Anna Kubsik-Gidlewska, Kamil Klupiński, Marek Krochmalski, Jakub Krochmalski, Paulina Klimkiewicz, Marta Woldańska-Okońska
Rehabilitation and Physical Medicine, Medical University of Łódź Chair of Nephrology and Hypertension, 90-647 Łódź Poland.
DOI: 10.2340/20030711-1000012

Osteoarthritis is a group of multiple overlapping pathological conditions that cause destruction of articular cartilage and other structures of the joint. It is a progressive disease that leads to limitations of physical activity. New forms of treatment are therefore sought to alleviate the clinical symptoms of osteoarthritis and avoid surgery. Stem cell based therapy is an emerging field in orthopaedics. This study describes the treatment of knee osteoarthritis with CD34+ stem cells at the Medical Magnus Outpatient Clinic in Lodz, Poland, together with the treatment and rehabilitation algorithm developed for maximum effectiveness of this procedure. The algorithm includes 3 rehabilitation stages: preoperative, hospitalization and outpatient periods.

Osteoarthritis of the knee joint is a chronic disease that mainly affects people over 50 years of age. The main symptoms include pain and limitation of range of motion of the joint, which prevent patients from participating in physical activity. Stem cell therapy has been developed in orthopaedics in recent years for the treatment of gonarthrosis. Rehabilitation is necessary after stem cell transplantation in patients with gonarthrosis in order to restore the proper range of joint mobility, for anti-oedematous action, muscle strength improvement, and for elimination of pain. This article describes the physiotherapy algorithm used for patients after stem cell transplantation. Kinesitherapy and physical therapy enabled a more rapid return of the patient to physical or professional activity.