Rotator Cuff Tear
"Within two or three days I noticed a significant difference on my movement, my pain threshold and the amount of movement that I could do." – Mike K.
Why are so many athletes looking for non-surgical alternatives to rotator cuff tears? Because of results like these
The rotator cuff injuries are most commonly seen in tennis, softball, baseball, volleyball, rowing and people who lift weights.
PROVIDING NON-SURGICAL ALTERNATIVE TO JOINT AND BACK PROBLEMS
Experience Counts - Located in Jacksonville, Florida, we are the leader in Adult Stem Cell and Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) Procedures. We have performed these procedures for more than ten years with over 90 % results and ZERO side effects.
Top Stem Cell Center in the World: Unique Proven Clinical Protocols, over ten years of experience and hundreds of satisfied patients is why people from around the world come to us for their adult stem cell and Platelet-Rich Plasma Procedures.
FIVE reasons you need to know before you decide. You will see why people around the world choose us over other Clinics.
Glaring Differences |
SmartChoice® Clinic
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Other Leading Stem Cell Clinics (including Regenexx, Cell surgical Networks and others) |
1. Gene and Cellular tests to evaluate your stem cell functions. |
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2. Use BOTH Bone Marrow and Fat Stem Cells, along with PRP. |
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3. Process Your Stem Cells with safety and use no dangerous chemicals like collagenase. |
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4. Use Dynamic Ultrasound Guided Injections for Precision and safety (and NOT use X-Rays that can damage your cells). |
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5. Improve body functions with proprietary Hormones and Supplements, so you get the best possible clinical outcome. |
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In one study listed below - Doctors recruited patients from a sports medicine clinic who were not responding as positively to physical therapy and corticosteroid injections as hoped for. The patients received only one Platelet Rich Plasma injections at the site of the rotator cuff tear and surrounding tendon. Just one single injection of PRP resulted in safe and significant improvement of pain and function, as well as MRI outcomes in these “difficult to treat” patients. Ref:1
Research shows 57% failure rate in Large Rotator Cuff Repairs. Even after surgery, doctors are exploring a non-surgical repair in situations where the surgery was not as successful as hoped for, especially for professional athletes. In a recent article, researchers noted that surgical repair can be challenging. Even after surgical intervention, residual defects or “retears” often develop in the tendon. But Platelet-rich plasma therapy is able to enhance the rotator cuff tendon healing. Ref: 2
What is a Rotator Cuff?
Your rotator cuff is located in your shoulder area. It is made of muscles and tendons. It helps your shoulder to move and stay stable. Problems with the rotator cuff are common. They include tendinitis, bursitis, and injuries such as tears.
The rotator cuff is a group of muscles and tendons that attach to the bones of the shoulder joint, allowing the shoulder to move and keeping it stable. Rotator cuff tendinitis refers to irritation of these tendons and inflammation of the bursa (a normally smooth layer) lining these tendons. A rotator cuff tear occurs when one of the tendons is torn from overuse or injury.
Rotator cuff tendons can become inflamed from frequent use or aging. Sometimes they are injured from a fall on an outstretched hand. Sports or jobs with repeated overhead motion can also damage the rotator cuff. Aging causes tendons to wear down, which can lead to a tear.
Playing sports requiring the arm to be moved over the head repeatedly as in tennis, baseball (particularly pitching), swimming, and lifting weights over the head.
Some tears are not painful, but others can be very painful. Treatment for a torn rotator cuff depends on age, health, how severe the injury is, and how long you've had the torn rotator cuff.
There are two types of rotator cuff tears:
- A partial tear is when a tear does not completely sever the attachments to the bone.
- A complete or full thickness tear refers to a through and through tear. It may be as small as a pinpoint or all of the muscle tendon. Complete tears have detachment of the tendon from the attachment site and would not heal very well.
Tendonitis or Impingement Syndrome:
Early on, pain occurs with overhead activities and lifting your arm to the side. Activities include brushing hair, reaching for objects on shelves, or playing an overhead sport.
- Pain is more likely in the front of the shoulder and may radiate to the side of the arm. However, this pain always stops before the elbow. If the pain travels beyond the arm to the elbow and hand, this may indicate a pinched nerve.
