Patient Testimonials
“I just wanted to share my story with anyone who is contemplating having stem cell therapy. I am a stuntman who works nonstop on all the biggest movies in Hollywood. I tore my ACL and had 3 months until I needed to fly out to stunt double for the Winter Soldier in Captain America Civil War. I went to a doctor that told me I had almost a complete tear. It was only attached by a thread and I needed surgery that would have me out of work at least 6 months. I was sick to my stomach considering I have doubled for the Winter Soldier on the previous Captain Americas and it is the one job I completely love. I started trying to do stuff to test my knee and see if I could maybe work with a torn ACL, sadly it kept giving out and I realized I had to have surgery. When I was in the doctor’s office to schedule my surgery I saw a brochure for doctor Blecher and stem cell treatment for a torn ACL. I immediately made an appointment to see Dr. Blecher and he told me stem cell treatment would heal my torn ACL in 3 months! Exactly the time I needed to be ready for Captain America. So I decided to go ahead and try it since it was my only option to be ready in time for the show. I thought that it was a gamble that if it didn’t work I would have wasted 3 months trying this and then would have to have surgery and be out of work a total of at least 10 months but I was willing to risk it to be ready for this show.
After the procedure I did all my own rehab with a list of exercises Dr. Blecher gave me and my previous knowledge of rehabbing injuries because I knew personally how hard or light I could push it. Cut to 3 months later and it was time to put it to the test! The very 1st day I arrived on set I was running sprints all day jumping onto and over cars (the tunnel sequence in civil war) I still wasn’t sure when I got on set how ready my knee was for this type of action but I had to push it to the limit! The knee held up amazing! No pain, no weakness or sense of giving out and the stunt coordinator clocked me running 22 miles per hour (equivalent to a 4.5 40 yard dash! Not bad for a 40 year old) and I had my hops back jumping over the roofs of cars. And a week later I had to crash a motorcycle going 45 miles per hour so it was time to test my knee’s durability for contact. It was a nasty crash and my knee took a beating but it held up amazing. After that I knew I was back to 100 percent and the stem cell therapy worked awesome! I went full throttle the next 3 months of filming and up until now 2 years later.
I just recently got injured again on a fluke accident where I was hit by a car that wasn’t supposed to be in the shot that blind-sided me taking out my knees along with other injuries. I got my MRI back for the knee I did my stem cell procedure on and I had a torn meniscus but what was amazing to me was the MRI report showed no sign of an injury to my ACL. It had grown back 100 percent that you would never know it had been injured!!!
I just wanted to write this to thank Dr. Blecher for his amazing work, and getting me back to 100 percent healed in 3 months!
And also to tell anyone contemplating if stem cell therapy will work for them. I have never stopped working or worried about my ACL and now after this last accident of being hit by the car I am bypassing neck and back surgery and 100 percent positive that stem cell therapy will heal me and I will never have surgery again if stem cell therapy is a option. Thank you Dr. Blecher, words can never describe what you did for me and getting me back to work so fast and so strong and being able to stunt double for the Winter Soldier!”
Justin Sundquist
Professional Stuntman
“Dear Dr. Blecher,
This is long overdue, but seeing how I am once again visiting you for yet another sports related injury, I thought it would be a good time to extend my thanks to you. Better late than never.
When I came to you last year with an injury on my shoulder, as well as my calf, you not only wanted to figure it all out, but your attention to detail as well as your desire to get me back on the field as fast and safe as possible, did not go unnoticed. I really appreciate how much you care and understand getting your patients back on the field.
As you know, I play ball for the National USA fast pitch softball team Maccabi USA, and if you didn’t get me back on the field as fast as you did, I would have never been able to go to Israel and win, Silver :-).
Thanks for caring about your patients the way you do.
All the best.”
Billy Frank
Maccabi USA/ Player-Captain
“In January I was faced with another full thickness tear in my rotator cuff and wondered what my options might be. Would it be another surgery or possibly something different? I was introduced to Dr. Andrew Blecher who thought I might be a candidate for the new Regenexx stem cell procedure. This new procedure has changed my life, given me a new shoulder and all without invasive shoulder surgery. I cannot explain how happy I am that I chose this method for my shoulder and now I feel great, have significantly less pain and 100% range of motion. Thank you Dr. Blecher and Regenexx.”
Lloyd Eisler
2-Time Olympic Medalist
Member of the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame
“I wanted to express my gratitude for your PRP treatment for both my knees. I am a Masters Track and Field competitor in the Long Jump and Triple Jump and won the National Championship in 2010 and 2011. However, I developed patellar tendon problems in both knees. The condition stopped my running let alone jumping. I thought my jumping days may be over. I decided to see you for PRP treatment and it turned out to be the right decision. I wanted to report to you how I am doing since the completion of treatment. At year’s end I was ranked #1 in the nation in the triple jump and #3 in the long jump.
So far in 2014 I am ranked #1 in the nation for both the triple jump and long jump. In March of 2014 I went back to Boston to compete in the Masters Indoor Nationals. I won the Gold in both the Triple Jump and Long Jump. At this point my knees are holding up great. I continue to follow your instructions on caring for my knees as I train for competition. Again, thank you for all you have done for me.”
Greg Mimm
“Prior to the PRP procedure on my knee, I had two rounds of Euflexa – the first worked great, but wore off at month 4; the second round did not work at all. Walking distances was painful and I could not even step up on a curb unless I led with my strong leg. Rising up from a chair was difficult and stairs were intensely painful. Dr. Blecher gave me a couple of options, PRP one of them. About 5 weeks after my third injection, I walked up a curb, leading with the PRP leg…not even realizing that I had no pain! I am now about 10 weeks post PRP and can consistently walk three flights of stairs with only a slight reminder that my knee has no cartilage. The procedure itself was not painful, but rather feels like momentary pressure.”
