SEATTLE – About 54 million Americans suffer from aches and pains of arthritis.
Treatments range from pain medications to injections to surgery.
But now there's a new option and it comes from the fluid that surrounds a baby in a woman's womb.
Marty Ciesielczyk's active lifestyle was in jeopardy when knee pain took over.
"When you got to lay on the floor to get dressed, it's tough," Ciesielczyk said.
Ciesielczyk, 77, had arthritis, which happens when there's a loss of cartilage in the joint.
"It's like a tire, and as you slowly lose rubber on the tire, it wears away. You might need to have the tire replaced at some point," said Dr. Adam Yanke, an orthopedic surgeon at Midwest Orthopedics at Rush University.
Ciesielczyk's arthritis was too advanced for a scope procedure but not bad enough for a joint replacement. So, he enrolled in a study testing whether amniotic fluid, which surrounds a growing baby in the uterus, could help his pain.
“Amniotic products come from patients that are having healthy, elective c-sections and they choose to donate these products at the time of the delivery,” Yanke said. The fluid is injected directly into the knee. It’s thought to increase tissue healing and lower inflammation. Ciesielczyk received a placebo during the study, but then chose to have the amniotic fluid when it ended.
"I mean I didn't care if it was pixie dust, as long as my knee was going to feel better," Ciesielczyk said.
He went from not being able to get dressed to jogging about a week after having the injection.
"This morning, I ran three miles, and I had no problem at all," Ciesielczyk said.
And he doesn't plan on slowing down anytime soon.
Amniotic fluid is also being used to treat ulcers in the eye.
Rush University will be enrolling patients for a larger follow-up study on amniotic fluid for joint pain in the future.