Home › Blog › Meniscus Tear treated with Stem Cells rather than Surgery

Before we opened our Regenexx-C clinic in the Caymans to continue our ground breaking work outside of the stifling climate for medical innovation in the U.S., some patients made the long trip to China where we licensed a site in an orthopedic hospital. I just received an e-mail from one of those patients who received a Regenexx-C meniscus tear stem cell treatment that I thought was worth posting (from Oliver G):

“I was diagnosed with a degenerative tear of the posterior horn of the right medial meniscus in 2009. It was operated on twice, but both times, the surgeons were not able to find the tear that was showing up on the MRI. Thankfully, this meant that my meniscus was left intact for later stem cell treatment, and was not removed. According to many studies that I have seen, had they removed any significant part of the meniscus, this would have seriously increased my chances of getting arthritis further down the line.

I was also diagnosed with a small lesion on the medial femoral chondyle, and some debridement was done during the failed meniscus surgery.

I started receiving the Regenexx C treatment in June of 2011 for the hidden meniscus tear which appeared under the surface of the meniscus on the MRI – this is most likely why the surgeons had trouble finding it. The stem cells were placed on the bottom part of the meniscus, and the chondral lesion was also treated with stem cell injections. This was repeated three times.

Seven months later, it would be safe to say that my condition has improved considerably. Although I haven’t done an MRI to see the state of the meniscus tear, my knee seems to have complete stability now, unlike before. That familiar pain in the back of the knee is no longer there. As for the chondral lesion, that too is much better, although I feel that if I were to have just one or two more treatments, that things would be just right. In short, I am truly amazed that such a non-invasive treatment can work out so well, and I thank all of the doctors and staff members who played such a central role in the healing of my ailments.

Lastly, I would like to thank Dr. Centeno for all the attention he gave me along the way, and also, for all his efforts and sacrifices involved in developing stem cell treatment. I would also like to thank the Neobiotech team, as they did everything they could to accommodate me while I was staying in China. They were gracious hosts, and I hope to be able to go back and visit them again sometime in the future.”

Chris Centeno, MD is a specialist in regenerative medicine and the new field of Interventional Orthopedics. Centeno pioneered orthopedic stem cell procedures in 2005 and is responsible for a large amount of the published research on stem cell use for orthopedic applications. View Profile