Musculoskeletal Injuries (MSI) are any injury that affects the bones, muscles, ligaments, nerves, or tendons resulting in pain. While pain may be widespread and affect the entire body, it is often localized in the hands and wrists due to their high use and exposure. Acute pain often stems from injuries like a fall, sprain, dislocation, or a direct blow to the muscle.

Your shoulder joint is composed of three bones: the clavicle (collarbone), the scapula (shoulder blade), and the humerus (upper arm bone). Your shoulders are the most movable joints in your body. They can also be unstable because the ball of the upper arm is larger than the shoulder socket that holds it. To remain in a stable or normal position, the shoulder must be anchored by muscles, tendons, and ligaments.

Because your shoulder can be unstable, it can be easily injured. Common problems include:

• Sprains and strains

• Dislocations

• Separations

• Tendinitis

• Bursitis

• Torn rotator cuffs

• Frozen shoulder

• Fractures (broken bones)

• Arthritis

Musculoskeletal pain is related to the nerves, ligaments, tendons, muscles, bones, and muscles, and it can occur in any area of the body. The most common cause of musculoskeletal pain is MSIs. This type of disorder directly affects our body framework leading to pain and inflammation in the damaged area. 

According to the clinical data evidence, fall history and accidents are the most common causes of musculoskeletal injuries. However, other factors such as pathological conditions and sudden traumas can also contribute to MSIs.

Common Shoulder Injuries

• Frozen Shoulder: Symptoms include trouble lifting your arm above your head, reaching across your body, or reaching behind your back. It can be associated with inflammatory arthritis, thyroid disease, or diabetes.

• Rotator Cuff Tear: The rotator cuff muscles and tendons may be injured by trauma, such as falling when skiing or biking, or from arthritic spurs that form within the shoulder and erode the cuff tissue over time.

• Clavicle Fracture: The collarbone, or clavicle, is directly under the skin with very little overlying tissue, which makes fractures visible to the naked eye or even protrudes through the skin.

• Shoulder Arthritis: is the wear and tear of shoulder cartilage until the bare bone is exposed. The shoulder joint can sometimes become narrowed and arthritic, and spurs can form on the undersurface.

• Shoulder Dislocation: You may feel an inability to move your shoulder, intense pain, arm numbness, weakness, a visibly out-of-place shoulder, and/or swelling.

• Shoulder Separation: AC joint separation symptoms may include shoulder instability and pain, especially when making overhead movements, crossbody movements, or during sleep. There may also be a pronounced bump or bulge at the joint line on the top of the shoulder.

The shoulder joint is the joint of the upper extremity, which is the most mobile and active joint in the body. All of the gross and fine motor skills of hands and limbs contribute to the shoulder joint. Any problem in this joint can affect the whole limb and its respective function. 

In the case of Musculoskeletal problems of the shoulder, the treatment aims to relieve the pain and improve the joint's range of motion. 

The most common treatment options for these problems are:

• Anti-inflammatory medications

• Injections having corticosteroid and hyaluronic acid

• Physical therapy and rest

• Surgical procedures to remove deposits and treat the joint (as in adhesive capsulitis)

Most of these treatments only focus on the signs and symptoms of the disease. However, Stem Cell Therapy can serve in eradicating the root cause of the problem.

Stem Cells are the natural repair process of your body parts. SCs are present in our fat cells, bone marrow cells and in this case, we use Mesenchymal Stem Cells from donor cord blood. If you place the stem cells over the area of damage, then these cells can lead to the activation of new and healthy cells. This healing process is what our body needs. Stem Cell Therapy helps boost body repair mechanisms and introduces the new Stem Cells.

Stem Cells are divided into different categories according to their potency:

• Totipotent Stem Cells: Cells that can give rise to almost all types of required cells as early Embryonic Stem Cells

• Pluripotent Stem Cells: Early fetal derived and Embryonic Stem Cells

• Multipotent Stem Cells: Cells that can differentiate into closely related or neighboring cells as adult-derived Stem Cells

• Unipotent Stem Cells: Cells that differentiate into only one type of cell as progenitor cells

For shoulder problems, adult Mesenchymal Stem Cells are derived from different sources such as synovium, fat, bone marrow, tendons, muscles, periosteum, tissues, and umbilical cord blood.

For ligamentous, muscular, and tendinous injuries, stem cells are injected inside the targeted area. After injection, stem cells tend to differentiate and mobilize to change into the required cell type. The number of stem cells may vary according to the condition, but it is commonly kept between ten to fifty million cells.

Stem Cells are the specialized and undifferentiated cells that can renew themselves and divide into other forms. Unlike the traditional or standard treatments for Musculoskeletal problems, SCT has a main goal to regenerate or repair the damaged tissues and bring them back to their original state. 

At first, Stem Cells were considered the type of cells that differentiate into damaged tissues’ predominant cell type. However, recent studies show that stem cells have a unique effect of modulating the host’s response or immune system response to the injuries. With this modulation, stem cells can help heal and repair the body tissues after the injury without causing any effect on the immune system. 

The body’s immune system is the first line of defense against diseases and injuries. Both musculoskeletal systems and immunity have a complex relationship. Osteo-immunity refers to the immunity associated with the bones and framework of the body. A dysfunction in one system can equally affect the other system. 

Any issue which can cause a disturbance can lead to damage of body cells and necrosis. In some cases, the immune system can be overstimulated to harm its cells in the body. Different Musculoskeletal conditions occur on account of issues related to the immune response of the Musculoskeletal system. 

Stem Cell Therapy and Exosomes provide an efficient opportunity for treating Musculoskeletal disorders. Cartilage destruction can be one of the most common results of musculoskeletal disorders. Silencing miRNA-101 through exosomes can help prevent cartilage degradation in the case of arthritis. 

Osteoclast differentiation and bone-forming cells proliferation is another significant result of MSCs-Exosomes Therapy. Different studies proved that Exosomes could help in protection against acute tubular injuries. These cells mediate the interaction between cells and stimulate cell proliferation to control several diseases and traumas. For instance, these cells are involved (directly) in the transfer of microRNAs to affect the signal transduction pathways into the targeted cells. This process can be used as a microRNA cells therapy for most age-related musculoskeletal diseases and disorders.

Risk factors for Stem Cell Therapy aren’t the talk of the town. Of all the treatment options, Stem Cell Therapy is the safest treatment for Musculoskeletal problems. In some cases, patients may suffer from some allergic reactions, fever, pain at the injection site, redness, and inflammation.

Most of the risk factors and side effects are controllable. For diabetic patients, there must be proper care for wounds and any bleeding from the treatment area. A careful pre- and post-op preparation regimen can help avoid and manage all the risk factors associated with Stem Cells Therapy.

Stem Cell Therapy has a great potential to be more effective for treating Musculoskeletal Injuries than previous methods and carries less risk. SCT has a great potential to emerge as one solution to all human body problems.  

All the treatment options for Musculoskeletal Injuries have been temporary options for just treating the symptoms. With the invention of Stem Cells Replacement Therapy, hopes and prognosis of the disease treatment have been raised. It has the potential to be more effective than previous methods and also carries less risk.