Coventry woman completes half marathon just weeks after having nSTRIDE

A Coventry woman is celebrating completing the city’s half marathon and raising over £1,000 for charity just weeks after having nSTRIDE® APS at the Midland Knee Protect Clinic.

Keen runner Amanda Smith was diagnosed with osteoarthritis six years ago and tried everything from physiotherapy to acupuncture, steroid injections to electrolysis to ease her crippling knee pain – without success.

“I tried so many things but nothing helped very much for very long. Having that pain always there or in your mind is just so draining,” said Amanda, who teaches an improvers Couch to 5K group for This Girl Runs in Nuneaton twice a week.

“I love running so much, but every time I ran I got severe pain in my knee, which was awful. My work is quite physical too and I was struggling getting up and down stairs – sometimes I was even hobbling and wincing getting out of bed.”

But, Amanda’s life has been turned around after having nSTRIDE® APS a unique1 biological treatment which used extracts from her own blood to treat the cause of her osteoarthritis2,3* as well as treating the pain1.

Targeted at patients with mild to moderate knee disease, a single nSTRIDE® APS injection can provide effective pain relief and improved knee function for up to five years.

“I researched the treatment and Midland Knee Protect Clinic and the process, from start to finish, was really quick and easy,” said Amanda, 48. “I didn’t think it had worked at first but after about a month I realised I wasn’t in pain anymore when I ran and since then it has just made such a difference to my life.

“Just two months after having my injection, I was able to complete the Coventry Half Marathon without painkillers or strapping. I also raised more than £1,000 for Parkinson’s Disease, a cause close to my heart, which was just amazing.”

Amanda, an Area Trainer with Age UK, is one of more than 22,000 people in Coventry alone suffering from knee osteoarthritis. She added: “I can now live my life without pain and the worry I will be in pain. If this lasts me three years that peace of mind will have cost me just a few pounds a week. Having nSTRIDE® APS is the best thing I’ve ever done.”

Developed by Zimmer Biomet, nSTRIDE® APS is designed to not only provide long-lasting pain relief 2,4 but also creates a personalised injectable solution which can target the inflammation which drives cartilage destruction in osteoarthritis3*,5.

Anti-inflammatory proteins and anabolic growth factors were taken from Amanda’s blood and, after being concentrated in a centrifuge, injected back into her knee.

Here at Midland Knee Protect Clinic we provide tailored treatment and support for patients with joint pain due to wear and tear. We have performed over 200 nSTRIDE® treatments, and demand is growing as people in chronic pain face long treatment delays because of the Coronavirus pandemic.

Clinic Lead and experienced Orthopaedic Consultant Mr Jamie Arbuthnot said: “Living in chronic pain can not only have a huge impact on your physical health, but your mental health will be badly affected too.

"If you are limited by knee osteoarthritis and are not ready to give up on the things you love doing – whether that is walking the dog or taking part in sport – then nSTRIDE® is proving to be a very effective, long-lasting treatment for those with early to mid-disease who would otherwise be taking frequent painkilling medication or steroid injections.

“Since offering nSTRIDE we have found that about 75 per cent of people will respond very positively to the treatment for, on average, two to three years. This is hugely encouraging and fits in with what studies around the world are showing.”

References:

1. Woodell-May J, Steckbeck K, King W. (2021): Potential Mechanism of Action of Current Point-of-Care Autologous Therapy Treatments for Osteoarthritis of the Knee—A Narrative Review. International Journal of Molecular Sciences (22) 2726
2. E Kon, L.E., P Verdonk, S Nehrer, G Filardo, Autologous Protein Solution Injections for the Treatment of Knee Osteoarthritis 3-Year Results. The American Journal of Sports Medicine, 2020. 48(11): p. 2703-2710
3. King W, Bendele A, Marohl T, Woodell-May J (2017): Human blood-based anti-inflammtory solution inhibits osteoarthritis progression in a meniscal-tear rat study. Journal of Orthopaedic Research 2260-2268 DOI 10.1002/jor.23528
4. APSS-33-00 Clinical Investigation Report; Zimmer Biomet: “A Multicenter, Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo [Saline]-Controlled Pilot Study of a Single, Intra-Articular Injection of Autologous Protein Solution in Patients with Osteoarthritis of the Knee-60 month” Ver. 1; July 1, 2021
5. O’Shaughnessey K, Matuska A, Hoeppner J, et al. (2014): Autologous protein solution prepared from the blood of osteoarthritic patients contains an enhanced profile of anti-inflammatory cytokines and anabolic growth factors. Journal of Orthopaedic Research. 32(10):1349-1355