Clearwater, FL - (727) 462-5582
Beverly Hills, CA - (310) 975-7033

A 65 year old with Stroke Complicated by Knee Arthritis

Leg Weakness from Stroke and Knee Arthritis

celebrity with knee arthritis

When you have a stroke and weakness of either the left or right leg, it is bad enough. However, when you have underlying knee degenerative arthritis leg weakness makes matters worse. Dennis M. Lox M.D. doesn’t always get easy patients. That is part of being an expert in Sports and Regenerative Medicine, with years of experience. Difficult cases come with straight forward sports injuries. These cases can often be extremely rewarding to help. After the most common strokes depending upon whether it occurs in the left or right hemisphere of the brain, you can develop right or left leg and arm weakness accordingly. This is called left or right hemiplegia if total weakness occurs, and hemiparesis if it is partial weakness. To further complicate the situation, Strokes often have spasticity and synergy patterns particularly of the arm. Spasticity is rigid spasms that resist motion, making functional use of the affected limb difficult. Extensive physical therapy and occupational therapy are often necessary to help overcome this. The most common type of synergy pattern that occurs in the arm is a flexor synergy pattern. The arm is held tightly against the body with the elbow bent and wrist flexed. This makes walking with cane or walker difficult.
Now, take all these problems of leg and arm weakness with spasticity and flexor synergy of the arm, combined with severe knee arthritis, compounded by the loss of muscle mass from hospitalization, bedridden and disuse for weeks at a time, and the difficulty encountered by compounding severe knee arthritis with these added variables, and it becomes clear why this is a more complicated patient for even experts in Sports and Regenerative Medicine like Dr. Lox.

Sometimes A Positive Effect in a Bad Situation: Weight Loss in Strokes

Despite all of the bad variables described previously, this patient with the stroke lost a lot of weight, 50 pounds to be exact. Many patients with underlying cardiovascular disease are overweight. This patient was an ex-Football Quarterback who was far from his high school playing weight. For every 10 pounds there is 50 more force on the knee. The 50 pounds of extra weight was an additional 250 pounds of added force on his degenerative arthritic knee. This probably helped to contribute to his acceleration of degenerative knee arthritis. After having a stroke, he is not a candidate for knee replacement surgery, which is why he consulted Dr. Lox for Knee Stem Cell Therapy.

Stem Cell Therapy and Regenerative Medicine in Degenerative Knee Arthritis

Dr. Lox sees easy patients and some more complicated as this one certainly was. Given knee replacement surgery was not an option due to his health status, stem cell therapy and Regenerative Medicine treatments are viable options when all factors are addressed. The difference between an excellent Regenerative Medicine Physician and the overnight I am going to do stem cell doctors and non- medical practitioners is they don’t understand the complexities of these patients. A coordinated team approach. Unfortunately, most physical therapists don’t understand Regenerative Medicine and coexistence of degenerative arthritis. They try and strengthen weak muscles with general exercises that may worsen the knee arthritis. Contacting the physical therapist and occupational therapist to get everyone on the same page is important for the best outcome for the patient. After all the patient’s best interests are what matters. In this case, he underwent Stem Cell Therapy with Dennis M. Lox M.D. who also is board certified in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation. Dr. Lox utilized the patient’s own stem cells to help his body heal itself in treating his knee pain and arthritis. In the United States, the rules are the patient’s own stem cells the same day or its drug therapy, and it’s not FDA approved as a drug for arthritis. Many so-called stem cell practitioners are misrepresenting the facts claiming they use birth tissues such as Umbilical Cord, placenta, Cord blood stem cells when in fact they are not. They may have products lacking stem cells called acellular tissue graft products approved as tissue grafts for such purposes as wound therapy. The FDA is now enforcing misrepresentation with warning letters to manufacturers and practitioners making false claims to the public and patients. Some have been put out of business by the FDA’s actions. Unfortunately, bad actors and those praying on innocent patients desperately seeking help keep evolving, even changing their companies name to keep making dishonest money. Please do your homework. It is easy to google FDA actions on such matters.
This patient did well his arm has not fully recovered, however with the help of knee stem cell therapy, a coordinated effort from his rehabilitation team, he walked again without a walker using only a cane. He is now over a year after his treatment with Dr. Lox, and very pleased with his outcome. Even the most difficult patients can sometimes be helped. A patient with a determined positive motivated outlook and a caring experienced Regenerative Medicine expert can make all the difference.


Dr. Lox

Whether you are a professional athlete, weekend warrior, or have arthritis from aging, Dr. Lox can help. Dennis M. Lox, M.D. is an internationally renown Sports and Regenerative Medicine specialist. Dr. Lox incorporates Regenerative Medicine techniques such as cell science applications, Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP), and Tissue Engineering aspects, to help patients from around the world with a vast array of problems. Dr. Lox is board certified in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Dr. Lox lectures extensively and has edited two PM&R textbooks, the prestigious A State of the Art Review (Star) on Low Back Pain, and Soft Tissue Injuries: Diagnosis and Treatment. Dennis M. Lox, M.D. maintains an active practice in the Tampa Bay, Florida area, and in Beverly Hills, California.

Are You Looking to Avoid Surgery?

If you haven't found joint relief should schedule a personal consultation with Dennis M. Lox, M.D., to learn if you are able to get joint relief without the need for invasive surgery.

Stem Cell Therapy in Clearwater, FL and Beverly Hills, CA

Dr. Lox treats the Tampa Bay Metro Area including Clearwater, St. Petersburg, Tampa , Pinellas Park, Palm Harbor, Orlando and Sarasota as well as the Los Angeles Metro Area including Santa Monica and Beverly Hills.

Call our office in Clearwater, FL or Beverly Hills, CA to schedule a consultation with Dr. Dennis Lox.

Clearwater, Florida Office

2030 Drew St.
Clearwater, FL 33765
(727) 462-5582

Beverly Hills, California Office

450 N Roxbury Dr. #602
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
(310) 975-7033

© 2019, All Rights Reserved, Dennis M. Lox, M.D. - Privacy Policy - About Us

*DISCLAIMER: Like all medical procedures, those performed by Dennis Lox, M.D. have a success and failure rate. Patient reviews and testimonials on this site should not be interpreted as a statement on the effectiveness of our treatments for anyone else.