By Dr. Michael J. Kellis, Precision Orthopaedic Specialties, Inc.
It was a brisk, sunny, October day in 1978 at Bethany College. During a game of football I blitzed the quarterback and was clipped by another player. When I think about it today, I can still feel the searing pain in my left knee and remember the embarrassment of throwing up on the field from the pain.
At the time, I thought nothing positive could come from it. The doctor told me that I’d have a “trick” knee for life. I didn’t understand until the first time it went out on me. Looking back, this adverse event changed my life for the better.
You see, I went to college to become a doctor. I wanted to help people. My experience led me to sports medicine, and because of my knee injury, I could empathize with my patients and their pain. God has exceptional ways of educating us.
Over time, my knee has become arthritic and very painful. I thank God and jokingly remind Him that He can take it back. So far―no answer! Because of my condition, I began a lifetime of research to help those with arthritis.
I developed Dr. Mike’s Vitamins to help strengthen the articular cartilage. My partners and I use many new treatments, including viscoelastic supplementation and injections (derived from rooster combs), along with physical therapy, exercise and medicine.
At the Ohio Stem Cell Treatment Center in Beachwood, I recently underwent a new procedure. Dr. Mark Foglietti, a board certified plastic surgeon, removed 60cc of my abdominal fat and retrieved stromal vascular fraction, a mixture of mesenchymal stem cells, macrophages, and other beneficial cells. He then injected them into my knee. This will hopefully help to support my cartilage and keep me out of a possible knee replacement .
Stem cells will be the gold standard for arthritis. It is important to emphasize that these are not embryonic stem cells derived from aborted fetuses, but your own abdominal stem cells, which have the ability to aid the regenerative processes of the body. This is not science fiction, but sound medical practice!
This technology is available. I had the procedure on my knee! I will monitor my results and document whether this procedure is beneficial. (Studies nationwide demonstrate an 80% success rate.)
If you are suffering with arthritis, please consider a consult with the Ohio Stem Cell Treatment Center located in Beachwood, Ohio. The website is www.ohiostemcelltreatmentcenter.com.
Looking back to that beautiful October day at Bethany College, I now see God’s divine providence in everything that happened to me that day, and by the way, we won the game!
