Meniscus tear repair patient Collagen Meniscus Implant (CMI) 2 years post-op
I was very depressed. I just felt really trapped cause I knew that I wasn't going to progress.
I was really willing to do anything regenerative rather that take something away that could never be replaced.
The biggest reason why I had this surgery is because prior to surgery, I was cross country skiing, I was hiking, I was playing pickle ball. I was very active and I could walk anywhere. I had plenty of energy. After the injury, I could do none of that. I couldn't even walk to a choral rehearsal.
This really set me back in terms a life prognosis, it wasn't acceptable to me, and I wanted something better. I also, these are activities I share with my husband and my daughter and my son in law and my two grandsons. So that would have left me out of my family in every way, as well as a lot of my friendships.
It was very important to me if I could recover this function
I'm happy to report that I am cross country skiing again, and hiking, and backpacking. It's a miracle to me, it's an absolute miracle. On my follow up visit, we looked at the MRI together and I just couldn't believe that the meniscus was all the way filled in. I am 68 years old. I thought, "I might be too old. Maybe my body won't do this." But, it did and I am just thrilled.
My husband and I went on a bike trip to Ireland this year. We did 120 miles of biking over six days. I had no pain, no problem at all with it. I feel like I have regained that sense of adventure and exploration that I've always had. I lost that for a while. I didn't trust my body to perform for me.
It's really been a miracle and I am so grateful to Dr. Stone for developing this and for the team that works here. They're awesome.
Judy N. Profile
Dr. Stone reconstructed Judy's meniscus using a Collagen Meniscus Implant (CMI), an implant that he personally designed to offer a physical scaffold upon which new meniscus tissue can grow. With this implant, missing segments of meniscus cartilage can be selectively replaced by sewing in the scaffold and inducing remodeling. Patients with joint pain caused by loss of this natural shock absorber, like Judy, experience relief from suffering through this restoration of their meniscus.