Where are these procedures performed in India?

Dr.A.K.Venkatachalam performs these procedures in associated hospitals in Chennai and nowhere else.

Does the doctor give opinions over phone or e mail?

These are not the traditional methods in medicine as they don’t establish a proper doctor-patient relationship. If you are keen to know about your eligibility, you have to fix up an appointment with the doctor in Chennai. You can request an appointment via e mail or phone.

Do these procedures work for everybody?

Eligibility for these procedures is determined on an individual basis after clinical and radiological evaluation.

Are these procedures covered by cashless insurance?

No. If you want this procedure, you may settle the bill in full and seek reimbursement with your insurance provider.

Are these procedures safe?

They are safe as they utilize your own body’s cells and tissues.

Is a PRP procedure same as a stem cell procedure?

No. Platelet rich plasma (PRP) procedure uses your peripheral blood drawn from a vein. It concentrates platelets from peripheral blood. A stem cell procedure utilizes cells drawn from bone marrow.

Which body areas do you commonly treat?

Knee, Shoulder, elbow, hip, fracture non unions and ankle.

Is a PRP procedure suitable for all knee patients?

According to available evidence, a PRP procedure provides relief only in early OA as seen on MRI films.

Can a signalling cell procedure treat all grades of AVN hip?

It is possible only in stages I & II. It can provide pain relief in stage III but is not curative. You will need a hip replacement for advanced stages of AVN hip.

When can I start feeling better?

Pain relief occurs within a couple of weeks. You will start seeing more improvement over one to six months.

How long will the pain relief last?

It is hard to answer this at the moment. Published date on PRP suggests pain relief lasting up to six months.

Know More

What is the evidence for biological treatment with cells?

A. Citations for knee Osteo-arthritis & Cartilage repair

  1. Intra-articular Injection of Allogenic Mesenchymal Stem Cells has a Protective Role for the Osteoarthritis
  2. Mesenchymal stem cell therapy for knee osteoarthritis: 5 years follow-up of three patients.
  3. Efficacy of mesenchymal stem cells injection for the management of knee osteoarthritis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
  4. Inflammatory pathways in knee osteoarthritis: potential targets for treatment.
  5. Therapeutic application of mesenchymal stem cells in osteoarthritis.
  6. Application of biologics in the treatment of the rotator cuff, meniscus, cartilage, and osteoarthritis.
  7. PRP-
  8. Treatment of knee osteo-arthritis with autologous mesenchymal cells: a pilot study
  9. Current clinical evidence for the use of mesenchymal stem cells in articular cartilage repair.
  10. Stem cell application for osteoarthritis in the knee joint- a mini review
  11. Aging has negative effect on bone marrow stem cells. 
  12. Adipose tissue derived SVFstem cells treatment knee arthritis- second look arthroscopy

B.Citations for AVN Hip-

  1. Cell therapy of hip osteonecrosis with autologous bone marrow grafting

C. Tendon and Ligament healing-

     1. The role of Growth factors in tendon and ligament healing

     2. Anterior cruciate ligament healing acclerated with growth factors

D. Shoulder-

     1. Biological augmentation of rotator cuff repair with Mesencymal stem cells improves healing.
2. Biological shoulder resurfacing- A novel approach– Venkatachalam A.K. & Anil Chander

There are no long term data available for stem cells at the moment. There are a number of short term studies which suggest pain relief.