Patients suffering from chronic sports injury can now be treated with human embryonic stem cell (hESC) therapy.

With athletes wanting to get back quickly on track, hESC therapies are the preferred option as they are less invasive and focus on regeneration and healing of the tissues and ligaments rather than to cut and replace it. ACL tear is the most common type of chronic sports injury that keeps a sports person out of the game. These ligaments are found in the front and back of the knee joint in a cross formation that holds the bones together.

The tough, non-stretchable fibers control the back and forth motion of the knee and can tear when stretched beyond its normal range. “In surgical procedure, the graft goes in at a steeper angle than the original ACL which causes compression of the cartilage and hence most of the young athletes undergoing surgery end up with arthritis by the age of 30. Moreover the position sense and the strength of the knee can never be restored. The fast growing field of hESC therapy is ushering in a new era of quicker orthopedic recovery and thus it is the best option to heal the torn ACL in place,” said Dr Geeta Shroff, stem cells specialist, Director, Nutech Mediworld.

“A 28-year old footballer, had Anterior cruciate ligament tear while playing at the age of 23. He had consulted for surgical repair but the persisting pain kept him off the field. He then opted for hESC therapy and within 8 months of treatment, he is able to run over 20 km on treadmill as normal. This recovery period would have been much longer with conventional treatment.”

There are similar cases wherein hESC therapy has shown quick and pain less recoveries for ACL tear. The famous ice-hockey star Gordie Howe made a quick recovery after ACL tear through this therapy and also opted for the same when he suffered from stroke at the age of 86.