Sue F.
“Close to the end of the third game in our season, I was hit in the knee on a short yardage play and tore my MCL. It ended up being a grade 3 tear, and I was told the ligament would take 8-12 weeks to completely heal. I was the only person on the team that played center so it was important that I came back as soon as possible. The doctor suggested a PRP treatment. About a week after the injury I received a PRP treatment, and two weeks later I was back in practice. The doctor was amazed at how quickly my ligament healed. I hardly noticed any looseness or pain in my first game back. We’re in week ten of the season now and my knee doesn’t bother me at all!”
Jackson Smith
College of the Canyons, Center 2010 Season
“Regenexx has offered me pain free living for the first time in 20 years. After years of dealing with pain I turned to viscosupplementation and PRP with good results. Once those techniques no longer provided long term relief, Dr. Blecher suggested Regenexx. After 6 weeks I was able to complete an active work day as a physical therapist with no pain whatsoever. I’m very excited to return to mountain biking and soccer in the next few weeks.”
Andrew Del Rio, MPT
“Going into PRP I had no idea what to expect! I was told about this injection which takes your blood and sends it in a centrifuge and takes the plasma and platelets and separates the rest. The injection itself was kind of painful but something that of course can be tolerated. Well after I was cleared to do movements I started rehab with my athletic trainer. I started throwing not soon after, not going to lie I was very hesitant about throwing after the injection. I was really nervous, but at the same time I was very confident. The reason is I knew it would help me to get back to the field. So I finally got on the mound and started throwing a couple bullpens, felt good!!! After a couple of starts my velocity finally started to come back. My arm was finally getting into shape. Throughout the season I had no problem with it. Each start it felt great! I was throwing each ball with conviction! After the season was over I was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals!”
Cory Jones
“In early August of 2012, I began to experience discomfort in my right shoulder. By late August my shoulder had become so painful that I could not even carry lighter objects or raise my arm above my head. Two cortisone shots did little to ease the pain. In early September, I began a three-injection Euflexxa treatment. After the first injection there was a noticeable improvement and within weeks of completing the treatment I had regained 80–90% usage of my right shoulder. I still have limitations when lifting heavy objects over my head, but for the most part the Eufflexxa treatment has given me back my right arm.”
John Charles Klose, Age 69
“I am a 56 year old woman in excellent physical condition. I work out regularly and seriously. In December of 2013, I fell and injured my shoulder. I was in constant pain and I attempted to alleviate the pain by seeing a sports medicine practice. However, after treatment and physical therapy did not have positive results, I had an MRI, and I scheduled an appointment with Dr. Blecher. Dr. Blecher diagnosed the injury as a torn rotator cuff with a full tear and a partial tear in two tendons in my shoulder. Dr. Blecher recommended rotator cuff surgery, which I declined due to the 6-month recovery time. I asked the doctor for alternatives and he suggested the PRP injections procedure. Dr. Blecher was very honest and told me that he could not guarantee that this would help. I opted to try this procedure, and in August of 2014, I had two appointments.
The first was the injection of platelets, and the second (two days later) was the injection of bone marrow with platelets. I was fitted in an upper body brace immediately after the second appointment, and was in this brace 24-hours a day for five weeks. The first couple of weeks, my arm was at a 90-degree angle, followed by a few weeks at a 45-degree angle. Six weeks after the procedure, and after I had the brace removed, I was able to begin physical therapy twice a week for 13 weeks. About half way through the therapy, Dr. Blecher scheduled an ultrasound to see if this was heeling appropriately. Dr. Blecher said that the ultrasound showed that the tendons had reattached and were heeling. I continued with physical therapy and strengthened the shoulder muscles. At the conclusion of the physical therapy, I was told by Dr. Blecher that I could return to normal activity and that I should continue to strengthen the shoulder muscles. It has been 8 months since I had this procedure and I am thrilled with the results. I have almost no effects of the procedure and I am not limited in any manner. I have noticed a slight degree of discomfort when the weather changes, but aside from that, I am pain-free. I have regained almost full strength in the shoulder.
I am a hairdresser and I use my arm and shoulder continually when I work. This procedure has allowed me to avoid the lengthy and painful rotator cuff surgery and recovery. While I had a minimal period of time where I could not work or work out, I have been able to continue to live my life normally. I am very happy that I chose this course. I could not be more pleased with the outcome. While the six weeks in the brace was not terribly comfortable or fun, it was surely better than the six months recovery had I undergone the rotator cuff surgery. The PRP injections were only minimally uncomfortable and it only took a couple of hours for the procedure, and I was home within a few hours. I would definitely recommend this procedure, and I would urge others with shoulder injuries to consider alternatives to rotator cuff surgery. As for Dr. Blecher, I credit him with his knowledge and his honesty. He was able to make the injections in the exact spot that allowed the tendons to re-attach. He was also able to extract the bone marrow in a manner that was not nearly as painful as I anticipated. I absolutely credit him for this successful procedure and I would recommend him without hesitation. Thank you, Dr. Blecher!”
Antonella K.
“Both my husband and I are currently undergoing stem cell treatment from Dr. Andrew Blecher. My husband is receiving treatment on his left knee and mine is on my left shoulder. My treatment started on January 13, 2015. So far, I have noticed slight improvement in my range of motion and subtle differences in having less difficulty in some everyday activity such as dressing, bathing, etc. My husband is currently undergoing the first phase of the treatment. It is too early to report any progress regarding his results, as yet. We are very pleased with Dr. Blecher and his staff. They have been efficient, kind, courteous, and very caring. We are happy we chose to go to SCOI for our treatment. We are looking forward to very positive results without surgery.”
