Stem cells used to speed up rotator cuff surgery recovery time

Stem cells used to speed up rotator cuff surgery recovery time

Stems cell can now offer hope to patients recovering from rotator cuff surgery, according to a recent video report on CBS New York.

Rotator cuff surgery is generally successful, however the post-surgical recovery period can last up to a year, is painful and traditionally involves medication for inflammation, cortisone injections, and months of physical therapy. However, the latest stem cell research breakthrough has resulted in an alternative recovery option, using the stem cells of the patient to speed up the recovery time.

Repair cells used in the treatment of rotator cuff tears can be extracted from the patient’s bone marrow, and eventually injected directly into the injured areas of the rotator cuff, where they aid the body’s natural healing process in repairing the tear. Whilst the process is effective, it still involves the painful extraction of stem cells from bone marrow – something which could be avoided if the patient’s stem cells had been harvested and stored from teeth.

Grace Century President and Director of Research Scott Wolf said “This is a great story on how therapies using stem cells ARE finally making to regular people. With banking your younger cells, gathered from your baby teeth, you avoid the intrusive pain of extraction from bone marrow and you get more powerful cells. The storage of stem cells from baby teeth and will open up a new world of possibilities for regenerative medicine – that is our vision and the vision of our dental stem cell storage partner, Provia Labs.”

View the video on CBS New York here.