Stem Cell Therapy Helps Teen Dancer Recover from Kneecap Damage

Young Patient's Knee Pain Persisted Despite Two Years of Rest

A 14-year-old female dancer developed worsening right knee pain without any injury. The pain centered behind her kneecap and spread to the sides. Simple activities like climbing stairs, running, and squatting made it worse. She had to stop dancing and all sports activities completely.

Doctors diagnosed her with juvenile osteochondritis dissecans (JOCD) of the patella. This condition occurs when blood supply problems cause a small area of bone beneath the cartilage to weaken. The cartilage covering it can then crack or separate. While JOCD most commonly affects the thigh bone, her case was rare—involving the kneecap, which happens in only about two percent of cases.

Standard Treatment Failed After Two Full Years

The medical team first tried conventional treatment. This included six months of reduced activity and protected weight bearing. When that didn't help, the patient stopped all sports for two years. However, follow-up MRI scans showed the damaged area remained unchanged. Her symptoms continued without improvement.

At this point, the doctors considered other options. Traditional surgical approaches for this condition include drilling into the bone, using screws, or more complex procedures. However, the kneecap's difficult location and curved shape make surgery challenging. Published research shows conservative treatment fails in over half of these cases.

Fat-Derived Stem Cells Injected Directly Into the Knee

After the two-year conservative approach failed, doctors offered the patient adipose-derived stem cell therapy. These are regenerative cells harvested from the patient's own fat tissue. The cells were processed and injected directly into her knee joint.

This approach is much less invasive than traditional surgery. It uses the body's own healing cells rather than donor tissue or artificial materials. The patient's parents received detailed information about the treatment, its risks, and alternative options before agreeing to proceed.

MRI Scans Revealed Progressive Cartilage Healing

Doctors monitored the patient's knee with MRI scans at six months and twelve months after treatment. The results were encouraging:

• Six months: The damaged area showed signs of cartilage regeneration. The new tissue had high water content, suggesting immature or fibrocartilage was forming.

• Twelve months: The area appeared almost fully regenerated with good fibrocartilage structure.

• Eighteen months: Further scans showed the cartilage was maturing from deeper to surface layers. It was developing a more hyaline-like structure—closer to normal, healthy cartilage.

Knee Function Scores Improved Dramatically

The patient completed standard knee function questionnaires before and after treatment. These scores measure pain, daily activities, and sports ability:

After one year, she reported complete pain relief. Her Lysholm score reached a perfect 100, and her activity level went from zero to eight—indicating return to competitive sports.

A Possible Alternative to More Invasive Surgery

This case suggests that stem cell therapy from fat tissue may offer a treatment option between failed conservative care and complex surgery. Current surgical options like cartilage implantation require general anesthesia, multiple procedures, and longer recovery times.

The researchers note this is a single case study. No established guidelines exist for treating JOCD of the kneecap. More research with larger patient groups would help confirm these promising results. However, for young patients who haven't improved with rest and activity modification, this approach may help avoid more invasive procedures while supporting natural tissue healing.

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Source: Russo et al., Journal of Surgical Case Reports, 2020.