Physicians at Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush (MOR) are recruiting patients with rotator cuff injuries to participate in a clinical trial using stem cell injections. Surgeons involved in the study include: Brian Cole, M.D. Anthony Romeo, M.D., and Nikhil Verma, M.D.
Participants Needed for Rotator Cuff Stem Cell Trial
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To participate, patients must be between 18 and 70 years of age, willing to undergo an initial evaluation and imaging to find out if pain is caused by a rotator cuff injury and intending to be a candidate for surgical rotator cuff repair.
The treatment under investigation involves removing stem cells from the patient’s body and transplanting them into another part of the body where it is believed they will produce more stem cells. Past studies conducted at MOR have shown that stem cells used during rotator cuff surgery improve the tendon healing process and decrease the likelihood of the tendon’s tearing again. The purpose of the study is to learn more about how stem cells affect the healing process for patients with injuries to their rotator cuffs.
The rotator cuff consists of four muscles responsible for moving and stabilizing the shoulder joint. These muscles and surrounding ligaments can tear. Early treatments are often non-surgical, such as ice, anti-inflammatories or cortisone injections.
If these fail to provide relief from pain, surgeons may perform arthroscopic surgery to reattach torn tendons to the bone. Patients interested in participating in the study may call (312) 361-2104 or: email shoulderstemcells@rushortho.com.
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This is a fascinating development. In my practice we've seen similar outcomes with the revised protocol. The key differentiator seems to be patient selection criteria. Has anyone else noticed the correlation with BMI thresholds?
Great point. I'd push back slightly on the conclusion, the sample size in the cited study is too small to draw population-level inferences. That said, the directional signal is compelling and worth a larger RCT.
We implemented a similar approach last year. Early results are promising but we're still gathering 12-month follow-up data. Happy to share our protocol if anyone is interested.
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