Find a ProviderRotator Cuff Repair
Regenexx procedures are non-surgical alternatives that use your body’s own healing agents to treat shoulder injuries, such as stem cell therapy for rotator cuff repair.
Rotator cuff tears are common as people get older. But a tear on your MRI doesn’t mean you’re destined for the operating table. Research demonstrates that 75% of rotator cuff repair surgeries offer no significant benefit over no surgery at all.1
| Regenexx-SD* | Surgery | |
|---|---|---|
| Return to Daily Routine | 2 to 5 days | 6+ weeks |
| Return to Sports | 3 to 6 months | 1 year |
| Recovery | Brace, up to 6 weeks PT | Brace, extensive, no driving, 3 to 6 months PT |
| Pain Management | Mostly over-the-counter pain medication (days) | Prescription pain medication for weeks (weeks) |
| General Anesthesia | No | Yes |
| Keep Your Meniscus | Yes | No |
*Bone marrow concentrate which contains stem cells.
Regenexx Alternative to Shoulder Surgery
Can I Avoid Rotator Cuff Surgery?
In many cases the answer is yes. Physical therapy can promote improved blood supply and strengthen the muscles of the rotator cuff. A 2014 study determined that, upon one year of follow-up, physical therapy was equally effective to rotator cuff surgery in terms of regaining physical strength and range of motion in study participants (55 years of age or older).2
Regenexx also offers nonsurgical regenerative medicine treatment options incorporating orthobiologics such as bone marrow-derived stem cells and blood platelets. Stem cell therapy enhances your body’s innate ability to repair itself and allowing your shoulder to regain better function and mobility without surgery.
Am I a candidate?Rotator Cuff Repair Alternative
Once you are evaluated by a Regenexx physician, they will determine which treatment option is best for your needs: stem cell therapy or platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy.
During our outpatient procedures, our expert physicians use the patient’s own stem cells and precise image guidance to inject custom concentrations of your body’s natural healing agents into the exact areas of damage.
Rotator cuff surgery recovery time is extensive and can take anywhere from six months to a year to completely heal.3 Significant pain and intense physical therapy are generally part of surgery recovery.
Regenexx procedures are nonsurgical alternatives to rotator cuff surgery and can offer significant benefits over the typical surgical repair of torn rotator cuffs:
- Does not involve invasive surgery.
- No extensive downtime for most patients.
- Minimal time away from work.
- Significant postprocedure pain reduction.
- Improved function of the shoulder joint.
On average, Regenexx shoulder patients report:
Before and After Rotator Cuff Tear MRI Images
Take a look at the outcomes of two of our patients who chose to have stem cell therapy for rotator cuff repair instead of surgery.
Scroll the arrow to the right to see the MRI of the rotator cuff before the treatment and to the left to see the outcome. The BEFORE shows a torn rotator cuff. The arrow points at a gap where the tendon should be. Once treated, the area will look like a dark band going diagonally, as seen on the AFTER.
Rotator cuff tear MRI – Patient 1
Rotator cuff tear MRI – Patient 2
Webinar: Alternatives to Rotator Cuff Surgery
Learn the latest about regenerative medicine, and how Regenexx stem cell and platelet procedures can treat your rotator cuff injury.
Register for the webinarPatient FAQs
A rotator cuff is a group of four muscles and tendons surrounding your shoulder joint that forms a cuff over the top of the upper arm bone (humerus). These muscles are what allow you to lift and rotate your arm.
Not always. Some people experience shoulder pain, and some do not. A rotator cuff injury can result in a dull ache and may worsen when extending the arm away from the body. Other symptoms can include a crackling sensation when you move your shoulder in certain directions, and a general weakness when you rotate or lift your arm.
Some people manage their symptoms and return to normal activities with physical therapy alone.
