Spinal Fusion Is It Worth It? More Research Says No…

A spinal fusion is a surgery that uses hardware and screws to “fix” together two or more vertebrae to make a damaged section of spine immovable. Given that this is a big surgery with many known serious side effects, a patient the other day posed this question: “Spinal fusion is it worth it?” My answer,…
Read More

Shoulder Labral Tear Surgery: Pros and Cons (And Hidden Shoulder Instability)

I evaluated a patient this week who shows off the warts of our modern orthopedic care system; he was diagnosed with a shoulder labral tear and offered surgery. Why? His shoulder labral tear was the bright, shiny object, and nobody ever asked how he got the tear in the first place. As he considered shoulder labral…
Read More

Toe Joint Fusion Recovery: One Patient’s Story

This week I met a patient who had a toe joint fusion. However, this was a disaster of sorts. The good news was that her toe felt better, but the bad news was that her ankle felt worse. Why? Because her toe joint fusion recovery was a long-drawn-out process that forced energy from her toe…
Read More

Stem Cell Knee Procedures: Are They Worth It?

You can’t turn around these days without seeing an ad for miracle stem cell knee injections. However, these ads bring up many questions. Does stem cell therapy work for knees? Can stem cells repair knee cartilage? Is stem cell therapy for knees covered by insurance? How long does stem cell therapy last for knees? The…
Read More

Can A Torn Rotator Cuff Heal On Its Own Without Surgery?

Are you wondering, “Can a torn rotator cuff heal on its own without surgery?” This and others are common questions asked by many of the 40,000 patients each year that opt for surgery to repair their torn rotator cuff. The answers to these queries contribute to a patient’s decision on whether to have surgery, but…
Read More

Stem Cell Therapy Cost?

There is no shortage of clinics out there offering stem cell therapy. How much does stem cell therapy cost? How much is too much? Are you getting what you pay for? Let’s dig in. Types of Treatments Our focus here on stem cell therapy cost is for orthopedic procedures as that’s our area of expertise…
Read More

My Own Non-Surgical Spondylolisthesis Recovery

If you read this blog, you know I have a chronic back issue called spondylolisthesis. However, this past year, I have had my crew at our Colorado HQ working on it and there’s nothing like results to again show me how important our treatments can be. Let me explain. What is Spondylolisthesis? Spondylolisthesis means that…
Read More

Arthrex Angel Review: Is This the Holy Grail of Bedside Machines?

As you may know, at Regenexx we process our patient’s samples in on-site mini-labs. Why? Because we can generally do a much better job at the processing than what can be accomplished by bedside machines and kits. However, every once in a while, a machine comes along that looks different and more sophisticated, so I…
Read More