The knee joint is a synovial hinge joint and is prone to injury among athletes and active individuals. Knee pain is one of the most common issues we see. Click on the link to learn more about knee pain symptoms, diagnosis and treatment.

The hip joint is a ball and socket joint supported by a capsule, ligaments and very large muscles. Hip pain is a common complaint that can be caused by a wide variety of problems. The precise location of your hip pain can provide valuable clues about the underlying cause. Click on the link to learn more about hip pain symptoms, diagnosis and treatment.

The shoulder joint is sophisticated with an interplay of many structures giving it the ability to have a circumferential range of motion. Shoulder pain and dysfunction is a common complaint that we can treat effectively. Click on the link to learn more about shoulder pain symptoms, diagnosis and treatment.

Back pain is one of the most common conditions in New Zealand and causes a poor quality of life for those who suffer from it. Click on the link to learn more about back pain causes, diagnosis and treatment.

Click on the link to read about platelet-rich plasma injections

Click on the link to read about prolotherapy

Otherwise known as degenerative arthritis. OA occurs when there is a breakdown of the cartilage, leaving the bones unprotected. It is very common and usually affects people as they get older. You can get it at any age and are more likely to if you have previously injured a joint, or are overweight. The symptoms can be very mild with just occasional pain with activity. Worsening symptoms include pain with activity and stiffness with rest. Joints can become swollen and restricted in movement. Joints can change shape as the bone changes in response to loss of protection. You otherwise feel well. The diagnosis is made on the basis of the history, examination findings and sometimes x-rays. The severity of joint damage seen on x-ray does not always correlate with the degree of pain you experience. Treatment includes guided exercises, weight reduction if needed, pain relief and sometimes surgery. For more information see www.arthritis.org.nz

This is a syndrome of widespread aches, pains and fatigue. There may be morning stiffness and sleep problems. The diagnosis is made on the history of the pain and accompanying symptoms as well as the presence of tender points at specific sites on the body. There are a number of different theories and reasons for this condition. There will often be blood tests and maybe x-rays to exclude other diagnoses. Treatment involves pain killers, exercises, rest and sometimes antidepressant medication. For more information see www.arthritis.org.nz

Most headaches are not due to significant underlying problems but you may be referred if your GP is worried about the nature of your headaches or you are having difficulty controlling them with standard treatment. Migraine headaches are repeated or recurrent headaches, often accompanied by other symptoms. They can be triggered by certain factors/events/foods. In some people, a visual disturbance called an aura happens before the headache starts. Other symptoms that may precede or accompany the headache include loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, increased sweating, irritability, fatigue and intolerance of light or noise. The headache may last several hours to days. There is no cure for migraine headaches but treatment is aimed at: preventing migraines from occurring, stopping the migraine once early symptoms develop, and treating the symptoms of migraine (e.g. pain, nausea). For more information about migraines and headache visit www.migraine.co.nz

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is caused by a pinched nerve in the wrist that causes tingling, numbness and pain in your hand.

Steroid injections are used to treat joints and tendons that are inflamed and sore. The steroid - also known as cortisone - is a powerful anti inflammatory and pain killer. They used to be done by feel, but now most steroid injections are done with ultrasound to guide the injection so that we can be sure it has gone into the correct place and avoid the wrong place! We will provide you with more information when you come for your appointment.

