Pro MMA fighter "The Blaze" uses regenerative medicine to keep him at the top of his game in the ring.  Check out this news article here: 
​​https://cbs12.com/news/local/mma-fighter-turns-to-hormone-replacement

Israel Dagg had a potentially career ending knee injury in 2017 when playing against Argentina.  He underwent a stem cell injection to help with his pain and his injury.  He reports having significant cartilage loss in his knee.  Shortly after returning to play after his procedure he re-injured his knee.  He resumed playing early 2018 but then sustained a mild head injury.  The verdict is till out on his professional career and he has been with a Japanese team in 2018.  He still hopes to return to his original All Blacks team for 2019.  We will see if this regenerative medicine treatment will help extend his career.

See full article here: www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=12038343

Jack recently was suffering from debilitating back pain due to facet joint arthritis.  He described the pain as nine out of ten on the pain scale.  He had tried cortisone injections and back surgery but the pain persisted.  He travelled to Germany in 2016 to pursue stem cell injections.  These stem cells were obtained from his abdominal fat by liposuction.  This tissue was processed and then injected into multiple joints in his lower back and neck.  He did not feel immediate relief but the pain began to subside after a few months.  

Fortunately, these procedures are becoming more common and people no longer need to travel out of the country to obtain them.  Black Stone Physical Medicine in Corvallis utilizes these advanced treatments including stem cell therapy.  This type of medicine is called regenerative medicine, as it attempts to restore function and minimize pain using the body's natural healing ability.  

Click here for full article from Gazette-Times.

Rafael suffered severe back pain in January 2014 during the final of the Australian Open when he lost to Stan Wawrinka.  His treating physician, Dr Ruiz-Cotorro, reported that Rafael was dealing with back pain typical to tennis players.  Rafael had previously used a stem cell treatment for a knee injury the year prior.  Ruiz-Cotorro stated that the back pain was due to facet arthritis and decided to treat it with stem cells.  These cells were taken out of his bone marrow and cultured to produce a larger amount of cells. 

See ESPN article here:
http://www.espn.com/tennis/story/_/id/11853811/rafael-nadal-receive-stem-cell-treatment-back-pain

Don talks about regenerative medicine treatments in a recent Fox News article.  He recalls treatment during his career involving steroid injections and pills to keep them in the game.  He recently heard about regenerative medicine treatments including platelet rich plasma (PRP) and stem cell (bone marrow aspirate or amniotic tissue allograft) injections for treatment of chronic injuries.

After hearing about the procedures available, he reports having these procedures done himself and he states that he had great relief.

​Don had these procedures done at a facility in Denver Colorado.  The process he utilized included drawing his blood and concentrating the platelets to obtain the PRP and then harvesting stem cells out of his bone marrow.  This office also used hyperbaric oxygen treatment to reportedly boost stem cell count prior to procedure.

He is so impressed with these new treatments that he now sits on a the board of a wellness center that helps bring these treatment options to professional athletes and war veterans.

These regenerative treatment options including PRP, bone marrow aspirate concentrate, amniotic tissue allograft, and others are available at Black Stone Physical Medicine.  These treatments can provide pain relief and heal stimulate the healing process for multiple conditions including knee arthritis, rotator cuff tendinopathy, degenerative disc disease, and others.  Black Stone Physical Medicine is located in Corvallis Oregon but serves also patients in the surrounding areas including Albany, Lebanon, Newport, Lincoln City, Salem, Eugene, and even as far as Bend and Burns.

See Don Horn's full story at Fox News:
http://www.fox10phoenix.com/news/arizona-news/bringing-alternative-treatments-to-other-former-football-players

Diego, a top-level professional soccer play originally from Uruguay, had a chronic knee injury that was limiting his professional career.  He had a knee injury when 18 and had arthroscopic surgery with meniscectomy.    Later in his career (2014), his treating physicians told him he would have to retire and would at some point need a knee replacement to help his pain.  This is when he met Christina Bertolotto, MD and Steve Sampson, DO.  As a last option to save his career, he tried a form of stem cell treatment using cells from his bone marrow (BMAC) combined with platelet rich plasma (PRP) injected into his knee at the OrthoHealing Center in Los Angeles.  Since his treatment and physical therapy program, he has been able to continue playing professional soccer, now up to 3 years including more than 100 games.  

Diego was recently brought to the Orthobiologic Institute International regenerative medicine conference, held in Las Vegas this past weekend, by Dr Christina Bertollo to share his story.

Becker's Spine Review interviews Dr Luga Podesta, a sports medicine and regenerative medicine expert.  They discuss problems with some stem cell clinics and how to know which is a good clinic.  He discusses what conditions have scientific evidence to support the use of stem cell treatments.  He also discusses briefly the use platelet-rich plasma (PRP) in addition to stem cell treatments.  

Niklas has had multiple prior knee injuries and surgeries.  His options are now limited as a joint replacement would end his career.  He has sought out regenerative medicine treatments late 2017.  The specifics of his procedure are not given but he reports seeking care outside of the US.  We will see how he fares this next season.  Check out the article HERE.

This was a case series involving 20 patients treated with amniotic tissue for arthritis and another 20 patients with tendonitis/tendinopathy.  These patients were follow up to 3 months post procedure.  On average there was about 75% reduction in pain and significant improvement in activity levels.  Satisfaction rate was 90%.  Patients also indicated they would recommend and repeat procedure at a rate of 80-90%.

Stop by our office if you would like a free copy of this study.  

Check out this recent article on regenerative medicine including stem cell treatments and platelet rich plasma.  These new innovative treatment options provide hope for conditions not improved with conservative management.  Conditions treated include arthritic joints, tendonitis, ligament sprains, and other acute/chronic sport injuries.