- There may also be pain with lowering the shoulder from a raised position.
At first, this pain may be mild and occur only with certain movements of the arm. Over time, pain may be present at rest or at night, especially when lying on the affected shoulder.
You may have weakness and loss of motion when raising the arm above your head. Your shoulder can feel stiff with lifting or movement. It may become more difficult to place the arm behind your back.
Rotator Cuff Tears:
The pain with a sudden tear after a fall or injury is usually intense. Weakness of the shoulder and arm is often present, along with a snapping sensation of movement.
Symptoms of a chronic rotator cuff tear include a gradual worsening of pain, weakness, and stiffness or loss of motion. The exact point when a rotator cuff tear begins in someone with chronic shoulder tendinitis may or may not be noticed.
Most people with rotator cuff tendon tears have pain at night. Pain that is worse at night may wake you up. During the day, the pain is more tolerable and hurts with certain movements.
Over time, the symptoms become much worse and are not relieved by medicines, rest, or exercise.
Traditional Treatment for torn rotator cuff includes:
- Rest
- Heat or cold to the sore area
- Medicines that reduce pain and swelling
- Electrical stimulation of muscles and nerves
- Ultrasound
- Cortisone injection
- Surgery
Source - NIH: National Institute on Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Disease
PRP and Stem Cell Treatments can help:
Most times athletes are told that they need surgery to fix their sports injuries. But surgery is not the answer for most of the sports injuries, and may actually never help you regain your performance to the level you were prior to the injury.
Patients coping with sports injuries, tendon strains, sprained ligaments, muscle injuries, arthritis and more, will be comforted to know that surgery is not the only option of treatment available to them. Faster healing as well as improved functionality both are possible with innovative, cutting- edge ADULT stem cell and PRP procedures.
As alternatives to the joint surgery, SmartChoice® Procedures may help alleviate joint pain, arthritis and other sports injuries that caused it with a simple office injection procedure. We encourage the patients to walk the same day and most experience almost no downtime after our procedures whatsoever.
Dr. Garg has experience working with professional and amateur athletes from different sports to increase their performance with this unique and individualized health and wellness program. He has worked with professional athletes like former number one PGA Tour Golfer, several NFL players, many Tennis and baseball athletes and athletes from various other sports.
And if you are considering a knee, hip or other joint surgery for your sports injury, you might want to learn about how the adult stem cells and PRP procedures stack up against these risky Orthopedic surgeries.
Call us today and find out if these procedures are an option for you.
References
- Scarpone M, Rabago D, Snell E, Demeo P, Ruppert K, Pritchard P, Arbogast G, Wilson JJ, Balzano JF. Effectiveness of Platelet-rich Plasma Injection for Rotator Cuff Tendinopathy: A Prospective Open-label Study. Glob Adv Health Med. 2013 Mar;2(2):26-31.
- Barber FA. Platelet-rich plasma for rotator cuff repair. Sports Med Arthrosc. 2013 Dec;21(4):199-205.
- Burbank KM, Stevenson JH, Czarnecki GR, Dorfman J. Chronic shoulder pain: part II. Treatment. Am Fam Physician. 2008;77:493-497.
- Burbank KM, Stevenson JH, Czarnecki GR, Dorfman J. Chronic shoulder pain: part I. Evaluation and diagnosis. Am Fam Physician. 2008;77:453-460.
- Greiwe RM, Ahmad CS. Management of the throwing shoulder: cuff, labrum and internal impingement. Orthop Clin North Am. 2010;41:309-323.
- Matsen III FA, Fehringer EV, Lippitt SB, Wirth MA, Rockwood CA Jr. Rotator cuff. In: Rockwood CA Jr, Matsen FA III, Wirth MA, Lippitt SB, eds. The Shoulder. 4th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2009:chap 17.
- Seida JC, LeBlanc C, Schouten JR, Mousavi SS, Hartling L, Vandermeer B, Tjosvold L, Sheps DM. Systematic review: nonoperative and operative treatments for rotator cuff tears. Ann Intern Med. 2010;153:246-255.