Treating a Knee Meniscus Tear with Stem Cells

knee meniscus stem cell

Can a knee meniscus stem cell procedure repair a meniscus tear?

Michael was featured in a prior post based on his healing of a complete ACL tear with just an injection of stem cells and without surgery. At the same time, he also underwent the injection of cells into a meniscus tear. Dr. Hanson just sent me those images, which I placed above. To review, Michael is a 52 year old male with history of a meniscus tear and an ACL tear. He injured both playing basketball and was told that he needed to get the ACL removed and replaced and the meniscus “cleaned up”. Our readers know that “cleaned up” means “chopped out”, so he began looking for a surgery alternative. Dr. Hanson treated his ACL and meniscus tear with the Regenexx-SD procedure. To treat the knee meniscus, he injected stem cells via musculoskeletal ultrasound directly into the meniscus tear. On his images above, note that this approximately 3 month post-op MRI shows a small tear in the meniscus on the left (slight horizontal lighter line in the dark meniscus in white dashed circle, red arrow points to this area in the blow up). In the pictures on the right, the line is gone.

The upshot? Why cut out meniscus tissue when you can potentially repair it using an injection?

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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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