Before You Risk Surgery for Rotator Cuff Injury, Take a Good Long Look at today’s Stem Cell Therapies. The human shoulder is one of the most flexible joints in the body, but the shoulder’s incredible flexibility is typically why it’s so susceptible to get a rotator cuff injury. Over the last 15 years, The Regeneration Center has developed into one of the worlds leading full-service regenerative medical treatment centers, and dealing with rotator cuff injuries due to sports or accidents are amongst the most common orthopedic joint conditions we treat.
The Shoulder Joint
Our shoulders are a complex network of muscle, tendons, ligaments, and bones. These “pulleys, levers, and scaffolding” make up the rotator cuff. When in optimal shape, the rotator cuff allows a full range of shoulder movement. But when a rotator cuff injury occurs, shoulder movement becomes painful, limited, and challenging. These injuries can happen due to acute injuries, tissue tears or bone disease like shoulder joint arthritis, gout and spinal arthritis.
Why Use Surgery as a First Resort for Rotator Cuff Injury?
Many people believe that shoulder surgery is the first and only resort after suffering a rotator cuff injury. However, that isn’t true. Part of the reason for this is the undeniable advancements that have been made in virtually all types of surgical procedures. These advancements have spurred whole medical practices headed by surgeons of every kind. Many surgeons have clinics that specialize in nothing but specific joint surgeries. When doctors run facilities that depend on specialized surgery, what do you suppose they will promote as the only remedy for your rotator cuff injury?
We all want to believe that our doctors and orthopaedic specialists have our best interests in mind. But the reality is that institutions have been built on surgeries of every kind. Additionally, in a startling amount of cases, these shoulder surgeries result in worse shoulder function than before surgery. Add to this the long, tedious, and painful process of extensive physical rehabilitation, and it’s no wonder that most people who suffer a rotator cuff injury ask if there is a reliable shoulder surgery alternative.
A Closer Look at the Risks of Surgery for Rotator Cuff Injury
Common sense tells us that “popular and frequent” is not necessarily the same as “safe and effective.” A botched surgery to repair a rotator cuff injury typically can’t be undone. Of those few failures that can be corrected, the range of motion is never the same due to the buildup of scar tissue. Too many shoulder specialists do not bring up the topic of shoulder surgery alternatives when talking with their patients. That means you need to be proactive in researching these options before risking surgery for a rotator cuff injury.
Don’t leave it up to the surgeon to volunteer all the risks involved with surgical repair for rotator cuff injury. When consulting with specialists about surgery, have them thoroughly answer questions about the following:
Recovery Time After Shoulder Surgery?
A rotator cuff injury significantly and immediately impacts the quality of life. So you need full functionality restored as quickly as possible. This will likely not happen for at least a month with rotator cuff surgery, if not more. Standard tendon to bone surgical repairs target only a fibro-vascular scar tissue that has very poor mechanical properties. A recent report in the Orthopedic journal found that patients who undergo surgery for rotator cuff injury can expect to have the affected arm in a restrictive sling between four and seven weeks. But that’s just the beginning. Total recovery time after the surgical procedure can last as long as six months. It’s not uncommon for patients to miss weeks, if not months, of work during recovery.
Risks During & After Shoulder Surgery?
The main issue with failure after rotator cuff surgery is biologic in nature. It’s well known that the delicate and highly specialized fibro-cartilaginous transition zone between the rotator cuff and the bone does not initiate regeneration after surgical repair. Regardless of the advances of shoulder arthroscopic surgery, procedures to repair a rotator cuff injury are invasive. A surgeon has to cut, sew, and displace the complex issues deep within the shoulder’s network. This leaves the patient vulnerable to an array of risks during the procedure itself. Some of these risks include:
- Allergic reactions to an anaesthetic
- Infections
- Unintended damage to nerves & Peripheral Neuropathy
- Respiratory difficulties related to anaesthesia
- Major blood vessel damage causing heart disease
- Excessive bleeding
- Irreversible tendon damage
Waiting for Failure?
It’s estimated that one in five patients who undergo shoulder surgery is likely to suffer another rotator cuff injury. That means there is a massive market for revision surgeries. The vast majority of specialists are anticipating this, and they fully expect a sizable number of repairs to fail and anticipate your need for a second surgery.
Do you know what that means? Going under the knife again, enduring weeks of painful rehab again, more months of functional loss, more lost wages from absenteeism, and more medical bills that are as high or even higher than the first round of them.
