Dean, a 60-year-old construction executive, came to RAPS with a rotator cuff tear, osteoarthritis of shoulder, osteoarthritis of knee, knee and shoulder pain. We treated his shoulder in December of 2013 and his knee and bicep in October 2014.
This is Dean’s Regenexx story.
Before Stem Cell Therapy
When Dean had surgery to repair his left rotator cuff, the recovery was lengthy—no driving for six weeks and four months of physical therapy. Similar injuries in his opposite shoulder made sports and daily activities painful.
“When I golfed, I had to take a lot of Advil and ice it afterwards,” he says.
In late 2013, facing surgery for tears in his right shoulder cuff and bicep tendon, he decided to try stem cell therapy instead. “I asked my orthopedic surgeon about it and he said, ‘If you are going to do that, go to Dr. Lieber.’”
“I was actually scheduled for surgery but realized, with my business commitments, I could not afford to go through that rehab again,” he says.
Knee pain was a problem as well.
After performing two surgeries for meniscus tears, his orthopedic surgeon told Dean that he “did not have enough cartilage for another repair…and was on track for knee replacement surgery.”
Ten months after his shoulder procedure, Dean returned to have stem cell therapy for his knee. The same day, stem cells were placed in his right bicep to treat ongoing pain.
After Stem Cell Therapy
While rotator cuff surgery meant six weeks without driving, Dean was behind the wheel just four days after stem cell therapy for his shoulder. He completed physical therapy within a month and, today, he plays golf and can do pushups and pull ups without pain.
The results for his knee are equally positive.
Today, Dean golfs, hikes and rides his bike regularly with no knee pain. In the past, a night of dancing would guarantee intense pain the following morning.
“Three months after the stem cell treatment, I went out for New Year’s Eve,” he says. “I was dancing and having a good time … I woke up the next day and thought, ‘My knee doesn’t hurt!’”