Written By: N. Lothungbeni Humtsoe | Updated : January 22, 2026 6:12 PM IST
Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara star Abhay Deol, 49, recently opened up about a treatment he underwent to manage chronic pain. In an Instagram post shared on 20 January, Deol said that he had travelled to South Korea for a procedure called stem cell therapy to treat knee pain and sciatica. Deol wrote, "I never speak about my health or personal issues on a public platform, but I felt the need to share this. For a long time I've had pain in my knees and sciatica in my left leg due to a slip disc."
Talking about his experience, the 49-year-old wrote, "I felt quite hopeless at times, because I didn't want surgery of any kind, especially for my lower back. I'd been reading about stem cell therapy, and thought it to be safe enough to give it a shot. I recently received stem cell therapy at Lydian Clinic via Jabez medical guide."
The Socha Na Tha star further revealed that he was treated by Dr. Abraham An at Lydian Clinic in Seoul. He said, "I have to say, It's amazing how natural and safe the procedure felt no synthetic materials, just my own cells helping my body heal itself. What a great time to be alive, I'm truly impressed by how advanced Korea's regenerative medicine has become! The staff at Lydian Clinic took great care of me at every step, they really set a new standard for professionalism and results. I cannot express how amazing the service and hospitality I received from Jabez medical guide, they assisted me through the whole process."
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According to Mayo Clinic, stem cells are a special type of cell that have two important properties that make more cells like themselves. They are self-renewable and become other cells that can do different things in a process known as differentiation.
Stem cell therapy is a new medical treatment that has gained popularity for maintaining tissues as well as repairing after injury. It is a treatment that involves the transplantation of stem cells into a patient's body to promote tissue repair and regeneration. The process of stem cells typically involves:
Researchers have a keen interest in stem cell therapy because it possesses several health benefits that are beyond managing chronic back pain. "People who might benefit from stem cell therapies include those with leukemia, Hodgkin disease, non-Hodgkin lymphoma and some solid tumour cancers. Stem cell therapies also might benefit people who have aplastic anemia, immunodeficiencies and inherited conditions of metabolism," Mayo Clinic explains.
"Stem cells are being studied to treat type 1 diabetes, Parkinson's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, heart failure, osteoarthritis and other conditions. Stem cells may have the potential to be grown to become new tissue for use in transplant and regenerative medicine. Researchers continue to advance the knowledge on stem cells and their applications in transplant and regenerative medicine."
