Professional Athletes Taking Responsibility: Non surgical stem cell treatments

Average NFL career is 3.5 years.  An injury can end or significantly shorten a player’s career.  Surgery can also dramatically limit a player’s career.  Surgery all too often paints a patient into a corner form which they can not successfully rebound given the significant rehabilitation, down time, alternation of simple mechanics of the joint.

Jarvis Green, 2 time Super Bowl defense lineman knew first hand the limitations of surgery and its impact on his game.  After failed knee surgery and return of pain and restriction in range of motion he rejected surgery and opted for stem cell therapy utilizing the Regenexx C and SD procedure.

St Louis Cardinal’s Mark McCormick knows the limitations of surgery and acknowledges stem cells as an alternative to shoulder surgery.

Washington Redskins safety LaRon Landry suffered an Achilles tendon injury and has taken a similar path.   After undergoing team recommended PRP and shock wave therapy  Landry failed to fully recover.  The team  instructed him that” the best thing for me was to get open up and fully cut my Achilles and that’s a tough surgery as it takes a year and a half to heal”.  He rejected the extensive surgery and Redskins elected not to resign the defensive safety.  Ortho 2.0 discusses the importance of looking a stability, alignment and neurological function in treating an injury.

The list of professional athletes electing non-surgical stem cell treatments includes Tiger Woods,  Hines Ward,  Bartolo Colon and continues to grow.

Stem Cell Therapy in the United States: A David & Goliath Story

The story of David and Goliath demonstrates that with righteousness on your side, one can defeat even the most enormous threats.

The battle is given in 1 Samuel,  chapter 17.   David, an Israelite and the youngest of eight sons fights a giant named Goliath.  Goliah was one of the largest and strongest Philistines.  Twice a day for 40 days Goliah challenged the Isaelites to send forth a warrior.  David steps forward with his staff and sling while Goliath is cloaked with armor and shield.  The battle ensues.

Forbes describes a 21th century David & Goliath story in their recent article:  “Stem Cells and the Lawsuit“

Postoperative Sternotomy Pain: New Treatment Options

At the Centeno-Schultz Clinic we acknowledge that the chronic pain following sternotomy operations can be debilitating.  Sternotomy is an incision into or through the chest bone (sternum).

Kalso followed 71 patients who had undergone thymectomy and 720 who had undergone coronary bypass grafting (CABG) and noted that  27-28% of the  patients reported chronic post-sternotomy pain.

Poststernotomy chest pain should be thoroughly evaluated to rule out serious pathology, such as infection, myocardial ischemia, and sternal  cartilage instability.

Other possible sources have been investigated by others.

Dafalque et al demonstrated entrapment of the superficial nerves by scar tissue as a cause of pain.

Weber demonstrated sternal wire sutures, either by direct sternal or periostial irritation as a cause of pain.

At the Centeno-Schultz Clinic MSK ultrasound is utilized to visualize the scar and breakup the entrapped superficial nerves.  The procedure involves the use of prolotherapy and has afforded many patients lasting pain relief.