Patient’s own body helps with healing injured knee

As a physical education teacher in Santa Maria, Toby Henry is used to doing a lot of activities – hiking, fishing, basketball. 

He didn’t expect that a simple jump roping lesson at a P.E. conference would be his physical downfall. 

“I was jump roping and came down and my knee gave out and blew up on me,” he recalled. “It was a weird feeling, a very odd experience.” 

What followed was a somewhat frustrating journey through the Worker’s Compensation system, trying to find a surgeon who could repair the cartilage damage to his knee and also be available for post-operative care. Finally, he was referred to Lompoc Health’s Dr. Justin Chang. 

“He was very approachable,” Toby said. “It was tremendous. You could see in his face how inspired he was when he saw” the diagnostic images of Toby’s knee. 

Toby felt great relief at having found a physician to help his recovery. 

“With the pain I was having, the cartilage floating around in my knee, it felt like having glass in your shoe,” he explains. 

Toby ended up having two surgeries conducted by Dr. Chang. In the first, Dr. Chang removed the pieces of cartilage that were causing so much pain. The second was more extensive and a new procedure being performed at Lompoc Valley Medical Center – the MACI procedure. MACI, or Matrix-induced Autologous Chondrocyte Implantation, is a procedure in which the patient’s own cells are used to regrow new cartilage for the knee joint. For Toby, it meant an alternative to a total knee replacement – an important consideration for him at age 47. 

To conduct the procedure, Dr. Chang harvested cartilage cells from Toby’s knee, and sent them to a specialty lab, where the cells grew into additional cartilage. Once the cells regenerated, Dr. Chang implanted the new cartilage into the damaged area of Toby’s knee. 

Toby made the decision for the procedure after doing research, and considering whether he was adjusting his life and activities because of his injury. He wanted his life back – fishing in Big Sur, hiking, walking on sand. 

“Hopefully this saves my knee and I get years out of it,” Toby said. 

Toby previously underwent spinal surgery, so he was used to pain and recovery. Dr. Chang advised him that the surgery wasn’t difficult for him as a surgeon, but it would require stamina and persistence for recovery from the patient. 

“He was very straightforward,” Toby says. “He told me it’s going to take a lot of time and patience.” 

Toby’s surgical experience was top-notch, he said.  

“I really would like to give the hospital any type of recommendation,” he said. “It’s a very good place. Every time I go to North H Center, they are very professional, very quick. It’s a winner.” 

Following surgery, Toby had extensive physical therapy. 

“They’re excited to see how it works,” he says. “I know I’m in good hands.”