This video features a 2-month post-procedure follow-up shared by Dr. Don Buford at Texas Orthobiologics, focusing on a former Division 1 college basketball athlete who treated a severe shoulder injury without surgery.
Key Highlights:
- The Injury: The patient, a former basketball player for the University of North Texas, had a long history of chronic shoulder pain and dysfunction due to a high-grade, partial-thickness tear (roughly an 80% tear) in her right supraspinatus tendon (part of the rotator cuff).
- The Alternative: She had already seen another surgeon and was actively scheduled to undergo surgical rotator cuff repair. Seeking non-surgical options instead, she found Dr. Buford online.
- The Treatment: Dr. Buford performed a targeted, office-based Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) injection using the patient's own blood. The treatment was precisely delivered into three specific zones of the shoulder:
- The glenohumeral joint (the main shoulder joint socket)
- Directly into the 80% tear within the supraspinatus tendon
- The subacromial bursa (the fluid-filled sac above the rotator cuff)
- Results at 2 Months:
- Pain Relief: The patient notes that within just two weeks of receiving the PRP injection, her chronic shoulder pain was completely gone.
- Improved Mobility: She demonstrates excellent range of motion on camera. Prior to the procedure, she could barely hold her arm up at a 90-degree angle and completely lacked the ability to rotate her forearm down and up (internal/external rotation) due to agonizing pain. At two months, she can perform these rotations seamlessly and pain-free.
- Activity: With her symptoms resolved, she has successfully returned to progressive strength training and exercise.
