Edinburgh Osteopath - Helen How

08/11/2025

🇸🇪 From 25 Years of Stem Cell Research in Sweden… to Clinical Trials in the Bahamas 🇧🇸

Did you know that the stem cells being used in new clinical trials in the Bahamas actually come from over 25 years of research in Sweden?

These mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are produced in a GMP – Good Manufacturing Practice – certified laboratory, which means they’re made to the same kind of standards used for medicines:
• Strict quality control at every step
• Careful checking of cell identity, purity and viability
• Continuous monitoring by the Swedish authorities

Once the cells are prepared under these pharmaceutical-grade conditions in Sweden, they’re cryo-shipped in liquid nitrogen all the way to the Bahamas, with GPS temperature tracking to make sure they stay at exactly the right conditions during the journey.

In the Bahamas, the cells are being used in regulated clinical trials looking at:
• Cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention
• Musculoskeletal degeneration and injuries

The trials have been approved by The Bahamas National Stem Cell Ethics Committee and the Ministry of Health (October 2023). In Nassau, the cells are:
• Reconstituted in a dedicated laboratory under strict protocols
• Checked again for cell viability and cell counts
• Injected within a 2-hour window, to keep them as fresh and effective as possible for the study

It’s important to say that these are clinical trials, not routine treatments – the aim is to carefully test safety and potential benefits under controlled conditions.

But it’s exciting to see long-term Swedish stem cell science and high-level manufacturing standards now being applied in real-world trials that could shape future care for heart and musculoskeletal health.

As always, this is information, not personal medical advice – but I thought some of you would be interested in what’s happening behind the scenes in regenerative medicine. 💙

https://www.cellcolabsclinical.com/cellcolabs-clinical-webinar/

28/10/2025

Happy Athletes

18/10/2025

🇬🇧 European Champions! 🥇💪
Huge congratulations to , & Allison Wilder — gold at the European Masters Athletics Championships! 🔥

So proud to support their in-season training with focused shockwave therapy for tendon health and recovery. 👏💥


STORZ MEDICAL AG

18/10/2025

Congratulations 🥳 Stacey Downie and Team

18/10/2025

11/10/2025

🔬 Why Focused Shockwave Helps Bone & Soft Tissue Heal

1. Mechanical Microtrauma → Healing Cascade

Focused shockwaves deliver high-energy acoustic waves into the fracture site. These cause tiny, controlled micro-injuries that restart the healing cascade — extending the inflammatory phase, recruiting repair cells, and stimulating the local environment .

2. Angiogenesis (New Blood Vessels)

Shockwaves trigger vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) release, boosting blood vessel formation at the fracture site . More blood = more oxygen and nutrients for osteoblasts (bone-forming cells).

3. Osteoblast Activation & Callus Formation

Studies show shockwaves stimulate osteoblast proliferation and differentiation. This accelerates callus formation and mineralisation, directly driving bone repair  .

4. Breakdown of Sclerosis at Non-Unions

In stubborn fractures, shockwaves can break up hardened bone tissue (sclerosis), reopening healing potential. This is why union rates for nonunions with shockwave therapy reach 70–80% — comparable to surgery but without surgical risks .

5. Pain Relief & Soft Tissue Regeneration

Shockwaves don’t just help bone. They also modulate nerve activity and reduce local inflammation, explaining pain reduction. At the same time, they improve tendon/ligament healing, which is crucial around the ankle joint  .

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🔬 Why EMTT Complements Shockwave
• EMTT delivers high-frequency magnetic fields into the tissues.
• This induces electrical and magnetic stimulation at the cellular level, upregulating bone-healing genes like RUNX2, COL1A1, and osteocalcin (critical for new bone matrix) .
• Lab studies show EMTT accelerates mineralisation of bone, and in practice it synergises with shockwave to speed bone and soft tissue repair .

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✅ In summary:
• Focused Shockwave kick-starts the body’s natural repair — by boosting blood flow, bone cell activity, and breaking through stalled healing.
• EMTT energises cells at the genetic level to build bone matrix faster.
• Together, they form a biological “double hit”: mechanical + electromagnetic stimulation, making healing more reliable and quicker while reducing pain.

15/09/2025

01/09/2025

🦴 High-Risk Trabecular Bone Sites

1. Lumbar Spine (Vertebral Bodies)
• Why: Predominantly trabecular core, highly sensitive to estrogen deficiency.
• Clinical picture: Early site of bone loss in amenorrheic athletes or those with low energy availability; reduced BMD and trabecular bone score often show up here first.

2. Femoral Neck (especially superior side)
• Why: Critical load-bearing zone, with mixed cortical and trabecular composition.
• Risk: Stress reactions and fractures can progress quickly; high displacement risk if missed.
• Often linked with: Female Athlete Triad / RED-S in endurance sports.

3. Tarsal Navicular
• Why: High trabecular content but with limited blood supply.
• Clinical importance: Classic “high-risk” stress fracture site in runners; slow healing and recurrence risk.

4. Sacrum & Pelvis (Pubic Rami)
• Why: Trabecular-dense structure, central load transfer in gait.
• Clinical picture: Stress injuries here often present subtly with vague buttock or groin pain; delayed diagnosis is common.

5. Calcaneus (Heel Bone)
• Why: Rich trabecular bone, bears high impact forces.
• Clinical picture: Seen in runners, military recruits; may mimic plantar fasciitis early on.

6. Proximal Femur
• Why: Combination of cortical and trabecular tissue, highly stress-sensitive during adolescence.
• Clinical picture: BMD deficits in this region often predict later hip fracture risk.

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⚠️ Why These Sites Matter
• Metabolically active → first to show deficits when hormones or nutrients are lacking.
• Structural importance → injuries here can end careers if not caught early.
• Poor healing potential → especially the navicular and femoral neck.
• Silent progression → symptoms often vague until stress fractures occur.

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👉 In short: Lumbar spine → femoral neck → navicular are the “classic first responders” to systemic imbalance. The pelvis, sacrum, calcaneus, and proximal femur follow closely as secondary vulnerable zones.

31/08/2025

Shockwave Therapy: 11 Years in Practice – and the Demand Has Never Been Higher

This month marks 11 years of clinical experience with Shockwave Therapy in my practice. In that time, I’ve seen it move from a specialist option to a cornerstone treatment — not only for tendinopathies and scar tissue but now increasingly for muscle injuries.

For the first time, we’re running a waiting list for Shockwave treatments. I’ve never seen such demand — patients, athletes, and colleagues are recognising the benefits of this non-invasive, drug-free option when paired with progressive rehabilitation.

The science is catching up with what clinicians have observed in practice. A 2023 Cureus systematic review (Mazin et al.) analysed 8 studies, 143 adults, using both radial and focused ESWT across functional strains, structural tears, contusions, and hematomas. Highlights included:
• Pain: VAS scores consistently dropped across acute, chronic, and tendinous injuries.
• Function: Better outcomes on validated scales (e.g., Tegner, Constant).
• Return-to-Play: Elite footballers returned in as little as 3–13 days, depending on injury grade. Chronic lesions took longer (~8 weeks) but still responded well when ESWT was combined with rehab.
• Re-injury: Low recurrence rates, especially in functional and structural injuries.
• Imaging: Evidence of reduced lesion size and improved tendon quality post-ESWT.
• Hematomas: Case reports showed faster pain relief and resorption, suggesting ESWT may be a minimally invasive alternative to more aggressive interventions  .