Knee Stem Cell Injections in a Patient with Recurring Knee Pain after Micro Fracture Surgery
Can we help a patient who has returning knee pain after micro fracture surgery with just an injection of his own stem cells? Do you have knee pain after microfracture surgery? TM is a 50 year old male who was first seen by our clinic in June of 2011 with a 3-4 year history of left knee pain. In his distant past he had a patellar tendon rupture which lead to a surgical repair, but his knee arthritic pain came on slowly and without additional injuries. After 1-2 years of pain, in approximately 2009 he had micro fracture surgery of the lateral femoral condyle. This helped from 2009 until spring of 2011, when his knee began hurting again. His MRI showed a degenerative ACL tendon, and almost complete loss of cartilage in the outside compartment where the patella sits in the groove. He didn’t want a partial knee replacement, so he had a Regenexx-AD stem cell procedure performed in July of 2011 for his extruded meniscus and a Regenexx-SD stem cell for his lost cartilage areas and on his ACL. Here’s his 1 year and 3 month report on how he did:
“You did a procedure on my left knee in June of 2011. I am very pleased with the results. I can do almost everything I used to do before my knee started hurting several years ago. I can run, lift weights, play pickleball and badminton and it rarely gives me any problems. As you know I used to play a lot of volleyball as well. The one area where I still do not have full use of my knee yet is when I try to play volleyball. I think the repeated maximal jumping might still be too much for the knee. I have tried playing a few times since the procedure and had some pain. It went away within a couple of days. I haven’t played volleyball now for several months. Do you think I should consider another treatment? If so, would you need another MRI before doing it? I appreciate all you have done for my health and I look forward to hearing from you soon.”
Given the severity of TM’s cartilage loss, it’s likely he would need another same day or even cultured (Regenexx-C) treatment. In the meantime, with just one injection of his own stem cells, he’s done well. Hopefully we can next get him back to volleyball!
NOTE: Regenexx-AD and Regenexx-SD are medical procedures and like all medical procedures have a success and failure rate. Not all patients experience the same result.
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NOTE: This blog post provides general information to help the reader better understand regenerative medicine, musculoskeletal health, and related subjects. All content provided in this blog, website, or any linked materials, including text, graphics, images, patient profiles, outcomes, and information, are not intended and should not be considered or used as a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Please always consult with a professional and certified healthcare provider to discuss if a treatment is right for you.
