Orthokine Therapy

Effective treatment:

• knee pain, hips (joints)
• sports medicine (tendons, muscles)

 Orthokine® therapy is a new, unusually effective and safe method of treating degenerative arthritis and sports injuries. It takes advantage of the body’s own (autologous) natural, biological ability to regenerate itself. We inject platelet rich plasma with growth factors, a blocker for the receptor Interleukin -1 (Il-1Ra), which has been cultivated in the preparation process, into the damaged area (e.g., ankle joint). All material comes from the patient’s own blood. No foreign substances are introduced in the process.

While preparing for therapy, we draw a small amount of the patient’s blood, which we then incubate in specially patented test tubes from Germany. A protein naturally found in the blood that blocks inflammation effectively and long-term is thus cultivated. This protein blocks pain and the development of degenerative arthritis of the knee, hip joint and spine. The test tubes are then centrifuged to obtain gain Platelets Rich Plasma (PRP), natural growth factors of the patient. Thanks to these growth factors we are able to positively influence the endogenic regenerative abilities of the body’s own tissues. Thus prepared, we give the patient an injection of the material in the injured area, e.g., to the knee joint. We freeze the remaining test tubes so that they may be given to the patient at appropriate time intervals. 

Thanks to this innovative medical procedure, it is possible to reduce or completely eliminate joint pain, increase the range of movement in the joint and the comfort of our patients. In athletes there is an immediate regeneration of damaged structures, which allows for an increase in the effectiveness of treatment and a shortened period of therapy.

Many famous people have undergone Orthokine treatment; among them NBA star Kobe Bryant, actor Nick Nolte, singer Paula Abdul and others. More than one half million Orthokine procedures have been conducted worldwide, proof of Orthokine’s high effectiveness and safety.

Orthokine® therapy may treat:

• inflammation of the joints, including knee and hip (degenerative arthritis, arthrosis)
• injuries to the joint cartilage,
• sports injuries (tendons, muscles, ligaments)
• degenerative disease of the spine connected with pressure on the nerve roots in the lumbar area

The effectiveness and safety of use of blockers of the interleukin-1 receptor attained from the patient’s own blood 

Orthokine® therapy is a tested, well-researched and safe method of treatment. It uses substances to stop inflammation that are obtained directly from the patient’s own blood using special techniques. The goal of the therapy is to directly intervene at the source of the inflammation.

Cytokines like interleukin-1 (IL-1) are a cause of the rise and increase in inflammation and pain of the joints and nerve roots. Thanks to introduction of the antagonist to the interleukin receptor (IL-1Ra) into the body at the location of inflammation it is possible to effectively intervene medically, bringing relief to patients. Properly prepared blood serum (Autologous Conditioned Serum [ACS]) obtained by a special method patented by the company Orthogen Lab Sevices GmbH, Germany, contains significantly raised concentration of IL-1Ra and growth factors from the patient’s body. The doctor takes a sample of blood from the patient with a special syringe from the EOT®II system (Orthokine® therapy) [1,2]. After six hours in the incubator - during this time the IL-1Ra concentration increases – the blood is transferred to the centrifuge, and after centrifuging we receive blood serum that is divided up into 6-8 even portions. It may be injected back into the patient in the area of inflammation, into the joint or nerve roots during the same day. There is also the option to freeze the serum to - 20°C and after its defreezing give it to the patient on the following day. Orthokine® therapy has been used for about ten years. Below is a short description and conclusion from several publications regarding Orthokine® therapy.

Treatment of inflammation of the knee joints Osteoarthritis Cartilage 2009 [3]

A two-year, randomized double-blind study indicated a higher effectiveness of Orthokine® therapy (ACS injections into the joint) in comparison with hyaluronic acid (HA) and a placebo used in a total of 376 men and women (aged 30 to 85 years). Measuring instruments: VAS, WOMAC, SF-8. After six months, those receiving Orthokine® therapy assessed their condition in all target categories significantly higher than the comparison groups. Similar results were received after 18 months of observation. In 67% of patients treated by Orthokine® in 6 months of treatment, a reduction in pain of more than 50% according to the VAS scale was observed as well as a permanent improvement in motor ability. The number of patients who had to undergo another treatment during the study (repeat series of injections, acupuncture, arthroscopy, etc.) due to new or recurring symptoms was lowest in the Orthokine® group.

Treatment of lumbar area back pain, Spine 2007 [4]

A prospective, randomized double-blind study of patients with lumbar radiculopathy has shown that Orthokine® therapy using an epidural perineural injection with a double-needle technique was just as effective in the short-term, and in the long-term showed a tendency to higher effectiveness in comparison with a series of injections with triamcinolone (5 mg or 10 mg). Injection of Orthokine® therapy from the twelfth week to the final assessment in the 22nd week indicated higher effectiveness in the VAS scale in comparison to both groups where triamcinolone was given. Orthokine® therapy is a new alternative in treatment of pain in the lumbar area of the spine.

Conclusion:
Controlled studies indicate that Orthokine® biological therapy is an effective alternative to currently existing therapies with a high level of safety. No studies resulted in infections or serious, undesireable effects.

Bibliography:
[1] Meijer H, et al. Inflamm Res. 2003; 52(10): 404-7.
[2] Wehling P, et al. BioDrugs. 2007; 21(5): 223-32.
[3] Baltzer AW, et al. Osteoarthritis Cartilage. 2009; 17: 152-60
[4] Becker C et al. Spine. 2007 August 1;32(17):1803-8.

The EOT®II blood drawing system for conducting Orthokine® therapy is a medical product of the Orthogen Lab Services GmbH company in Germany.

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Read more about: Effectiveness of intra-articular therapies in osteoarthritis: a literature review - click here.