At the Centeno-Schultz Clinic, we appreciate the pain, discouragement, and frustration associated with an injury. It can be heartbreaking when an injury takes one away from his or her passion and athletic colleagues. We also acknowledge that for best clinical results, one must look beyond a given joint and take a more global approach. This has been previously discussed and is termed the SANS approach.
Case Study: Kiteboarder with Ankle Pain
JS is a case in point. She is 50-year-old Canadian avid kiteboarder who presented to the Centeno-Schultz Clinic with a five-month history of left ankle pain that was constant in duration, progressive in nature, localized on the medial aspect, and aggravated by walking and impact. Treatment to date had included steroid injection.
Her second concern was a history of intermittent low-back pain with a remote history of disc herniation. Most problematic was her leg cramps and spasms, which could be debilitating.
Her third issue was a two-year history of left knee pain following ACL reconstruction and medial meniscus resection. The pain was intermittent, stable, and localized on medial compartment.
Studies were significant for the following:
- Left ankle MRI: moderate cartilage loss in the transverse tarsal (TT) and subtalar ankle joints, injury to the lateral ankle ligaments, and swelling and injury to the talus bone
- Left knee MRI: loss of cartilage in joint, medial meniscus tear, and laxity of her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL)
- Lumbar spine X-ray: advanced loss of disc height at L5/S1 with anterior spurs
Unfortunately, medicine is compartmentalized. Physicians tend to specialize in specific areas, which results in knee specialists, ankle specialists, and spine surgeons. Unfortunately for patients, this compartmentalization compromises care since in truth the body is all connected. The lumbar spine, hip, knee, and ankle are all intimately interrelated.
Stem Cell and Platelet Treatments Help JS Fly Again
At the Centeno-Schultz Clinic, JS underwent bone marrow stem cell treatment for her ankle and knee along with platelet injections into her lumbar spine. In addition, given her bone swelling, JS underwent intraosseous injection with stem cells into the ankle bone. Before and after MRIs are significant.
As a result of the comprehensive treatment of her ankle, knee, and lumbar spine, JS reports significant improvement in both her pain and level of function. JS is back on the water loving life. Great job, JS!
