Stem cells give new life to Blues pair

"Ive felt a big difference. It hasnt cured my knee but its certainly helped it out": Trent Hodkinson. Photo: Getty Images

A $10,000 experimental medical procedure has helped saved the careers of two NSW players.

Stem cells placed into the knees of Trent Hodkinson and Aaron Woods have helped resurrect their careers and has allowed them to leap into the representative arena. They both had severe knee problems which could have forced them into early retirement.Hodkinson had the procedure in 2012, Woods at the end of last season.

Former long-term Wests Tigers doctor Donald Kuah performed the Regeneus HiQ procedure on Woods where a persons own fat tissue via liposuction is injected into an affected joint or tendon.

Grateful: Aaron Woods. Photo: Getty Images

The aim is to accelerate the regeneration of damaged cartilage.Kuah had no doubt Woods would have been forced into premature retirement had the operation failed.He probably mightve had cortisone injections which would last six weeks or so at a time, Kuah said. To be honest, he might be able to do one season and then he probably would have had to retire at the end of that.

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"He started last season strong but as the season went on he wasnt getting the miles in his legs because he couldnt train with the team.Players seem to get symptom relief [from the stem cells operation]. I dont think it cures them as such but it buys them some time and it can reverse some of the damages to their knee.

Kuah described the surgery as experimental. It costs about $10,000 and is not covered by Medicare or private health insurance.

Woods said the surgery had given his life back after battling through the pain last year. Both he and Hodkinson said they could barely walk up stairs and Woods spent a large chunk of time icing and treating the knee after games.My knee would swell up on the outside, thats where I hurt the lateral meniscus, Woods said. I would have to get 50 millilitres of yellow fluid drained from my knee because the knee was in so much stress.Now I have nothing, no pain at all. I couldnt believe it when I started to run pain free.

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Stem cells give new life to Blues pair