Adult Stem Cells Heal Woman’s Broken Leg

Posted 6 January, 2009 in Bone Fractures or Broken Bones |

Yet another victory for Adult Stem Cell research.  Not only are Adult Stem Cells healing uncommon diseases that most of us are not familiar with- Repair Stem Cells as I call them can help very common conditions such as Heart Disease, Diabetes, and now we can add broken bones to the list.

I first covered this in August, 2008.  In Australia, patients with broken legs that didn’t heal were treated with their own Repair Stem Cells.  For example, Anthony Giancola had suffered a badly broken leg in 2005, that didn’t heal after almost 4 years until he had his own stem cells implanted into his leg.  2 weeks after the Repair Stem Cells were implanted into Anthony, he was walking normally again.

Usually, when we break bones in some accident, 80%-85% of the time, with the help of some good doctors, the broken bone heals and we are back to normal in approximately 2 months.  However, in some cases, the bone does not heal properly or does not heal at all.

Such was the case of Loraine Holland, a school teacher in Essex, England.  She broke her leg badly in a sledging accident.  I’m not sure what sledging is, but I understand the broken leg part well enough.  The badly broken leg simply wouldn’t heal.  From the article:

The X-rays showed it was broken in two places, but the consultant said it should heal and after two days discharged me. I was in plaster for 14 weeks, first using a wheelchair and then crutches, and went back every four weeks for X-rays.

These showed the bone wasn™t knitting together and no one could understand why.

A CT scan showed there was a good blood supply to the bone, and I was young and healthy, but my leg just wouldn™t heal.

So my consultant referred me to the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic and District Hospital in Oswestry, where they were pioneering the treatment.

I saw Professor James Richardson 11 months after my accident. He told me that stem cells, which are found in the bone marrow, act like the body™s own building blocks and could help me grow new bone around my fracture.

It worked- Four months after the operation, I was finally able to walk normally - it felt amazing. I was able to work and be an active mum again.

I urge you to read this whole article in full as it covers the stem cell procedure in detail.  At the end, it says the treatment can be done on a private patient basis and  costs around 7,000 pounds- about $10,000 US dollars.  So if you or someone you know has a broken leg that hasn’t healed- perhaps you may wish to look up -Professor James Richardson is consultant orthopaedic surgeon at the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic and District Hospital in Oswestry. It may very well be worth a holiday in England.

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