such
symptoms as knee pain, stiffness, clicking, crunching,
and inability to walk, then the reversal of such symptoms
with Prolotherapy must mean that articular cartilage
regeneration has taken place. In this scientific editorial,
the author makes the case for using Prolotherapy as the
treatment of choice for degenerated joints.
Journal
of Prolotherapy. 2009;1:39-44.
KEYWORDS: acromegaly, articular cartilage, osteoarthritis,
Prolotherapy, regeneration. |
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