Doctors in Banff have completed the first documented transplant of living cartilage into a shoulder in a two-hour procedure in March, following 20 years of Alberta-based research.
Jim Chebib was the recipient of the cartilage, he said it restored full movement to his shoulder which dislocated eight times in five years due to damage.
Because it has no nerve endings or blood supply, it cannot heal on its own if damaged.
“It sounded like a good solution and, really, I was happy to have the surgery so I could play soccer healthy again,” said Chebib.
