Surfer Doing Great After Knee Stem Cells
A California surfer who underwent knee stem cell therapy for a meniscal tear, reported great improvement a month after having stem cell therapy.
Surfing is a skill sport, and having good knee mobility without pain or swelling is important. So when a surfer continued to have knee pain after being diagnosed with a knee meniscal tear his research led him to knee stem cell therapy. He was interested in an approach that allowed his body to try and heal itself without surgery. That is a very important objective for many patients, as surgery may not always be successful, and failed knee surgery is irreversible and if associated with a poor outcome, cessation of their sport may occur. Knee meniscal damage often fails to heal due to the poor blood supply to the meniscus. Arthroscopic knee surgery often includes meniscal resection and debridement. This effectively removes valuable tissue that is vital to protecting the knee. Removing portions of the knee meniscus allows earlier wear and tear of the knee joint. Treating with stem cells may allow repair and regenerate this tissue. This also may halt the degeneration of the knee joint. Slowing, or retarding the knee joint degeneration is a very valuable goal associated with stem cell therapy. This may allow sports participation for an extended period, and prevent arthritis progression.
This patient who was a surfer received benefit from the stem cell therapy and was pleased with his outcome. Stem cell treatments for knee meniscal tears may be a useful treatment strategy.
Dr. Lox frequently is consulted for patients who have had knee meniscal surgery and failed to improve, including professional athletes. Imagine being a professional athlete being diagnosed with a knee meniscal tear, having surgery, failing to improve, and then being cut by your team. Dr. Lox has seen this scenario in professional Baseball and Football players. Dr. Lox subsequently treated their failed knee surgery with stem cells and they later returned to professional sports.
This is often not disclosed to the patient, as some surgeons are still unaware of the medical literature supporting this. In fact as far back as 1948, one medical paper published in England stated this correlation. Given this information, knee surgery may actually shorten an athletes professional career if joint arthritis occurs. This is a frequent finding in the NFL football league. It is no wonder patients and athletes are interested in stem cells for knee meniscal problems. No one wants the fate of former NFL quarterback Joe Namath. These factors have made many patients seek more information or turn towards stem cells as first-line treatment or after failure to respond to knee meniscal surgery.
If you’re in pain or had an injury and are looking for an alternative to surgery, contact us immediately at one of our locations. Our Main Medical Center located in Tampa Bay, Florida (727) 462-5582 or at Beverly Hills, California (310) 975-7033.
