SHR # 2894:: Could Using Your Own Stem Cells for Arthritis Actually Cause More Harm than Good? - Dr. Elizabeth Yurth, MD - Osteoarthritis, we have learned, has more to do with inflammation than mechanical loading. Obesity is a driver of chronic inflammation and the severely obese and inflamed develop osteoarthritis in non-load-bearing joints like fingers and the cervical spine as an example. Stem cell therapy is being touted as a viable treatment. And mire and more physicians are opting for stem cells extracted right from the patient themselves as opposed to embryonic tissues, fetal tissues, and differentiated somatic cells sources. Is there an inherent potential problem when using the patients own stem cells?