Cost of Rotator Cuff Surgery in 2024
As of January 2022, the Healthcare Bluebook estimates the fair market price for rotator cuff injury to be between $6,750.00 and $12,900.00. When have you ever paid the lower end of any medical procedure estimate, let alone when it fell into the “fair” range? That estimate doesn’t include the overnight expenses of a hospital stay, prescription pain medication, or the physical therapy bills that follow. Now, imagine that you are the one in five patients that experience a second rotator cuff injury? If you elect to undergo a second surgery, you’ve just doubled that number.
Stem Cell Rotator Cuff as a Shoulder Surgery Alternative
Enhanced Stem cell therapy allows for an all-natural biologic healing process due mainly to angiogenesis and its anti-inflammatory properties that allow for the regenerative cycle to beign. Of all the cell types, these specialized cells alone can become virtually any cell needed to repair disease or degeneration. Whether addressing joint problems like a shoulder joint injury, knee injuries, degenerative lumbar spine, hip injuries, or conditions like lung fibrosis, COPD, kidney failure or diabetes, senile osteoporosis, MSCs+ (modified) stem cells can be delivered into the affected area go to work rebuilding and repairing muscle, bone, cartilage, torn ligaments, and more. Today, most stem cell procedures we offer use tissue-specific stem cells and growth factors that are concentrated into therapeutic levels then re-introduced into the diseased or injured area.
MSCs+ Stem cells maximize the body’s healing potential.
Upon infusions, the stem cells look for chemical signals to determine the area of distress and what cell types are needed for repair and regeneration then convert themselves into those types and “home” to the injured areas of the body. The activated cells and tissue-specific growth factors also help stimulate other stem cells that may be randomly circulating near the site and promote them into becoming bone, muscle, tendon or whatever type of tissue is needed for healing.
Isolated and Enhanced Mesenchymal stem cells (MSC+) can be differentiated into different mesodermal tissues and posses a strong paracrine, immunoregulatory, anti-inflammatory and angiogenic potential. Ortho+ Stem cell therapy is thus a potentially effective non-surgical treatment to enhance rotator cuff healing.
Why is stem cell therapy for rotator cuff tears so effective?
Stem cells are essentially blank cells that our body releases each day of our lives, and these circulating stem cells allow the healing process to begin in our bodies. Of all the cell types, 
MSC+ Mesenchymal stem cells can become virtually any kind of cell needed for repairing disease or damage.
Shoulder and Joint conditions that Can Benefit from Stem Cell Therapy
Types of injuries that benefit from stem cell therapy include:
- Tendonosis & Tendonitis
- Rotator Cuff Injury
- AC Joint Injury or Separation
- Sprains & Tears
- Thoracic Outlet Syndrome
- Shoulder Arthritis
- Recurrent Shoulder Dislocations
Shoulder Stem Cell Procedure Recovery Times
For optimal results, the Regeneration Center offers a multi-stage protocol over a period of 1-2 weeks in total. The stem cell treatment for torn rotator cuff we offer is non-invasive and done on an outpatient basis. Isolated Ortho+ MSC stem cells are the preferred type of stem cell used in most procedures. These stem cells are multipotent cells that can maintain the regenerative process over multiple life cycles. Delivery of the cells is done at various points to ensure the desired cells and growth factors continue initiating the regenerative process over an extended period of time.
Shoulder surgery vs Stem Cell shoulder injections
Though recovery times for stem cell therapy procedures can be dramatic, it’s essential to remember that recovery length will vary according to the severity of the rotator cuff injury and the patient. The standard estimate is to expect a noticeable reduction in the injury pain within one to two months. Typically, pain reduction and improvement in function noticeably progress over six months. Compare these milder recovery issues related to stem cell therapy to those of conventional, invasive surgery.
Sounds Great! But What Are The Risks?
Of course, all medical procedures inherently carry risks, and this is true from the most straightforward procedures (like receiving a flu shot) to the most complex (like open-heart surgery). Our unique Ortho+ MSC stem cells have been developed over the last decade and present a very impressively low risk precisely because the stem cells are engineered for maximum potency with minimum surface markers to remove any chance of rejection essentially. The Regeneration Center offers both Autologous cell treatments and Allogeneic Cell Therapies based on patient needs, age & severity. It can be stated with confidence that Ortho+ stem cell therapy for rotator cuff injury is safe, especially compared to far more invasive surgical procedures.
Companion Therapies to Orthopedic Stem Cell Procedures
Regenerative medicine is a term that encompasses therapeutic procedures beyond stem cell therapy. One of the most commonly used is targeted Ortho+ Stem cells which are often used in our anti-aging & wellness protocols. Our propitiatory stem cell treatment protocols takes advantage of Mesenchymal Stem cells, growth factors, and healing powers of blood platelets according to patient needs.
