Knee Surgery

Knee Ligament Laxity vs. Torn Ligaments: Interventional Orthobiologics vs. Surgery

There’s an interesting duality between the understanding that loose ligaments should be treated with orthobiologics and the old-school orthopedic surgery approach that only completely torn ligaments are important and can be operated on. This was recently thrust into my consciousness by a sports medicine physician with whom I shared a patient who doggedly claimed that…read more

Why the Idea That an ACL Can Heal Itself Is Surgical Sacrilege

As I have written before, if modern surgical sports medicine has one sacred cow, it’s ACL reconstruction. That’s why the fact that we have dozens of MRI examples of non-healing torn ACLs improving with our Perc-ACLR procedure has raised eyebrows. Now a new study that shows that some ACLs can heal themselves has apparently angered…read more

Physical Therapy Is as Good as Knee Surgery for Degenerative Meniscus Tears Yet Again

Do common orthopedic surgical procedures work? Increasingly, research is showing that many are ineffective. This morning we’ll focus on one of the most common surgical procedures in the world, arthroscopic partial meniscectomy (APM). Let’s dig in. Meniscectomy 101 The idea behind APM is simple. The patient usually notices sudden knee pain and an MRI is…read more

The BEAR Implant for ACL Tears

ACL reconstruction surgery has been a staple of modern sports medicine for decades. However, now a new surgical implant called BEAR is shaking up that world by offering a solution to try to “regrow” the torn ACL. Let’s look at the positives and negatives of this new technology and compare it to the Regenexx perc-ACLR…read more

An Update on RCTs for Knee Osteoarthrtitis

Two years ago, I summarized all of the RCTs for PRP used to treat knee arthritis. It’s now time for an update, especially with the recent craziness around fake PRP studies. Let’s dig in. What Is an RCT? The top level of research quality is called an RCT or Randomized Controlled Trial. Usually, two treatments…read more

Expectations vs. Reality: The HUGE Difference Between What Surgical Patients Believe and Reality

I love blogging about what I experience. This month a kid hurt his finger and ended up with a surgery that didn’t need to happen. As I contemplated why that occurred, I came across research on the difference between surgical expectations and reality. In addition, if we are ever able to bend the Orthopedic cost…read more

ACL Surgery Is Not Cost Effective in New Study

As I have written before, ACL surgery is a sacred cow of modern surgical sports medicine. It is the single procedure that most defines the whole field. Despite that, the recent research on the procedure hasn’t been favorable. Now a recent study adds to that by showing that the way we use the procedure in…read more

Being Confident in Your ACL Repair May Not Be a Good Thing

ACL reconstruction surgery is one of the most common orthopedic surgical techniques in use today. However, while most patients believe that getting a torn ACL “fixed” is just like getting a bad part in your car replaced, the truth is a bit more complicated. Now a new study shows that athletes with high confidence in…read more