In order to keep my mom at home, we need her to stand with assistance to change her, etc. She is in a wheelchair. We know the stem cell injection won't enable her to walk again, but the doctor suggested it might help with the arthritis pain when she has to stand with assistance for a very brief time. The injection is very expensive and not covered by insurance, so we are not sure if this is a good decision. Also, are there safety concerns? Any advice is appreciated.
Are you using a gait belt to help hold her, if there's anyone else there to help when she stands?
In addition, it wouldn't hurt to take a good look at her diet, check which foods are aggravators for arthritis, and eliminate them.
Has she tried cortisone injections as mentioned above? Or Synvisc, which is a fluid to cushion her joints? I got cortisone injections which really helped in my knees. Then I started taking turmeric and in three months (with one pill daily) my pain has totally subsided and I have bone-on-bone in one knee. You could also try the old standby, glucosamine/chondroitin, which has helped some people.
I think stem cells for osteoarthritis is way too out there, which is why insurance won't cover it. If it was my mom, I wouldn't do it.
You could also consider a lift chair to help her stand depending on what your situation is. We have had one for my mom, who also has had bad knee osteoarthritis. It has helped her stay mobile and on her own at 95.
For overweight patients the biggest help is weight los and PT. Swimming provides weightless range of motion and helps a lot to relieve pain. Some municipal pools have hoyer lifts. Check around.