Osteoarthritis-Case-Ms. Li

Ms. Li from China

Nationality：China

Age: 46 Years old

Diagnosis : Osteoarthritis

Admission Date：Jun 2009

Background

Ms. Li is from Suzhou city, Jiangsu province of China. She recounted that one day in early July 2008, she started to experience swelling, numbness, and pain in her knees, with the left knee being particularly affected. When she returned home and lay down at night, the numbness extended from her knees to her thighs, to the extent that she almost lost sensation. She then visited a local hospital, where an X - ray revealed that her lumbar vertebra and knees were normal, with no sign of fracture. She applied analgesic plasters and took oral painkillers, but after a month, her symptoms remained unrelieved, prompting her to undergo an MRI reexamination.

Pre-Treatment Condition（Before Stem Cell Treatment）

Meniscus Condition：There was a mottling abnormal sign in the anterior horn of the lateral meniscus. On T1W1 and fat-suppression imaging, it showed high signal intensity. However, the abnormal sign did not spread to the meniscus surface.
Ligament Status：The anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments presented no abnormal signs, and their continuity remained intact.
Joint Capsule Condition：A few fluid signs were observable in the left knee joint capsule.
Overall Diagnosis：After comprehensive assessment, the final diagnosis was “gonitis”.

Treatment Plan

One course of stem cell therapy
Surgical method: Intra-articular Treatment
Efficacy monitoring plan over 6 to 12 months post-treatment

After the First Course ofTreatment (6 months)

MRI Results：One and a half months after treatment, patient underwent an MRI reexamination. The results demonstrated that there was no abnormal signal in the knee joints. This indicates a significant improvement in the internal structure of the knees at a radiological level.
Symptom Relief：Symptoms that had previously troubled her, such as knee pain and numbness, were obviously relieved. The alleviation of these symptoms directly improved her quality of life and daily activities.
Functional Recovery：Patient has achieved a great recovery. Currently, she can almost move around freely. This shows that not only have the physical symptoms improved, but also her knee function has largely restored, enabling her to resume normal daily mobility.

Category	Symptom	Improvement
Meniscus Condition	Abnormal signal in lateral meniscus (no surface extension).	No abnormal signal observed on MRI.
Ligament Status	Intact anterior/posterior cruciate ligaments.	No change reported.
Joint Capsule	Mild fluid accumulation in left knee capsule.	Implicit resolution (symptom relief suggests resolved inflammation).
Diagnosis	Gonitis (knee inflammation).	Structural normalization (MRI-confirmed recovery).
Symptoms	Knee pain, numbness, restricted mobility.	Pain/numbness relieved; near-normal mobility.
Functional Recovery	Limited movement due to pain and structural issues.	Free movement restored; daily activities resumed.

Progress Summary & Future Outlook

Looking forward, the patient's remarkable recovery after the first course of stem cell treatment holds great promise. In the coming months and years, we anticipate that the positive effects will continue to endure. This successful treatment not only improves her quality of life but also offers hope for others with similar knee conditions.