Perth doctors create groundbreaking non-surgical treatment for chronic tendon injuries
Perth doctors have created a non-invasive and non-surgical solution to help heal chronic tendon injuries.
The Perth-based regenerative medicine company Orthocell created the procedure, known as Ortho-ATI.
It first involves a small tendon biopsy being taken from a healthy area and transferred to a lab.
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Perth doctors have created a non-invasive and non-surgical solution to chronic tendon injuries. 9News
There the tendon stem cells are fed, growing from thousands of cells to millions.
They are then injected into the injury site, allowing new and healthy tendons to rebuild.
"It's a minimally invasive approach to healing chronic tendon injuries," Orthocell CEO Paul Anderson said.
The Perth-based regenerative medicine company, called Ortho Cell, created the procedure, known as OrthoAti. 9News
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Cells can be kept in the lab for up to 20 years and used for future injuries.
Currently the treatment is only available to clinical trial patients and is pending approval from the Therapeutic Goods Administration.
West Coast Eagles player Mark LeCras is one of the patients who has received the treatment.
West Coast Eagles player Mark LeCras is one of the patients who has received the treatment. 9News
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The AFL star almost lost his career after a nasty tendon injury in his knee that plagued him for 12 months.
"We tried multiple different therapies to try and fix it, but we didn't really," LeCras said. "It's completely healed me."
He has since gone on to play another eight seasons that has even included a premiership win.
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