Severe Knee Pain Improved After Single Fat Tissue Injection
R.D. Striano, H. Chen, N. Bilbool, K. Azatullah, J. Hilado, K. Horan · Regenerative Medicine · 2015
Patient's Pain Dropped from 8 to 0 After Treatment
This case report follows a 59-year-old man with severe knee osteoarthritis and a torn meniscus. He had already tried many treatments without success. These included anti-inflammatory medications, physical therapy, steroid injections, and gel injections. He even had arthroscopic surgery to repair his meniscus, but his pain worsened afterward. Before treatment, his pain score was 8 out of 10. One year after receiving a single Lipogems® injection, his pain score dropped to zero.
Knee Function Nearly Doubled in One Year
Doctors tracked the patient's progress using the KOOS score. This measures pain, function, and quality of life on a scale where 100 is perfect. Before treatment, the patient scored just 45 points. One year after the injection, his score improved to 92.9. This dramatic improvement occurred without any other medications or treatments added to the fat tissue injection.
MRI Revealed Cartilage Thickness Doubled at Six Months
Perhaps the most striking finding came from follow-up MRI scans. At six months after treatment, imaging showed the cartilage over the inner knee had grown thicker. The initial measurement showed cartilage thickness of 0.75 millimeters. Six months later, this had doubled to 1.5 millimeters. The joint space also appeared wider, suggesting improved cushioning between the bones.
How the Treatment Works
The procedure used Lipogems® technology to process the patient's own fat tissue. A small amount of fat was collected from the abdomen using a minimally invasive approach. This fat was then processed in a closed system without adding enzymes or chemicals. The result was tiny fat clusters about half a millimeter in size. These clusters contain the body's natural regenerative cells, including pericytes (helper cells that support healing).
The processed fat tissue was then injected directly into the knee joint using continuous ultrasound guidance. This allowed doctors to precisely place the material where it was needed most. The entire procedure used only the patient's own tissue. No drugs or other biological products were added.
Why This Approach Differs from Other Treatments
Natural healing support: The fat tissue provides cushioning while also delivering regenerative cells
Minimal processing: Unlike some stem cell treatments, this technique keeps the tissue's natural structure intact
No enzymes or additives: The fat is processed mechanically, avoiding chemical digestion
Single procedure: The patient received one injection and was followed for improvements over time
What This Means for Patients Like You
This case report is part of a larger 100-patient study approved by an ethics review board. While results from a single patient cannot guarantee similar outcomes for everyone, they offer hope for people with stubborn knee pain. The patient in this study had tried nearly every standard treatment without relief. His knee pain had not responded to surgery, injections, or medications.
The combination of pain relief, improved function, and visible cartilage changes on MRI suggests that micro-fragmented fat tissue may support genuine healing. The researchers note that this treatment appears promising for non-responsive knee pain. However, they also acknowledge that more research is needed to confirm these findings across larger groups of patients.
If you have knee osteoarthritis with meniscal damage that has not responded to other treatments, this type of regenerative approach may be worth discussing with your doctor. The procedure uses your own tissue, which reduces rejection risks. It also avoids the side effects associated with long-term medication use.
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Source: Striano et al., Regenerative Medicine, 2015.
Original Publication
Non-Responsive Knee Pain with Osteoarthritis and Concurrent Meniscal Disease Treated With Autologous Micro-Fragmented Adipose Tissue Under Continuous Ultrasound Guidance
R.D. Striano, H. Chen, N. Bilbool, K. Azatullah, J. Hilado, K. Horan · Regenerative Medicine · 2015
Adipose tissue has gained increased interest in the medical and scientific community over the last few years as a source for ortho-biologic therapies. It is readily accessible and simple to harvest. Adipose can be used to provide cushioning and filling of structural defects and has been shown to have an abundance of bioactive elements and regenerative perivascular cells. This study evaluates the potential benefits of injecting a severely arthritic knee with concurrent meniscal disease with micro-fragmented non-digested adipose tissue using a novel technique by obtaining minimally manipulated and micronized fat tissue with intact stromal vascular niches harboring regenerative cellular elements. The case is a 59-year-old male with severe knee pain who failed multiple treatments, including arthroscopic meniscal surgery, with MRI revealing osteoarthritis, medial meniscal tear, and chondromalacia patella. Micro-fragmented fat was obtained using a minimal manipulation technique in a closed system (Lipogems®), without enzymes or additives, yielding fat clusters of approximately 500 microns. The micronized fat was injected under continuous ultrasound guidance into the joint and meniscal defects. One year post-treatment, VAS pain score improved from 8 to 0, and KOOS improved from 45 to 92.9. Six-month MRI revealed improved cartilage signal and thickness over the medial femoral condyle (0.75 mm to 1.5 mm) with widened joint space. Autologous micro-fragmented adipose tissue injection appears to be a promising and viable treatment for non-responsive knee pain with osteoarthritis.