Knee Surgery - Dr. Lox

Dr. Lox | http://www.drlox.com/ | Call (844) 440-8503

What do you do when your told your knee is not quite bad enough for replacement surgery?

If you or a loved one has faced the situation that your doctor has informed you your knee has a lot of arthritis and eventually you will need a knee joint replacement….but not yet. Where do you go with that information?

A common side comment is, you will know when it’s time. Equally an un-soothing statement.

At this juncture, conservative treatment continues. Pain medications, anti-inflammatories, cortisone injections, rooster comb shots (hyaluronic acid).

All of these treatments have led up to this point. Some provide short term relief of pain, yet all do not prevent the inevitable future appointment to schedule joint replacement surgery when desperation and frustration take over.

Perhaps a timeline could occur where you never had to make that appointment.

If you could halt the progression of arthritis or better yet repair the knee just enough to allow better function and less pain, you could avoid the surgery appointment.

An alternative is needed.

Enter regeneration medicine. Repair and regenerate are goals of this field.

Obviously goals do not always meet everyone’s expectations, therefore reasonable goals for those with degenerative arthritis must be obtained. Preventing loss of function, reducing pain, stiffness, and swelling are reasonable goals. Combining this with repairing the degenerative pathway that occurs inside the joint at the cellular level provides a step in this direction. Medicine has moved towards a new frontier. Treatment and research have been directed to cellular mechanisms. Chemicals such as cytokines and chemokines are targeted for altering specific negative functions or enhancing positive functions. Genes, DNA, and transcription of proteins have altered the way medicine approaches repair of knee pathology.

Dr. Dennis Lox is a Regenerative Medicine specialist who focuses on the way new therapies can be utilized to more effectively treat disorders that were previously thought to be untreatable. Dr. Lox states patients were often given palliative medications, therapy, or even surgical recommendations for these type of problems without hope of modifying their outcome. The field of Regenerative Medicine provides cutting edge treatment options for problems that were offered little hope in the past. By combining Regenerative Medicine with rehabilitation strategies such as biomechanical knee joint stress modifications, the paradigm of waiting for your knee to further fall apart so then you can have knee joint replacement may be avoided.

Alternative strategies such as Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) and Stem Cell Therapy have been advocated as approaches to knee joint arthritis. Dr. Lox notes that Regenerative treatments focus on healing and repair at the cellular level where joint breakdown and inflammation begin. There are many factors which facilitate joint breakdown as well as factors enhancing joint repair. Knowledge of these processes, coupled with PRP and Stem Cell Therapy can provide an alternative to future knee joint replacement when you are told you are not quite bad enough yet.

Running Injuries

Running Injuries

Dr. Lox | http://www.drlox.com/ | Call 844-440-8503

It is rewarding to return an athlete to their sport. Knee ailments derail many athletes, so when they turn to Stem Cell Therapy with Dr. Dennis Lox, he is strict on getting them to follow his advice to improve their chances of a successful outcome. Imagine this: two marathon runners in the office the same day to have their knees done. Obviously, they strike up a conversation and when they realize they are both marathon runners, they start comparing times and races. Both do well with their procedures. One flew in from New York the other drove from another Florida metropolitan area. The first who flew in from New York already had a phone followup consultation, and was doing great 2 months out biking up to 60 miles, but no running was allowed. The second was seen in the office for follow-up and he too was doing great after his stem cell treatment. He inquired about his waiting room friend (the competitive spirit). He too was biking, in the gym, and swimming.

Returning to marathon running places great stress on a degenerative knee joint. Dr. Dennis Lox is adamant about physical conditioning, yet not allowing over mechanical stimulation of the knee joint too soon after stem cell therapy. Too much mechanical stimulation will stimulate overproduction of IL-6 and Nitric Oxide which may degrade the extracellular matrix (the support system to cartilage cells), this will be contrary to the goal of rebuilding or repair of cartilage. Just one of the many variables Dr. Lox must juggle with athletes, but in the end it is well worth it.

Chronic Shoulder Pain - Dr. Dennis Lox

Chronic Shoulder Pain

Dr. Lox | http://www.drlox.com/ | Phone: (844) 440-8503

Chronic shoulder pain may have many etiologies. When the pain arises from a supraspinatus tear it poses difficulty especially with sports. The supraspinatus is one of 4 muscles that comprise the rotator cuff. Of the 4 muscles that form the rotator cuff the distal supraspinatus tendon inserts on the greater tuberosity. It also traverses under the acromium and is subject to wear and tear by impingement. Of the rotator cuff muscles the supraspinatus functions to initiate shoulder elevation (abduction). When a tear occurs it makes elevation of the arm difficult. Activities overhead and upper extremity sports become more difficult.

For these reasons patients are looking for alternatives to shoulder surgery and are increasing looking at Regenerative Medicine as an alternative. Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) and Stem Cell Therapy are regenerative techniques used to treat supraspinatus and rotator cuff disorders. Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) is a technique in which the patients’ blood is drawn and concentrated to yield a higher level of platelets which release growth factors to aid in the healing process. Stem cells may regenerate tissue and are potent Immumodulatory cells. This means the stem cells can decrease inflammation in the joint. The healing potential of stem cells is an attractive and viable alternative to shoulder surgery.

