Regenerative Therapy Rescues Sandy Keith from Chronic Neck and Back Pain

JORDAN PYSZ / iFoundMyDoctor.com
Now that she no longer experiences the debilitating discomfort in her back and neck, Sandy has returned to the activities she was forced to abandon, including riding her bicycle.

While on vacation and enjoying the Florida Keys, Sandy Keith decided to apply for a physical education teacher position with the Monroe County school system. She was hired and established a home in Plantation Key but chose to relocate after the Mariel boatlift in 1980.

During the six-month boatlift, Cuban President Fidel Castro allowed about 125,000 refugees to leave the communist nation for Florida. A significant number of the refuges were released from Cuban prisons and mental health facilities.

“There were flotillas full of refugees arriving on the shores of the Florida Keys,” Sandy recalls. “It really changed the dynamics there, so I decided to move up the coast and check out Sarasota County.

“I was expecting to take a position that was offered to me at Ashton Elementary School in Sarasota because the PE teacher there was stepping away. As it turned out, he decided to stay. There’s only one PE teacher in each elementary school, and school was already in session, so I started looking for alternative careers.”

First, Sandy pursued personal fitness training. She also taught aerobics classes and swimming, but the income was insufficient to meet her needs, so she earned a real estate license and tried her hand at selling properties.

“I worked for Schlott Realtors for 10 years and then they were bought by Coldwell Banker,” the California native recounts. “I then met my husband, and we decided to start our own company. I got my brokerage license, and we began our own real estate brokerage business called Lighthouse Realty.

“Through our business, we managed condominium and homeowner associations within Sarasota and Manatee counties. In 2021, we retired after 33 years in property management. Since then, our two daughters have blessed us with four grandbabies. That’s my new career, playing with and helping to care for and nurture our grandbabies.”

“Inevitable” Condition

In addition to spending time with her grandchildren, Sandy, 70, likes to ride her bike and walk on the beach. She volunteers with Good Samaritan Pharmacy & Health Services in Nokomis and sits on that organization’s board. She’s also on the board of the Osprey Nokomis Chamber of Commerce, helps out with nursery care at her church and enjoys gardening.

Unfortunately, chronic pain in her neck and low back, which grew progressively worse in recent years, made those pursuits increasingly difficult. She didn’t suffer a specific spinal injury that she can remember. Rather, she attributes the pain to the rugged activities she engaged in while she was younger.

“I’ve always had issues with my back because I have very flexible joints,” Sandy elaborates. “While I was in my teens and 20s, I did a lot of back bends and head stands. I hung from things and fell while windsurfing. It was inevitable that I would have back problems.

“But recently, my back pain reached a point where I couldn’t lift my grandbabies or ride my bike. Just putting my hands on the handlebars and leaning forward on the bike caused excruciating pain, especially through my shoulders. Sometimes the pain would soar as high as a 10 on a scale of one to 10 if I let it go for too long.”

Fortunately, Sandy had established a longstanding relationship with Dr. Jeffrey P. Johnson, the practice director at Johnson Medical Center, a comprehensive medical practice in Venice.

“Dr. Johnson explained to me that as human beings we can do things – whether it’s sitting, standing, walking or just a quick movement – that can result in micro traumas to the spine.

“In my case, Dr. Johnson identified an awkward curve in my neck. I experienced some really, really horrible neck pain because of that curve.”

Sandy has been receiving standard chiropractic for nearly three decades. But last year, after her neck and back pain reached a climax, she was forced to dig deeper into other treatment options.

“Ms. Keith has advanced degeneration in her lower neck as well as a reverse curvature, which resulted in foraminal stenosis,” Dr. Johnson recalls. “She also had moderate to severe facet joint degeneration. The resulting pain interfered with her daily activities.”

Foraminal stenosis is a narrowing of the openings in the spine where the nerves exit the spinal cord. The facet joints are pairs of small joints at each vertebral level of the spine. They connect the vertebrae and allow the spine to move within a safe range of motion. They are also a common cause of back pain.

“Ms. Keith had physical therapy and chiropractic care,” Dr. Johnson continues. “That provided some relief, but the relief was temporary and not to the extent she needed. We then recommended she consider the regenerative therapy protocol we offer.”

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Signaling Cells

Regenerative therapy is a novel treatment in Dr. Johnson’s arsenal against pain. It works by harnessing natural healing and growth factors in the body to provide cushioning to degenerated and injured joints, thereby helping reducing pain and enhancing function.

These growth factors, which can help stimulate the body’s ability to heal itself, are derived from the amniotic fluid collected during healthy baby deliveries and then purified.

“With the healing factors, we inject another material called micro human tissue, which contains a high concentration of the vibrant substances that promote the body’s healing ability,” Dr. Johnson describes.

The micro human tissue is obtained from umbilical cords donated by mothers following healthy births. The umbilical cord has protective tissue that surrounds the arteries and veins and is a vital component of fetus development.

“Amniotic fluid and micro human tissue are rich in mesenchymal stromal cells, which are signaling cells,” Dr. Johnson informs. “These cells direct the healing of a joint injury or the joint degeneration that occurs over time.

“The signaling cells don’t do the healing themselves, however. Once these cells reach a damaged area of the body, they assess what needs to be done to heal the injury or degeneration and send messages to all the other cells telling them what to do to mend the damage.

“A good analogy is an architect who designs a high-rise building. He’s not going to swing a hammer. He gives blueprints to the workers, who follow the blueprints to construct the building. That’s essentially what the signaling cells do.”

As people age, the concentration of mesenchymal stromal cells in the body diminishes. Newborn babies have a concentration of 100 percent, but it decreases to only about 10 percent for people in their 20s.

