Non Surgical Rotator Cuff Treatment: Milton Zarzuela’s Recovery with Stem Cell Therapy in Santo Domingo, DR

“From being an extremely active person to suddenly doing nothing—it was quite frustrating for me. I felt very helpless, and from there, I started seeking help from others.”

“My name is Milton Zarzuela. I’m currently a strength and conditioning coach. In my free time, I love riding motorcycles. During the pandemic, with gyms closed, I found myself having to train at home. Many times, I skipped proper stretching, warm-ups, or just overtrained. Eventually, I ended up with a 4 cm tear in my supraspinatus tendon, which caused me a lot of discomfort—especially when sleeping. I couldn’t even open the car door.”

“That injury took me from being extremely active to doing absolutely nothing. It was a humbling experience. In those three months, I became more grounded. I realized that my previous approach to training—especially the intensity—wasn’t sustainable. So I changed the way I viewed fitness. Now, I train with a focus on longevity, not ego.”

“Thankfully, I found the prolotherapy center. I’ve always preferred non-invasive procedures. They first did an evaluation and then performed an ultrasound to identify the root cause of the problem. Based on that, they recommended the most effective treatment—and we got started right away.”

“The recovery process took about three months. I went back for two more sessions. By the third session, I no longer had any pain or discomfort. The results were incredible! By then, the tear had reduced to less than 1 cm, but a third session was still advised for complete healing.”

“I'm truly grateful for the support from Dr. Juan Carlos, Dr. Susana, and Dr. Vargas, who were all by my side during the process. I’m honestly more scared of the dentist than needles, but this treatment was surprisingly easy. I left the center feeling great!”

“Between the first and second sessions, the improvement was minimal, but I always knew this wasn’t magic—it’s a natural healing process. During recovery, I followed the therapeutic movements they recommended and even received a personalized training program via an app.”

“The entire experience was fantastic—from the reception desk to the person who served me coffee. Everyone was incredibly kind and professional. I wholeheartedly recommend this clinic to everyone. My mom was there just last week for a wrist issue, and many of my clients have also gone.”

“Speaking from personal experience—these folks are simply the best.”

• Significant Discomfort: Constant pain impacting daily life.
• Sleep Disturbance: Pain made sleeping, especially on the affected side, very difficult.
• Functional Impairment: Even simple actions like "open[ing] the car door" became problematic.
• Forced Inactivity: The injury took him "from being extremely active to doing absolutely nothing."

• Rest & Activity Modification: Avoiding movements that cause pain.
• Physical Therapy: Exercises to strengthen surrounding muscles and improve shoulder mechanics.
• NSAIDs: Anti-inflammatory drugs for pain and swelling.
• Corticosteroid Injections: Provide potent, temporary inflammation relief directly into the shoulder joint or subacromial space.

• Comprehensive Evaluation: Looking beyond just the obvious tear to understand the overall condition of the shoulder joint and supporting structures.
• Diagnostic Ultrasound: Using musculoskeletal ultrasound provides real-time, dynamic imaging of tendons, ligaments, and bursae, often revealing details about tissue quality, inflammation, instability, and precise tear location that static MRI images might miss. This allows for highly accurate diagnosis.

• How can injections potentially heal a 4cm tendon tear without surgery? The likely combination therapy Milton received leverages the body's own healing capacity:
• Understanding Rotator Cuff Tears: The rotator cuff is a group of four tendons stabilizing the shoulder joint and enabling arm movement. Tears, like Milton's in the supraspinatus, cause pain, weakness, and limited motion. Larger tears often don't heal well on their own due to poor blood supply within the tendon.
• Stem Cell Therapy's Role: Using the patient's own Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs), likely harvested from bone marrow or fat, injections into and around the tear site aim to:
• Reduce Inflammation: Calm the chronic inflammation associated with the tear.
• Stimulate Repair: Release growth factors and signaling molecules that attract the body's repair cells and encourage regeneration of damaged tendon tissue.
• Improve Tissue Quality: Potentially lead to the formation of stronger, healthier tendon fibers.
• Prolotherapy's Complementary Role: Shoulder stability is crucial. Often, rotator cuff issues are linked to laxity (looseness) in the shoulder capsule or supporting ligaments. Prolotherapy injections (using a solution like dextrose) target these weakened structures, stimulating them to tighten and strengthen. This provides a more stable environment for the rotator cuff tendons to heal and function properly, reducing chronic strain.

• Treatment Course: His protocol involved three sessions spaced out over approximately three months. This multi-session approach is typical for regenerative therapies, allowing tissues time to respond and heal between treatments.
• Combined Therapies: Based on the clinic's specialty and Milton's mention of prolotherapy alongside the likely use of stem cells (given the keywords/focus), his sessions probably included both modalities.
• Gradual Progress: Milton realistically noted, "Between the first and second sessions, the improvement was minimal, but I always knew this wasn’t magic—it’s a natural healing process." This highlights that regenerative results build over time.
• Active Rehabilitation: Crucially, he adhered to the clinic's rehabilitation plan: "During recovery, I followed the therapeutic movements they recommended and even received a personalized training program via an app." This active participation is vital for translating tissue healing into functional improvement.