After rotator cuff surgery, not only is it common for many patients to still be in pain but oftentimes their full range of motion is also never realized. Research has shown that nearly 60% of these large rotator cuff surgical repairs actually fail, resulting in retears. In patients over 60 years of age who undergo surgical rotator cuff repair, 33% will fail to heal after one year. Additional surgery is often required. 3
A recent research study showed that even a complete tear wasn’t very likely to get bigger. In a study of 24 patients with full-thickness supraspinatus tears who opted to forego surgery, over time it was shown that for 75% of the patients the tear was either healed, smaller, or didn’t change in size. In only six of the 24 patients (25%) was the tear found to be bigger. 4
Yes. Most rotator cuff tears occur because the tissue has become weak and unhealthy. For this reason, surgically repairing a tear may involve sewing damaged tissue together, which can result in very high retear rates (up to 79%) after surgery. 5 Based on new research, rotator cuff tears are linked to a reduction in the natural number of functional stem cells in the tissue. 6
Without replenishing the stem cells needed for healing, the damaged tissue can’t repair itself with the same ability as when it was young and healthy. One recent study showed that the rotator cuff retear rates fell by half when stem cell injections were used after surgery. 7
Shoulder 2.0: How You Can Avoid Invasive Shoulder Surgery
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Download your copyReferences
1. Dezaly C, Sirveaux F, Philippe R, Wein-Remy F, Sedaghatian J, Roche O, Molé D. Arthroscopic treatment of rotator cuff tear in the over-60s: repair is preferable to isolated acromioplasty-tenotomy in the short term. Orthop Traumatol Surg Res. 2011 Oct;97(6 Suppl):S125-30. doi: 10.1016/j.otsr.2011.06.006. Epub 2011 Jul 27. PMID: 21798838.
2. Kukkonen J, Joukainen A, Lehtinen J, Mattila KT, Tuominen EK, Kauko T, Aärimaa V. Treatment of non-traumatic rotator cuff tears: A randomised controlled trial with one-year clinical results. Bone Joint J. 2014 Jan;96-B(1):75-81. doi: 10.1302/0301-620X.96B1.32168. PMID: 24395315.
1. Dezaly C, Sirveaux F, Philippe R, Wein-Remy F, Sedaghatian J, Roche O, Molé D. Arthroscopic treatment of rotator cuff tear in the over-60s: repair is preferable to isolated acromioplasty-tenotomy in the short term. Orthop Traumatol Surg Res. 2011 Oct;97(6 Suppl):S125-30. doi: 10.1016/j.otsr.2011.06.006. Epub 2011 Jul 27. PMID: 21798838.
3. Wu XL, Briggs L, Murrell GA. Intraoperative determinants of rotator cuff repair integrity: an analysis of 500 consecutive repairs. Am J Sports Med. 2012 Dec;40(12):2771-6. doi: 10.1177/0363546512462677.
4. Fucentese SF, von Roll AL, Pfirrmann CW, et al. Evolution of nonoperatively treated symptomatic isolated full-thickness supraspinatus tears. J Bone Joint Surg Am 2012;94:801-808. doi: 10.2106/JBJS.I.01286.
5. Henry P, Wasserstein D, Park S, Dwyer T, Chahal J, Slobogean G, Schemitsch E. Arthroscopic Repair for Chronic Massive Rotator Cuff Tears: A Systematic Review. Arthroscopy 2015;31:2472-2480. doi: 10.1016/j.arthro.2015.06.038.
6. Hernigou P, Merouse G, Duffiet P, et al. Reduced levels of mesenchymal stem cells at the tendon-bone interface tuberosity in patients with symptomatic rotator cuff tear. Int Orthop 2015;39:1219-1225. doi: 10.1007/s00264-015-2724-8.
7. Hernigou P, Flouzat Lachaniette CH, Delambre J, et al. Biologic augmentation of rotator cuff repair with mesenchymal stem cells during arthroscopy improves healing and prevents further tears: a case-controlled study. Int Orthop 2014;38:1811-8. doi: 10.1007/s00264-014-2391-1.
