[Expatriate Lifestyle] What To Expect When You Really Need It
Injury Time
by Michelle Whytcross
Health Away from Home
I am grateful that during my time in Malaysia, I have not had the kind of emergency illness that befell Antoine. However, I did suffer an emergency at the worst possible time—on holiday in Langkawi, which ruined our family stay. I slipped on a wet step and dislocated my knee, which was not only excruciatingly painful but meant a long and tedious course of rehabilitation.
My brother is a highly experienced physiotherapist who has worked around the world and now runs his own practice, which would of course have been my preferred place for rehab apart from the small problem that it is in Melbourne. I don’t think my bad knee would have appreciated the eight-hour flight to go and visit him every week. So, I booked myself into the Kuala Lumpur Sports Medicine Centre (KLSMC) in Damansara Heights.
I had an MRI and several courses of physiotherapy with them before I was able to get back on my feet. I have always found the centre modern, professionally run and very well equipped. A PE teacher friend of mine recently confirmed my positive appraisal of KLSMC when he beamed about the excellent experience he had with them in surgery for a cartilage issue.
With more and more of us active in sports, it is reassuring to know that there is somewhere that is a genuine specialist in the field of sports medicine right here in KL. KLSMC not only offers an integrated service including consultation, physiotherapy and surgery but also boasts its own research and development unit. Their latest work involves stem cells to regenerate cartilage, a treatment that is revolutionary when it comes to complex injuries such as the one my PE teacher friend suffered. Their innovative stem cell therapy exploits the natural healing properties of a patient’s own stem cells, harvested then re-injected into the damaged areas. The cells are also cryo-preserved and stored for future treatment.
I’ve long been a believer in stem cell research (both my children had their stem cells harvested at birth) so this approach fascinated me. I asked a representative from KLSMC about the work and he explained that “the science, surgical technique, harvesting and storage of the stem cells, and the postoperative rehabilitation programme that encompasses this innovative technology have been established to enable quality regeneration and repair.
“Today, KLSMC remains at the forefront for sports medicine in treating musculo-skeletal injuries. Its pioneering stem cell treatment has received international recognition and it is a patented technology. KLSMC continues to raise the bar in sports medicine and expand its areas of expertise to meet growing demands.”
That demand is evident in my own circumstance, my friends’ and countless others who incur sporting injuries. When injury strikes, we need places like KLSMC.
Source: Expatriate Lifestyle
Injury Time