• Likely Procedure: Involved precise, Ultrasound-Guided Injections by the skilled physicians (Dr. Juan Carlos, Dr. Susana, Dr. Vargas) to accurately target the supraspinatus tear and relevant stabilizing structures in the shoulder. If autologous stem cells were used, a minimally invasive harvest procedure would have preceded the injections.
• Patient Comfort: Despite the involvement of needles, Milton found the experience manageable: "I’m honestly more scared of the dentist than needles, but this treatment was surprisingly easy. I left the center feeling great!" This speaks to the use of effective local anesthesia and potentially the reassuring manner of the clinical team.

• Pain Resolution: "By the third session, I no longer had any pain or discomfort." This indicates successful reduction of inflammation and healing at the injury site.
• Significant Tissue Healing: "By then, the tear had reduced to less than 1 cm..." Reducing a 4cm tear to under 1cm without surgery is a remarkable objective finding, likely confirmed via follow-up ultrasound, demonstrating substantial tissue regeneration. (A third session was advised for complete healing).
• Functional Recovery: The absence of pain allowed him to rebuild strength and return to his active life, including coaching and riding motorcycles, and even resuming softball.
• More Than Treatment: The Clinic Environment & Team at Dr. Vargas Decamps' Center

• Named Physicians: Explicit gratitude for Dr. Juan Carlos, Dr. Susana, and Dr. Vargas, indicating direct positive interactions with the core medical team.
• Supportive Staff: Praise extended to everyone, "from the reception desk to the person who served me coffee."
• Atmosphere: Described as "fantastic," with everyone being "incredibly kind and professional."
• Referral Confidence: His trust is evident in referring his mother and clients to the clinic.
• Highest Recommendation: "Speaking from personal experience—these folks are simply the best."

• You have a partial-thickness rotator cuff tear (even a significant one) or chronic tendinopathy confirmed by imaging (MRI or Ultrasound).
• You experience pain and functional limitations that haven't resolved with conventional care (rest, PT, basic injections).
• You strongly prefer to avoid shoulder surgery and its associated risks and lengthy recovery.
• You understand this is a regenerative process requiring multiple sessions and commitment to rehabilitation exercises.
• You are looking for a treatment that addresses potential underlying shoulder instability (via prolotherapy) in addition to the tendon injury.

Safety Note: Using the patient's own (autologous) stem cells and PRP, along with standard prolotherapy solutions, carries a very high safety profile when performed by experienced physicians using sterile techniques.

• Specialized Provider: The Center for Prolotherapy and Pain Management focuses specifically on these non-surgical techniques for musculoskeletal conditions.
• Treatment Packages: While specifics require consultation, clinics catering to international patients often structure treatments, especially multi-session protocols, into packages for clarity and convenience.
• Cost-Effectiveness: Pursuing Stem Cells Dominican Republic treatments generally offers significant cost savings compared to undergoing similar regenerative procedures (which are often not covered by insurance) in the United States or Canada.

Q: Can stem cells truly heal a 4cm rotator cuff tear without surgery?

A: Milton's experience suggests significant healing (reducing the tear to <1cm) is possible for large partial-thickness tears using a comprehensive regenerative approach (likely stem cells + prolotherapy + rehab). Complete, fully retracted tears usually still require surgical repair. Success depends on tear characteristics and individual healing response.

Q: Why combine stem cells with prolotherapy for the shoulder?

A: Stem cells target inflammation and tendon repair, while prolotherapy strengthens the supporting ligaments and joint capsule. Addressing both the damaged tendon and any underlying instability provides a more robust and potentially longer-lasting result for shoulder function and pain relief.

Q: How painful is the treatment and recovery?

A: Local anesthetic minimizes pain during injections. Post-injection soreness is expected for a few days as the healing process begins. Recovery is focused on rehabilitation exercises rather than recovering from surgical incisions; overall discomfort is usually much less and shorter-lived than post-operative pain. Milton found the treatment "surprisingly easy."

Q: How long did it take Milton to feel better and see results?

A: He noted minimal improvement between the first and second sessions but was completely pain-free by the third session (likely around the 3-month mark). Significant tear reduction was also confirmed. This highlights that results are gradual but can be profound.

Q: Is this specific Stem Cell Therapy for Rotator Cuff Injury in Santo Domingo Dominican Republic covered by insurance?

A: Regenerative medicine treatments like stem cell therapy and prolotherapy for orthopedic conditions are generally considered experimental or investigational by most insurance companies worldwide and are typically not covered. Expect this to be an out-of-pocket expense.