Young Soccer Player Leads Team In Scoring After Stem Cell Treatment For AVN (Dead Bone)

CLEARWATER, Fla. - May 5, 2014 - PRLog -- Dr. Dennis Lox, an expert in Sports and Regenerative Medicine, cites helping an injured Orlando Florida teen soccer player return to play after performing stem cell therapy on her injured ankle as “one of the most rewarding cases in my career.”

Natasha Merangoli, a young soccer player from the Orlando area, injured her ankle while playing soccer, her favorite sport. She had thought that like previous injuries, her ankle would heal and stop hurting, but the pain only got worse. She described it as “like being stabbed from the inside out.”

She saw two different orthopedic surgeons who diagnosed her as having Avascular Necrosis (AVN).  Avascular Necrosis (AVN), sometimes referred to as osteonecrosis, or “Dead Bone,” is an uncommon disorder in which the blood supply to the bone becomes disrupted, leading to bone cell death or necrosis. The surgeons recommended Natasha change sports and have her ankle fused. That was unacceptable to both Natasha and her parents. They did some research and found Dr. Dennis Lox, who had treated other patients and athletes with avascular necrosis (AVN). Dr. Lox is based in the Tampa Bay, Florida area.

The Merangoli's traveled to seek consultation with Dr. Lox. After hearing what he had to say about her ankle and his recommendation of autologous stem cell therapy (stem cells from her own body), they chose to take the autologous stem cell approach with Dr. Lox, because ankle fusion would have ended her soccer career for life. Dr. Lox performed the autologous stem cell procedure on Natasha and 6 months later she returned to soccer, the sport she so dearly loves.

The following season Merangoli played for her high school soccer team and became the team’s leading scorer. Natasha is now being scouted by Division 1 universities. The TV news story about Natasha’s amazing recovery ran on Orlando's Fox 35 news:

http://www.myfoxorlando.com/story/25105586/stem-cell-treatment-helps-in-soccer-players-recovery

“It is so rewarding to successfully treat a patient and give that athlete the outcome they wanted through the use of autologous stem cells taken from her own body” said Dr. Lox. “Using autologous stem cells to treat patients joint problems has come a long way in the last five years, but most people are totally unfamiliar with it. I feel it represents a big step forward, in that it uses what exists inside the patient’s body as the perfect medicine to heal the patient’s injury.  The stem cell treatment also works on older people with no cartilage in their knees or those having arthritis-ravished joints.”

Dr. Dennis Lox practices Sports and Regenerative Therapy in the Tampa Bay area. He may be reached at (727) 430-9157. The news video story on Natasha and Dr. Lox may also be seen on www.Dr.Lox.com.