Regenexx injections – Stem Cells – The KNEEguru

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Does anyone know anything about the newly patented injections of Regenexx. It says it is a mixture of bone marrow stem cells (taken from your hip) and blood from your vein. This mixture is then injected into your knee. Clinical trials have resulted in ~ 30% cartilage regrowth. Not bad.

Left knee - 1997 debridement, 1999 trochlea paste graft / microfracture), 2002 IAGH injections, 2005 plica and synovium removal, 2009 Regenexx injections Right knee - 1997 debridement, 2000 trochlea paste graft, 2004 IAGH injections, 2008 Regenexx injections

I have been wondering the same thing.. Sounds great if it works? Has anyone on this list heard or had any involvement with the folks in Colorado?

I'm a little supicious of that. I want to ask my knee doc about it.

I wish we can find someone who tried it.

I am hoping to get the permission of my health insurance to be evaluated by him to see if I am a suitable candidate. Anything that will postpone the TKR for as long as possible.

http://www.alphaklinik.de/en/toft/news/Stem_Cell_therapy

Sue in Germany

1989 big trauma R. knee - sorted 1990-2004 3ACL recons and 20+ arthroscopies -RK 3/06 LK ACL torn! 4/06 ACL recon, kneecap broken 09 &10/06- 2x meniscus trims 3/07 - Notch Plastic & Lateral Release 14/8/08 complete revision ACL plus LCL/PLC recon 6/2/09 returned to skiing! Whoopee

How many injectons did you have and how long did it take to feel better? Did you have any restrictions.

Thanks

Left knee - 1997 debridement, 1999 trochlea paste graft / microfracture), 2002 IAGH injections, 2005 plica and synovium removal, 2009 Regenexx injections Right knee - 1997 debridement, 2000 trochlea paste graft, 2004 IAGH injections, 2008 Regenexx injections

I filled out the online form and got a response back within a few hours. I have emailed back & forth with them several times. They are supposed to open an office in Fla. soon.

TKR finally done!!! 9/9/13 Whew!!

In response to your email, Dr. Centeno and his associates are having good success in treating patients with OA/DJD of the knees as well as degenerative disk disease, with loss of cartilage, with our non surgical procedure. The best method for them to give you their feedback to whether you could benefit from Regenexx is to review your most recent MRIs or x-rays. If you would be interested, we would be happy to do this.

Our website http://www.regenexx.com has the most updated information regarding the procedure along with Dr. Centenos latest publications. Regenexx is currently only available at our Denver location although we plan to open in Florida later in the year. The procedure involves drawing our patients blood and bone marrow, growing their stem cells in our laboratory for approximately 3 weeks and then injecting the stem cells into the affected joint. Patients come to Denver for an overnight stay for their blood and bone marrow draw and then for up to 9 days for a series of injections to place the stem cells. This timeframe is dependent on the course of therapy prescribed to address your particular issues.

Please let me know what additional questions you may have or how I may assist you.

Thank you for your interest.

All the best!

Kelly Fulton, RN Regenerative Sciences Unleash the power of your stem cells

TKR finally done!!! 9/9/13 Whew!!

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/s_578202.html

There are overachievers, and then there is Dr. Joe Maroon.

Three or four days a week, he swims an hour at Sewickley YMCA, beginning at 5:15 a.m., before heading to his job as vice chairman of the department of neurological surgery at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. He'll operate, see patients or both, and then he'll bike or jog for about an hour.

Every weekend, Maroon does his own version of a triathlon, swimming one to two miles, biking 50 to 75 miles and running between eight and 15 miles in one day. Last weekend, it was a 1.5-mile swim, 75-mile ride and 12-mile run.

"The problem is I have to double that for Hawaii," Maroon said.

Maroon, who is the Steelers' neurosurgeon, is in training for the Ford Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii, this October.

The race consists of a 2.4-mile open-ocean swim, 112 miles of biking and 26.2 miles of running.

Maroon is 67 years old and will be 68 at the time of the race.

A year ago, Maroon's colleagues were telling him his racing career was over.

The trouble started five years ago, when the Sewickley resident was competing in his fifth Ironman race and injured his left knee. He continued to race, but his last major competition was in 2005, when he finished in sixth place in his age group in the triathlon at the Senior Olympics, held in Pittsburgh.

Last year, Maroon was told by two orthopedic surgeons that he was going to need a knee replacement.

That was unacceptable.

"They told me if I had an artificial knee, I'd never run again," Maroon said. "I could walk, but I'd never run again."

Maroon started researching on the Internet and found Dr. Christopher Centeno and his Colorado-based company, Regenerative Services. Centeno developed a procedure called Regenexx, in which he extracts stem cells from a patient's own bone marrow, cultivates them, then injects them into the affected area to regenerate bone and cartilage.

Eight months ago, Maroon got the first of two injections into his left knee, and last weekend he completed a half-Ironman distance race in Muncie, Ind. He finished fifth in his age group and qualified for the Ironman World Championship in the process.

The procedure, which costs $5,000 to $7,000, is not covered by insurance. Maroon knows of no one in the Pittsburgh area doing similar work.

Centeno said that while his typical patient is active and between 40 and 60 years old, Maroon will be the first to go on to compete in an Ironman.

"I kid Joe that I think he's the biggest overachiever that I know," Centeno said. "We're thankful he did well."

This will be Maroon's third trip to Kona.

"I started 20 years ago doing triathlons," he said. "Each year I just increased the bar, just like I do with my training now. That's the remarkable thing about it; you see what your body can do and adjust to."

Karen Price can be reached at [emailprotected] or 412-320-7980. Back to headlines

TKR finally done!!! 9/9/13 Whew!!

I have to tell you though, I am mightily impressed that one of their success stories is the vice chairman of the Pittsburg neurological surgery dept. Not too shabby.

This product is considered a new drug because it is used to treat human disease. There are testimonials to that right on his website. As such, the product is subject to FDA regulation, but Dr. Centeno has not gone through the proper procedures to get FDA approval. He has not filed an Investigational New Drug Application, nor has he gotten an approved Biologics License. Do we even know if there have been any clinical trials conducted? Without these, how are we to know about any potential side effects and how often they may occur?

FDA regulations were put into place to safeguard the public against false claims or untested and potentially harmful medicines. I am highly suspicious of anyone who isn't willing to go through the proper channels to get his/her product approved. It can be a long, drawn out process that takes years to complete, but the fact that it is so thorough means that in the end, you can be sure of having a product that is truly effective without being harmful. As much as I would like to believe in this product, I would urge everyone considering it to use extreme caution.

There is one other consideration also. If the product doesn't get FDA approval, insurance companies will never cover the procedure and patients will continue to have to pay out of pocket for it. Anyone considering the treatment should ask the company whether they will still be charged if the harvested cells fail to grow in the lab. My OS has stated that that sometimes happens with cells grown for ACI, but patients are still responsible for the full fee.

Here is the link to the FDA letter, if anyone wants to read it: http://www.fda.gov/CBER/compl/regen072508.htm Terre

RK 7/04 part. m. menisc., plica resect., MF 3/05 part. m. menisc., open OATS 1/07 part l. menisc., MF, patellar chondroplasty 9/08 MF LK 11/04 & 8/06 part m. menisc. 7/07 LR, patellar tendon debrid., part m. menisc.

TKR finally done!!! 9/9/13 Whew!!

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Regenexx injections - Stem Cells - The KNEEguru