And how cell therapy can rejuvenate the body’s natural ability to regenerate bone tissue that may be compromised from alcohol abuse.

While most people are now aware of the effects of chronic and excessive consumption of alcohol on the liver, few people actually know the impact it has on our bones. Overuse of alcohol is extremely detrimental to the health of bone tissue in both adolescents as well as adults. About 14.6% of the Indian population aged between 10 and 75 years use alcohol according to a survey in 2019 by the Indian government and of those, 43% consume more than four drinks in a single occasion and 1 in 5 men report alcohol dependence.

The impact of alcohol use on people’s health and economic lives is a subject of several studies and debates, owing to the several direct and indirect effects of alcohol. However, its impact on bone tissue goes unnoticed and is generally attributed to other incidental causes.

How does alcohol affect bones?

Bone tissue goes through continuous regrowth and renewal. The body makes new bone tissue to replace tissue that’s worn out and dying. However when there is a shortage of blood supply to the bone tissue, a condition called Avascular Necrosis (AVN) takes place. With AVN, also known as osteonecrosis, blood carrying oxygen and other essential nutrients required for the skeletal system to generate new bone tissue, is in shortage. Thus, the body is unable to produce new tissue fast enough to replace the old worn out bone tissue. This causes bone to decay and eventually break.

While accidents and traumatic injuries are a leading cause for AVN, excessive alcohol intake is another prevalent cause for this condition. High alcohol levels in the bloodstream cause high levels of triglycerides and cholesterol. This causes fat deposition in the bone marrow that blocks blood flow to the bone tissues that eventually causes decay.

The most common joint affected by alcohol-induced AVN is the hip joint. Advanced stages of AVN at the hip joint usually calls for a hip replacement surgery. People affected by AVN usually complain of pain while applying pressure to the joint, stiff joints and reduced mobility, difficulty in climbing stairs, walking or even standing.

Avascular Necrosis treatment

The general option for hip pain treatment or knee pain treatment, is joint replacement surgery. However, joint replacement surgery is a highly invasive surgery, requiring a lot of rest and using foreign material to strengthen the joint.

Cell therapy for Avascular Necrosis treatment

Cellular therapy or cell therapy is a procedure where human cells are transplanted to damaged tissue to help regenerate new cells and replace old and worn out tissue. Cell therapy can be used in the early and mid stages of AVN progression and is a permanent cure to the condition. Cell therapy stops the disease from progressing and restores mobility.

OSSGROW® Bone Cell Therapy extracts healthy bone marrow and implants bone cell culture back into the affected areas. AVN progression ceases, healthy bone begins to form and the hip goes back to original levels of health and mobility. OSSGROW® Bone Cell Therapy is India’s first FDA approved cell therapy that has had a 90% success rate.