Ortho+ Treatment is regularly used for musculoskeletal conditions and injuries such as:
- Osteoarthritis
- Bone fractures
- Muscle injuries
- Ligament damage due to injuries
- Tendon injuries
To treat a condition like a rotator cuff injury, Ortho+ cells can be a powerful tool for natural recovery without surgery. Blood platelets contain proteins, peptides, glycoproteins, and growth factors, and these elements dramatically boost the healing process of soft tissues such as tendons, ligaments, and even skin.
Physical therapy & rehab remain an essential part of recovery
Just as there is a recovery period after stem cell therapy for a rotator cuff injury, physical therapy is essential. The stem cells help heal and rebuild tissue, and it is a physical therapy that restores shoulder strength, mobility, and flexibility. However, you should notice a big difference between the recovery period and physical therapy phase following stem cell therapy compared to conventional, more invasive surgical practices.
How Many Stem Cell Infusions Are Needed?
For conditions like a rotator cuff injury, many patients will only need a single trip to our Stem Cell Clinic. As long as there is no re-injury, Ortho+ stem cell infusions can eliminate pain restore shoulder function. However, in cases where shoulder damage is severe, additional stages over 1-2 weeks might be required.
How much stem cell treatment for rotator cuff cost?
Total treatment cost depend on the stage and severity of injury and the total number of cells needed. To start an evaluation for treatment a recent MRI scan will be required. By and large, patients will see a pretty notable improvement starting approximately three weeks and lasting as long as 4-5 months. The stem cells need time to populate enough to begin healing and reparation. Shoulder pain will continue to decrease dramatically over the following few months, and full mobility usually follows in short order.
Compare this to conventional, invasive shoulder surgery. Patients are often required to endure many, many months of grueling physical rehabilitation to regain shoulder strength and motion. With surgery for a rotator cuff injury, 4 to 6 months of recovery (2 months wearing a sling) following the surgery. Even then, many patients of shoulder surgery report that stiffness, weakness, and chronic pain remain.
Good Candidates for Rotator Cuff Regeneration
If you suffer from chronic shoulder pain of any kind, you are likely a good candidate for stem cell therapy. However, as with any medical procedure, stem cell treatments may not be appropriate for all cases and injuries.
Full Recovery from a Rotator Cuff Injury is Possible
There’s no longer a need for someone suffering from a rotator cuff injury to rely on the hope that conventional surgery might work or run the risk of it failing to help or even possibly worsening the injury. The Regeneration Center Ortho+ Stem cell therapy has become the preferred shoulder surgery alternative. From the ranks of professional sports teams to weekend warriors to homemakers who have experienced years of wear and tear to their shoulders, Ortho+ stem cell therapy is making is a natural and dramatic difference without the risks of surgery.
What to Look for in a Reputable Stem Cell Center?
When seeking a qualified stem cell therapy centre, it’s important to remember that not all of them are created equal. When appropriately used, stem cells are your body’s most potent means for healing that can repair everything from ligaments, tendons, and cartilage to organs including your liver, pancreas and lungs and even neurological function like your brain neurotransmitters or damage due to spinal cord injury.
Unfortunately, most so-called “regenerative medical clinics” in the world aren’t trained in the latest, most technologically advanced procedures and will, therefore, provide poor results, if any. Advanced stem cell therapy and soon gene therapies present the most effective option to improve rotator cuff healing. The good news is that The Regeneration Centre has developed the most advanced stem cell enhanced procedures on the planet which has drawn patients from all over the world and professional athletes and celebrities because they are recognized as one the best destinations for isolated & enhanced stem cell therapies (MSC+).
- Highly trained and experienced, board-certified doctors and cell biologists who are trained to isolate + expand MSC stem cells and have performed stem cell procedures over 14 years with excelled results.
- Cutting edge cell culturing procedures utilizing all that regenerative medicine offers for many chronic degenerative conditions.
- Founded by leading biomedical researchers who have developed advanced cellular expansion techniques to maximize the healing potential of mesenchymal stem cells
- Use only the most potent and viable multipoint stem cells with Tissue-specific growth factors such as TGF (5–6 subtypes), Tissular cytokines. Prostaglandins, Fibroblast Growth Factor (FGF), VGF, Epidermal Growth Factor (EGF).
- Post-operative guidance supports stem-cell growth, including rehabilitation, diet and supplement protocols. The Regeneration Center is a full-service healthcare centre focused on patient outcomes. Stem cell therapy is only one tool used to help improve patients’ lives.
For the last 16 years patients from over 70 countries in the world have placed their trust in The Regeneration Center, testifying to their level of care & unique cutting-edge stem cell procedures that have helped them experience a breakthrough when nothing else worked.