(Platinum Clinic) Years of Shoulder Pain -- It Was a Partial Rotator Cuff Tear! How Do We Treat It?

Hello. I am Dr. Dongkyu Lee, an orthopedic specialist. Let me share a patient's story. "I visited multiple hospitals over several years for shoulder pain. Initially, I was told it was simple inflammation and received medication and physical therapy." "It seemed to improve slightly, but the pain returned. Since I was told it was just inflammation, I ignored it." "Then one day the pain worsened, so I had an MRI which revealed a partial rotator cuff tear." "I was told it wasn't severe enough for surgery and to try injection therapy and shockwave treatment. I had several sessions." "Things improved for a while but pain returned after some time." "I went back and asked what to do next..." "They said it wasn't severe enough for surgery but repeated injections weren't ideal either, so I should just manage pain with medication." "What should I do now?" That was the patient's story. From the patient's perspective, this is an incredibly frustrating situation. Shoulder pain persists but there seems to be no treatment option, just pain management... Left untreated, the partial tear could progress to a complete tear, ultimately requiring surgery. Medication was not controlling the pain, and repeated pain injections were not providing a fundamental cure... The patient was extremely frustrated. I explained "bone marrow stem cell regeneration therapy" and recommended it.

Bone marrow stem cell regeneration therapy involves creating micro-holes in the bone at the partial tear site under local anesthesia. Bone marrow flows through these holes, and the stem cells and healing factors within the marrow promote repair of the damaged rotator cuff over time.

First, let me show the pre-procedure ultrasound.

On ultrasound, normal rotator cuff appears white. The dark area within the red circle shows the partial tear. The area indicated by yellow arrows shows inflammatory fluid accumulation from the tear.

Ultrasound-guided bone marrow stem cell regeneration was performed, followed by additional prolotherapy.

Tissue regeneration takes approximately 4-6 weeks. Additional prolotherapy was performed after the initial procedure, followed by another ultrasound at 6 weeks.

The ultrasound at 6 weeks post-procedure shows the previously dark damaged area has recovered to near-normal.

Overall comparison shows the dark damaged rotator cuff in the red circle on the far left has recovered to white, normal-appearing tissue in the 6-week post-procedure ultrasound.

The patient was delighted that both the ultrasound images and symptoms showed improvement, and the frustration had lifted. Many patients with partial rotator cuff tears may find themselves in similar situations. If left untreated until complete tear, the only option becomes surgery. "Bone marrow stem cell regeneration therapy" is a helpful treatment option for partial rotator cuff tears.

Do not let the condition worsen to a complete tear. Early treatment is the best way to maintain a healthy shoulder.