Suffer from arthritis? Here's how your own fat could ease your pain

It is a known fact that being overweight is a major risk factor for many forms of arthritis. According to a trial conducted in Saudi Arabia, injecting your own fat into the joints could ease the pain of arthritis. Yes, you read that right. We asked experts here, if this could be the next big thing.

The trial

According to a new claim by surgeons, injecting fat into the joints might be a way to reduce the pain of arthritis. In this trial, 100 patients with moderate to severe knee osteoarthritis are being given these jabs. Apparently, doing so provides lubrication inside the joints, thereby improving function and lowering pain and stiffness.

Here, a small amount of fat is taken from the patients body, which is selected according to their own wishes and availability of fat. The fat is obtained and prepared, then injected into the joint cavity of the  osteoarthritic knee. Patients are discharged soon afterwards with antibiotics and painkillers, and later followed up to check for lowering of pain and stiffness and improvement in joint function. The treatment options for osteoarthritis are limited, usually focussed on relieving pain, improving mobility of the joint, and in severe cases, joint-replacement surgery.

Lead researcher of the study conducted at King Abdulaziz University Hospital, Saudi Arabia, said, “Like a car gearbox, joints work best when they have good levels of lubrication, and it is normally provided by synovial, a thick gel-like material. In osteoarthritis sufferers, one element of this fluid, hyaluronic acid, does not work properly. Some research suggests improving lubrication with injections of hyaluronic acid. We believe a simple injection of fat will improve chronic osteoarthritis. We are using the self-lubricating effect of patients’ own fat to improve function and reduce pain.” The trial results will be reported in the British Medical Journal in December.

Expert speak

So do our experts see potential in this form of treatment and could this be the new way to treat arthritis?  Dr Mudit Khanna, Orthopaedic Surgeon, Wockhardt Hospital says “There is no basis or studies which recommend this method. Yes, abdominal fat is taken from which mesenchymal stem cells are obtained. These cells are capable of regenerating cartilage, and are then injected into the joints. The procedures are still be studied and investigated. I don’t think it’s possible to take abdominal fat and just inject it into the knee or joints, it’s not that simple as it sounds. This is just one trial, there are no studies to support this.”

Dr Sachin Bhat, Orthopaedic Surgeon, SRV Hospital, opines that it can hold potential but it would not be wise to comment on the good or the bad because not much research has been done on this. “There are many unanswered questions like exactly how the procedure is done, fat from different parts of the body is different. Also, synovial fluid in the joints is made up of proteins and how fat will react to it, whether there are chances of infections. There’s no research done yet on its effects on the cellular level. It’s just a trial on 100 people, so it’s difficult to say anything. Personally, I don’t think it will work.” 

The above mentioned trial holds potential believes Dr Pradeep Mahajan, Stem cell Transplant surgeon,  Stem Rx Hospital. It gives an insight to find healing power within our own tissues to treat different  diseases. “Mesenchymal stem cells are found along capillaries in fat tissue. When cells from fat tissue are isolated, Stromal Vascular Fraction (SVF) is obtained which improves lubrication of the joints. Thus, use of fat tissue for management of arthritis is a promising approach that utilises the regenerative potential of cells to treat damaged joint structures.” He further adds that cells from fat tissue have anti-inflammatory property which reduces joint swelling and subsequently pain. Additionally, as mentioned above, SVF along with a biological scaffold can prevent progression of the condition and regenerate cartilage and ligaments in the joint. Even advanced cases of arthritis can benefit from fat injections. 

Has this been tried in India and are there any challenges associated with this form of treatment? “Yes, the treatment is being done in India with exciting outcomes. However, as with any treatment, the challenges lie in patient selection, presence of morbid conditions, stage of the disease and recovery period. Nevertheless, in principle, this technique is a breakthrough discovery for all forms of arthritis,” adds Dr Mahajan.