PURE EXPANDED STEM CELL THERAPY Every one of us is a collection of over 30 trillion cells. Every one of these cells comes from a single pluripotent type of cell called a stem cell. Stem cells have already changed medicine forever and while they have the ability to extend our lives now they will undoubtedly be saving lives in the near future. The inherent intelligence of stem cells means they have the ability to differentiate into any other type of cell in the body. While working with ReGen Cellular we are carefully harnessing that intelligence to heal soft tissue such as cartilage, tendons and ligaments, that have been eroded or been depleted through the course of our lives. Science has shown these cells can be woken up by the reintroduction of new healing Mesenchymal Stem Cells. These Mesenchymal Stem Cells release cytokines which are signalling molecules that prime the cells for repair and rejuvenation. In conjugation with ReGen Cellular, we use proprietary protocols to offer a treatment with the largest concentration of Mesenchymal Stem Cells. Mesenchymal Stem Cells are purified and expanded from patients own fat tissue to hundreds of millions of cells before injection. These Mesenchymal Stem Cells, when mixed with the patient’s own Platelet Rich Plasma, give the body the best chance of repairing damaged cartilage and torn ligaments and tendons and reducing inflammation. THE EXPANDED STEM CELL PROCESS Consultation We review all medical files, medical history to ascertain suitability and likely success of treatment. Not all patients are suitable candidates for expanded stem cell therapy, and we only treat patients we know have a likely chance of success. To determine what precisely is causing your pain, we will perform a complete physical examination to understand your lifestyle and what may have triggered the pain. We’ll assess overall biomechanics along with the entire knee to access for pain, swelling, range of motion, stability/laxity, and functional capacity. Although our physical examination will give us an idea of what’s causing your pain, we’ll often want to confirm our diagnosis with an imaging test. In many cases, this may be a hands-on diagnostic ultrasound to create a live image of your knee to accurately evaluate the soft tissues, tendons, ligaments, and meniscus and to look for joint swelling/bursitis. If a more extensive injury is present involving bone, cartilage or meniscus is suspected, we may promptly obtain MRI. Harvesting the Stem Cells Expanded Stem Cell Therapy is based on a solution that is 95% pure Mesenchymal Stem Cells derived from a patient’s own fatty tissue which is a storehouse of these cells. We only offer treatment using a patient’s own adult stem cells. A minor liposuction procedure done under local anaesthetic is carried out to extract 50 grams or two tablespoons of fat. This procedure takes around an hour. Expanding the Stem Cells Unlike same-day procedures that only gives a yield of few hundreds of thousands, Expanded Stem Cell is 100-1000 times more than other methods of performing stem cell therapy. Expanded Stem Cell Therapy is not a same-day procedure. After extraction, growing or multiplying the cells in our laboratory under strict protocols takes up to 8 weeks. The resulting sample is 95% pure Mesenchymal Stem Cells with a yield of between 100 million and 200 million cells. A mesenchymal stem cell has the ability to: Reduce inflammation Reduce cell death (Apoptosis) Self-replicate Alter the immune response in the arthritic joint and shift it toward healing Cryo-frozen Stem Cells for Future Use The expanded stem cells are then carefully cryogenically frozen and stored until your procedure. We produce more stem cells than are needed as this gives our clients the bonus of storing their stem cells for later use. The additional stem cells can be cryogenically frozen for up to 20 years and used for other damaged joints or tendons in the future. The advantage of this is that no further fat has to be extracted and “younger” stem cells have a greater ability to affect healing later in life. Clients often request further expansions of their cells so they can treat other areas of degeneration. The Injection Procedure After informed consent, we take blood from you to create Platelet Rich Plasma. This takes around 15 minutes. Platelets are blood components that are attracted to wound sites where they release cytokines to stimulate the healing and regeneration process. The Platelet Rich Plasma is then mixed with the Mesenchymal Stem Cell serum to protect the cells as well as conditioning them to be more effective at the injury site. Under precise ultrasound guidance, Platelet Rich Plasma/ Mesenchymal Stem Cell solution is injected. Patients are given a prescription for pain relief but are able to leave immediately. Follow up and Rehabilitation Program A follow up with Dr Matti after 2-6 weeks will be organised. Our focus is utilising our treatments and rehabilitation programs towards healing the root cause of your injury or condition without the need for surgery. We don’t believe in a quick fix, one-size-fits-all approach. Instead, we treat all the structures involved in your condition and enjoy working with our patients to achieve the best outcomes to help them return to normal function and a healthier lifestyle as quickly as possible. More Info ReGen Cellular Dr. Zaid Matti MSKDOC