A National Track Athlete Regains her Stride thanks to Stem Cell Injections and PRP

BC is a masters level, national track and field athlete who tore her plantar-plate and severely damaged cartilage in a foot joint while participating in an indoor track event. She had some improvement with PRP injections in Seattle and was encouraged, so she pursued a Regenexx-SD stem cell injection procedure in December and just sent us a 6 month follow-up e-mail. Here’s her story from her e-mail:

“Early in 2010 I tore my plantar-plate ligament and severely damaged the cartilage inside the joint (2 full-thickness cartilage defects) while participating in indoor track. The first 2 podiatrists I visited recommended an aggressive surgery–osteotomy to shorten the first metatarsal bone and osteochondral drilling. Two different foot doctors reported that plantar-plate tears along with cartilage wear are considered degenerative and that there was nothing that could be done to improve the condition except to eventually fuse the joints when the pain became unbearable.

Over the next 9 months I received 3 PRP treatments with [a PRP doctor] and one Regenexx-SD treatment at your clinic. I have recovered full range of motion in the joint and am back to pain free running.

I feel strongly that foot doctors should be informed about regenerative options for treating joints. I am amazed at how arrogant several of the doctors I consulted with were and how discouraging their approach was. One foot doctor even strongly recommended that I NOT try PRP because he had reviewed a lot of research data and concluded that it does not work. I made a lot of progress with PRP alone!

On mother’s day this year I savored every step of my six mile run and reflected on what an accomplishment it was for both my feet to feel so good. This week a physical therapist looked at both feet and he couldn’t tell which one had been injured. Both 1st metatarsal foot joints are the same size again.

Attached is a photo of me on a magazine cover for a local fitness club together with a training partner.”

The patient was concerned that we didn’t have much on the site about foot joint problems or a foot joint stem cell injection. We’ve treated about 20 patients with foot joint arthritis through the years and they tend do well, as these joints are small and easy to access via an imaging guided injection. It’s great to see that BC is back to a great stride without the aggressive and life altering surgeries that were recommended.

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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

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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.

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