Nowadays, pain and wear and tear in knees has become a very common problem. Knee pain increases with age, causing difficulty in walking. Many people believe that once the bones of the knee are damaged or injured, they can never fully heal, and the cartilage does not regenerate. This often causes pain, fatigue and sometimes even diseases like osteoarthritis. Many people think, “Nothing can be done now, my knees are old.” If you also think so, then a new discovery has come out that can prove you wrong, and just one injection can provide relief from knee problems. In fact, a new discovery by researchers at Stanford Medicine may completely change this thinking.
Researchers say that your knees have the ability to heal themselves; This means that the bones and cartilage of the knees can heal themselves to some extent. This means that knees that have been damaged after injury or have problems caused by aging can be repaired. This discovery can not only provide relief from knee pain, but can also open new avenues for the treatment of problems like osteoarthritis in the future.
A protein linked to aging is responsible
This research conducted on rats found that a protein in the body, 15-hydroxyprostaglandin dehydrogenase (15-PGDH), increases with age and weakens cartilage. Researchers blocked this protein, and the results were surprising. The cartilage in the knees of the old mice thickened again, and the mice that had the injury did not develop osteoarthritis.
It is worth noting that cartilage is a kind of soft, cushion-like substance between the bones. You can think of it as a pad or cushion for the bones. It is found in our knees, elbows, shoulders and other joints, and it prevents bones from rubbing against each other. It helps you walk, run, and protects your joints from injury and wear and tear.
How does cartilage heal itself?
Cartilage does not need external stem cells to heal. Cells already present in your knees, called chondrocytes, work to repair the cartilage themselves. Research has found that when an enzyme called 15-PGDH is inhibited, these chondrocytes stop causing inflammation and damaging the cartilage. Instead, they begin to regenerate healthy, stronger cartilage.
Osteoarthritis treatment may change
Osteoarthritis has now become a disease affecting one in every five adults. Currently, there is no cure; Only pain relievers are given, and in severe cases surgery is required. But this new method can prevent the root cause of cartilage breakdown. This means that the disease may slow or stop, and perhaps the knee may heal on its own. It would not be wrong to say that in the future, knee surgery may become completely unnecessary, and osteoarthritis can be treated with just a single injection.
Help is available even after injury
This research on rats showed that rats given 15-PGDH blockers after injury were much less likely to develop osteoarthritis. He was able to walk easily and put weight on the injured leg without any problem. This is good news for athletes and cricketers.
Hope found in human cartilage too
Researchers also tested on human cartilage samples. In just one week, the samples showed less wear and tear and healthy cartilage began to regenerate. This means that this method can also work in humans.
When will patients benefit? This treatment is not currently available for osteoarthritis. However, a drug that blocks this protein is currently in clinical trials for age-related muscle weakness and has been found to be safe. If it proves effective in humans, it may be possible to regenerate knee cartilage through injections or drugs. This may mean that many people will not need knee replacement surgery in the future.