“When we reach our 60s, we may have just about 2 percent of these cells left, and at age 70, we have around 1 percent, so it diminishes further as we get older,” Dr. Johnson details. “That’s why arthritic conditions accelerate as we age. We just don’t have enough signaling cells to help direct the healing process.”

Steps in the Protocol

Johnson Medical Center’s regenerative therapy begins with a thorough evaluation to determine if the patient is a good candidate for the protocol. Dr. Johnson also seeks to identify any other contributing conditions that may need to be addressed to ensure favorable outcomes.

“Our protocol requires a single injection of a mixture of purified amniotic fluid (PAF) and micro human tissue,” Dr. Johnson explains. “These are the most effective tissues we use to treat joint and soft tissue conditions and promote healing.”

“Depending on the patient, our protocol may also include physical medicine to help improve the person’s function, and IV nutrition and/or IV ozone therapy to help boost the immune system and improve the person’s ability to heal faster.”

Ozone is a colorless gas made from medical grade oxygen sources. During ozone therapy, the gas is introduced into to the body to expedite healing of the soft tissue in a damaged joint, neck or back.

Regenerative therapy injections are less invasive than surgery and patients recover much faster, Dr. Johnson points out. Further, there is a very low risk for complications such as bleeding and infection, which can occur with joint replacement and other types of surgery.

“Regenerative therapy provides an option for patients who have conditions that I would have previously referred for surgery,” Dr. Johnson declares. “It’s been a terrific addition to our practice, where we also use rehabilitation therapy, laser therapy, chiropractic and other modalities to assist with the process of rehabilitating damaged joints. The goal is for the treatment to be a long-term restorative event, not just a short-term fix.

“Most importantly, it works. We’re seeing tremendous results with our regenerative therapy protocol. Within weeks of beginning treatment, patients are experiencing terrific relief from their joint pain. In a matter of months, we’re seeing a significant increase in our patient’s physical activities with remarkable improvement in both their mobility and strength. It’ very impressive.”

Dr. Johnson stresses that to get the best outcome, patients must continue with the recommended stretching and strengthening exercises they are taught following the injections.

“I tell my patients, If you go to the dentist to have your teeth cleaned but don’t brush and floss every day, the cleaning doesn’t do you much good,” he states. “It is the same with the regenerative therapy program. If you undergo these injections but don’t follow through with the home exercises, you won’t achieve as good of an outcome as you would if you did the exercises.”

At Johnson Medical Center, regenerative therapy injections are administered by Mahendra Poonai, RN, APRN, FNP-BC, who uses ultrasound guidance to ensure appropriate placement of the regenerative therapy material.

“Mahendra has traveled across the country to receive the best training in regenerative medicine techniques,” Dr. Johnson says. “He has developed expertise in using ultrasound to get the amniotic fluid and micro human tissue exactly where they need to be for the treatment to be the most effective. It is a very precise technique, and Mahendra does it well.”

JORDAN PYSZ / iFoundMyDoctor.com
Sandy Keith

“Totally Blessed”

After Dr. Johnson recommended regenerative therapy injections for her agonizing back and neck pain, Sandy did additional research and agreed to move forward with the treatment.

“I believe in the body’s ability to heal itself, so I read up a lot on regenerative therapy,” Sandy confirms. “I was super excited that Johnson Medical Center had developed a technique in which they inject growth factors into an area affected by chronic inflammation, which allows the body to rejuvenate its cells.”

Sandy, who received her injections in March 2023, is thrilled with the outcome.

“I’m totally blessed by this therapy,” she enthuses. “I can’t say enough about how beneficial it’s been for me. My pain level is zero. There’s no pain in my neck or back.”

Sandy noticed a difference about a week after the injections. The quick onset of pain relief came as a pleasant surprise.

“When you’re not in pain, you don’t really pay attention to how you’re feeling, and when you’re in pain, you obsess about it,” Sandy reports. “I was anticipating a positive result from the injections, but I wasn’t really focused on it every day. Then, suddenly, I realized I wasn’t experiencing pain from the things I ordinarily do that in the past aggravated my condition.”

Dr. Johnson describes Sandy as “a very diligent patient” who is “doing everything she can to keep this process moving along and allow the healing to continue.”

That includes following Dr. Johnson’s recommendation to continue the protocol’s physical medicine component.

“Following the injections, I participated in regular stretching, which helped maintain the flexibility of my joints,” Sandy reports. “That was combined with Dr. Johnson’s physical medicine treatment protocols. It’s a program that is put together well, and it worked for me.”

Now that she no longer experiences the debilitating discomfort in her back and neck, Sandy has returned to activities she was forced to abandon, including walking and lifting her grandchildren. She especially enjoys being able to ride her bike again.

“I feel so blessed to be able to freely get on my bike and not be restricted by pain,” she enthuses. “The regenerative therapy has completely improved the health of my neck and eliminated the chronic pain I was experiencing. I truly believe that I am standing up and walking pain-free today because of Dr. Johnson’s care and the professionalism he’s shown throughout decades of service.”

Sandy wasn’t done giving kudos to Dr. Johnson.

“I love Dr. Johnson,” she adds. “He’s always in a great mood, he’s kind and he listens. He’s a really great person as well as a very knowledgeable doctor.

“I’m grateful for his willingness to take advantage of modern techniques and implement them in his practice.

“And it’s a wonderful office. The staff is happy, and they always greet you with a smile and a warm reception.

“I highly recommend Dr. Johnson, Johnson Medical Center and their regenerative therapy.”

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