Avascular Necrosis

Avascular Necrosis (AVN or Osteonecrosis Treatment with Stem Cells

Dr. Dennis Lox | http://www.drlox.com/ | Phone 844-440-8503

Avascular Necrosis (AVN) also referred to as osteonecrosis can be a significantly debilitating condition. New treatment strategies with stem cell treatment have been utilized to treat avascular necrosis. Avascular necrosis (AVN) is most frequently seen in the hip. The large thigh bone known as the femur is most often affected with AVN at the top or femoral head. A frequent treatment option has been total hip replacement.
Trauma is the leading cause, however in the middle age group it may result from other other causes or be of unknown origin (idiopathic). If the femoral head collapses as the result of the region of AVN degeneration, it may lead to rapid escalation of hip joint degeneration. It is estimated that 5-8 % of the roughly 500,000 total hip replacements performed in the United States annually are the result of AVN.

The desire for alternatives to hip replacement, has placed stem cell therapy as a focal point of interest. The ability to treat without the potential for complications of a major hip surgery are desirous. Stem cell treatment for AVN or osteonecrosis is performed by injecting the patient’s own stem cells into the hip. Case studies from various regions of the globe have reported success. Indeed, a surgical option that does involve extensive recovery is microfracture (drilling into the bone). This releases stem cells from the bone marrow into the area of osteonecrosis or AVN. However, many studies have shown with aging the supply of bone marrow stem cells declines. Adipose (fat) stem cell levels remain more consistent with aging. If the area of AVN does not collapse and the hip joint can be get from degenerating hip replacement may be avoided. The potential for stem cell therapy in select cases of AVN to be used as an alternative to hip replacement is a viable option given the irreversibility of hip joint replacement.

Sports Medicine and Stem Cells

Sports Injury Treatment Options: Two Safe & Effective Alternatives to Invasive Surgery

Dr. Lox | http://www.drlox.com/ | Phone: 844-440-8503

For many athletes, sports injury treatment is not just a physical roadblock; it’s an emotional nightmare. Being sidelined from training is one thing; losing the fitness gains you've worked so hard for is another thing entirely. Add in a long, slow rehabilitation process, and it can be hard to stay optimistic – whether you’re a professional athlete or a recreational endorphin lover.

In some cases (such as torn rotator cuff or bursitis of the knee), non-invasive and minimally invasive therapies help athletes get back in the game more quickly than they’d expected. Platelet rich plasma (PRP) treatment and adult stem cell therapy are two particularly patient-friendly sports injury treatment options; both are associated with shorter recovery times than full surgeries.

Platelet Rich Plasma Treatment for Sports Injuries 
With this therapy, a physiatrist takes a blood sample from the patient, then isolates the platelets. Re-injected into the target site, the platelets can stimulate stem cell growth, in turn accelerating the body’s own healing process.

PRP can initiate several forms of internal repair – such as bone regeneration and blood vessel development. Patients often note significant improvements in pain and related symptoms, as can regain most of their athletic function after PRP.

Adult Stem Cell Therapy for Sports Injuries
Using the patient’s own existing supply of stem cells, adult stem cell therapy relies on a similar biological process to accelerate recovery. Always performed in a single appointment, this sports injury treatment takes stem cells from the patient’s fat tissue or bone marrow, prepares the cells, and re-injects them into the site of damage. Many patients note improvements in their pain levels within a week of receiving treatment (yet it’s important to allow the joint three to six months to fully return to a healthy state.)

Tired of postponing road races and athletic matches? Call us today. Our Board-Certified Physiatrist will help you evaluate our sports injury treatment methods to get you back to activity as soon as safely possible.

Knee Problems

Dr. Lox | http://www.drlox.com/ | 844-440-8503

Knees are common joints for stem cell repair, therefore, we often see knee pain treated with stem cell therapy. Knees are commonly injured and are frequently operated on, and often develop osteoarthritis. Many savvy patients are looking for alternatives to knee joint replacement. Those who do their homework often find Regenerative Medicine strategies such as Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) and Stem Cell Therapy as viable alternatives to surgery. Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) and Stem Cell Therapy, are Regenerative Medicine procedures that are being increasingly viewed as a reasonable and viable alternative to knee surgery. Whether it is a partial meniscetomy to a complete total knee replacement, patients are becoming their own advocates and are telling their healthcare providers that they want to keep their “original parts” and making serious inquiries into how that can happen for them.

You see, most patients with knee problems have had previous trauma, especially athletes. Correcting the injury with surgery becomes the second trauma (or 3 or 9th) to the joint. Studies since the 1940s have shown that knee surgery propels osteoarthritis. More recent studies have shown, even a partial meniscectomy, will accelerate the development of osteoarthritis. So the interest in Regenerative Medicine has escalated. Knee PRP has been done on elite athletes such as Tiger Woods, Kobe Bryant, Rafael Nadal, and even the last Pope. Dr. Dennis Lox has treated professional athletes, weekend warriors, and the elderly with osteoarthritis who just want to remain functional with less pain. Dr. Lox understands each patient has their own unique goal. Achieving that goal is success.