The Interventional Orthobiologics Blog

My Third Big Journey in the Med

As you may recall, I have been taking two 6-week periods to work remotely in the Mediterranean Sea while sailing between coastal cities. This Friday marks my third such trip. Hence, I thought I would update my readers. What Am I Doing and Why? Sometime during the crazy pandemic, I decided to buy a sailboat…read more

Exosomes (Extracellular Vesicles) vs. PRP Used for Treating Orthopedic Problems

A few patients have been asking about using exosomes or extra-cellular vesicles to treat their aches and pains. As an expert in this space, knowing what I know about the research, this request doesn’t make sense. Hence, I wanted to educate everybody about this issue today. Let’s dig in. Facebook Hype Abounds The exosome hype…read more

Is PRP a DMOAD? The Influence of Platelet Concentration on Study Failure

The holy grail of osteoarthritis research has long been a Disease Modifying OsteoArthritis Drug or DMOAD. This is a medication you can take or inject that would slow or prevent the onset of wear and tear arthritis. A big question for doctors who have observed the power of orthobiologics is whether PRP is a DMOAD.…read more

17 Year Follow-up of Expanded MSCs Used to Treat Knee OA

I don’t post that many case reports online anymore because I feel that the field of interventional orthobiologics is well beyond that stage. However, when I had a patient in our early 2007 knee study come back into the clinic for another issue this past week, given that a 17-year follow-up is a first of…read more

More Cardiac Drug Monkey Business

It’s been a while since I’ve blogged on the highly profitable world of cholesterol meds, which in my opinion, is a great example of big pharma malfeasance. Remember that scene in The Godfather: Part 3 when Michael Corleone exclaims, “Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in,” so it was with…read more

Making Sure Orthobiologic Procedure Standards Don’t Slip

As consumers, it’s not hard to look at everyday items and determine their quality relative to their price. It’s also easy to see if you’re getting the same product at a Starbucks in the Seattle airport or the one in the Miami airport. However, with orthobiologics, these quality metrics are hard for a patient to…read more

How Do We Get Coverage for Orthobiologics? The Problem With Assigning Success Rates to Specific Orthopedic Surgeries

How has Regenexx been able to get more than a thousand US employers to cover interventional orthobiologic (IO) procedures? One of the ways is to perform analyses of how IO procedures can help their employees avoid surgery, save them money, and reduce their time out of work. Today we’ll explore just one little piece of…read more

Kratom and Interventional Orthobiologics Procedures

As you know, I often write about what I experience seeing patients. While Kratom has been on the periphery of my consciousness like it probably has been for many physicians, this past week, it was thrust to the forefront. This “drug” sold in gas stations and online turns out to be a potent opioid receptor…read more