For 3 years I suffered from the pain of a torn knee ligament (ACL) and torn meniscus,  which I injured during a football game. Read story here.

After considering my options for treatment, I chose a non-invasive approach to recovery instead of reconstructive surgery.

Center for Musculoskeletal Science – AsIa

The Center for Musculoskeletal Science Asia (CMS-Asia), located in West Avenue, Quezon City, specializes in non-surgical, image-guided management for back pain, arthritis, shoulder pain, spinal problems and sports injuries using arthroscopic, fluoroscopic, ultrasound-guided interventions and regenerative medicine.

DR. ISAGANI LEAL

Dr. Isagani Leal is known as the doctor who heals with your own blood. He pioneered the use of Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) Therapy in the Philippines and takes care of famous Filipino athletes and various national sports team.

He was the 3rd doctor I consulted and by this time I was daunted by the thought that only surgery can help me. When I met him for the first time, he was surprisingly down-to-earth and he made me cry! Haha.

He explained the risks and benefits of my procedures. He honestly told me that conservative methods may not get me back to my original agility and power kicks but with the proper combination of treatment and strengthening it was possible to heal without surgery. He was gentle but reassuring.

I liked it when he affirmed that the psychological impact of injuries to athletes is what makes healing more difficult. I teared up because I felt like he understood how much getting back to sports mean to a person. He made me hopeful.

VISCOSUPPLEMENTATION

Viscosupplementation is a procedure where a gel-like fluid called hyaluronic acid is injected into the knee joint. Hyaluronic acid is a naturally occurring substance found in the synovial fluid surrounding joints. It acts as a lubricant to enable bones to move smoothly over each other and as a shock absorber for joint loads.

I have serious fear of injections. People who have helped me get injected have seen how I could transform to a baby monster. Dr. Leal was kind enough to calm me down. He kept talking to me to get my mind off what was happening. Before I knew it, I was done.

PRP THERAPY

After a week, I went back for my Platelet Rich Plasma Therapy. PRP is one of the latest non-operative procedures for sports injuries and musculoskeletal pains. It stimulates tissue growth and cell regeneration to enhance the body’s healing process. It is applicable to all type of osteoarthritis conditions and sports injuries such as muscle, tendon, ligament and meniscus tears.

PRP injections are prepared by taking one to a few tubes of your own blood and running it through a centrifuge to concentrate the platelets. These harvested platelets are then injected directly into your injured body part, releasing growth factors that stimulate and increase the number of reparative cells your body produces. PRP is done once or twice depending upon the severity of your condition.

Hello, to my super-platelets! Dr. Leal administered my shot smoothly. I sweated a lot!

Thanks to nurse Mitch,  I was able to get through this! It was not really that big a deal unless you have Trypanophobia like me. I appreciate it when medical staff are kind to their patients. They make the experience memorable and less traumatic.

LASER AND MAGNETO THERAPY

After 3 days of downtime, I started my Biostimulation Laser Therapy sessions to boost the effectiveness of my procedures. I completed 6 sessions, done every other day.

The center gives you a dedicated Physical Therapist. This is a good system because your PT gets to monitor your progress and you get to know them personally too.

Thank you, Vince, for always welcoming me with a smile and being patient with my #fatlegs. You’re awesome!

The therapy sessions were painless. What agonized me was moving around at home and getting to the center.

PHYSICAL THERAPY

My 12-year-old niece was my personal nurse this whole time. She has been experiencing leg cramps and muscle pains since she was a kid, so we decided to have her checked up as well.

After a skeletal scan and consultation with Dr. Leal, we found out that one of her leg is shorter than the other causing her spine to curve as she grew older, thus the consistent pain on her legs.

She went through therapy and had to add insoles/outsoles in all of her footwears.

Kay was her friendly PT, making the experience bearable for her.

INTERVENTIONAL TREATMENT

My sister who had a neck surgery a year ago in the UAE has also been experiencing debilitating pain and spasms in her upper body.

She was recommended to complete a lumbar/cervical treatment package which included injection, acupuncture and shockwaves therapy.

My niece and my sister have reported great relief after their treatments. But we are all due for our follow-up consultations.

For minimally-invasive medical cure like ours, a regular visit to the doctor is needed to make sure that healing is in progress. If not, supplementary procedures will have to be done.

Today, I have put my leg immobilizer to rest and am wearing my knee support. I am struggling to do my daily rehabilitation program because these exercises bore me to death. Haha. But yes, no pain, no gain!

When this virus is over, I’ll have to go back to my doctor and see if I can start kicking again.

Visit the CMS-Asia FB page to know more: https://www.facebook.com/cmsasia2009/