Simple Exercise Improves Stem Cell Therapy

20 minutes a day can make a difference

Simple cyclic low stress exercise for only 20 minutes per day helped improve the results of stem cell therapy. Researchers at the Sapporo University School of Medicine in Japan and Yale University have found that adding simple walking exercises to rats who received mesenchymal stem cells for a chemically induced stroke not only significantly reduced the size of the stroke lesion in the brain but also stimulated more brain activity and improved their ability to recover from the stroke compared to rats who received stem cell therapy alone. Another study conducted at the Yamaguchi School of Medicine found that simple eccentric muscle exercises of your thigh muscles such as performing wall squats activated stem cell proliferation for up to 5 days after the exercise. So, it does appear that we may be able to improve the number of stem cells activated and the overall results of stem cell therapy with simple, motion and stretching exercises. We encourage our patients to participate in a 20 minute per day exercise program such as 15 minutes of stationary bike riding and 5 minutes of thigh muscle exercises. Advanced Orthopedic Specialists offers one on one therapy with a registered and certified physical therapist if they prefer a more personalized instruction.

Synergic Effects of Rehabilitation and Intravenous Infusion of Mesenchymal Stem Cells After Stroke in Rats. Sasaki Y, Sasaki M, Kataoka-Sasaki Y, Nakazaki M, Nagahama H, Suzuki J, Tateyama D, Oka S, Namioka T, Namioka A, Onodera R, Mikami T, Wanibuchi M, Kakizawa M, Ishiai S, Kocsis JD, Honmou O. Phys Ther. 2016 Nov;96(11):1791-1798. Epub 2016 May 12.

Effect of eccentric contraction on satellite cell activation in human vastus lateralis muscle.
Imaoka Y, Kawai M, Mori F, Miyata H. J Physiol Sci. 2015 Sep;65(5):461-9. doi: 10.1007/s12576-015-0385-4. Epub 2015 Jun 27.