# @nickpappasmd on Instagram

- **Type:** Video
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DYM8lrvN4Yi
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/65528262-nickpappasmd-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/439130f463.jpg
- **Posted:** 2026-05-11T14:49:27.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Nick Pappas, MD (@nickpappasmd) — https://gondola.cc/nickpappasmd

## Caption

Comment NEWSLETTER for more similar health information.

🦴 Can stem cells regrow cartilage?

🚨 This is one of the most common questions I get as an orthopedic surgeon.

The answer is… not exactly.

🧠 Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs)—which are commonly derived from bone marrow or fat tissue—may help reduce inflammation and improve pain/function in arthritic joints. That part is supported by some human research.

💡 But here’s the important distinction:

❌ We do NOT currently have strong evidence that MSC injections reliably regrow normal, native hyaline cartilage in humans.

📕In some studies, patients may form small amounts of “cartilage-like” tissue, but it’s often fibrocartilage—which is not the same durable cartilage you were born with.

So while mesenchymal stem cells may help “calm down” a joint environment…
👉 they are not a proven way to fully reverse arthritis or rebuild a worn-out knee.

👉 The science is promising….but we’re not there yet.

#stemcells #cartilage #osteoarthritis #orthopedics #kneepain

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## Tags

stemcells, orthopedics, kneepain, osteoarthritis, cartilage

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