Mesenchymal Stem Cells
Mesenchymal stem cells (or “MSCs”) are multipotent stem cells found in bone marrow that are important for making and repairing skeletal tissues, such as cartilage and bone. Mesenchymal stem cells can differentiate into a variety of cell types, including osteoblasts (bone cells), chondrocytes (cartilage cells), myocytes (muscle cells), and adipocytes (fat cells which give rise to marrow adipose tissue).
Subscribe to the BlogTreating Rotator Cuff Tears with Stem Cells, Not Surgery
I love treating shoulder rotator cuff tears with precise injections of bone marrow concentrate which contains stem cells. This patient was a weightlifter with a high-grade tear who wanted to avoid surgery and get back to powerlifting. He just sent us a video of his progress, lifting more weight without surgery than most can ever…read more
Why Can’t I Lift My Arms Overhead?
On this page: Muscles and ligaments involved in neck instability Irritated neck nerves A patient story I love when patients walk in and I can easily show them how their body works. This past week, I was able to do that with a patient who couldn’t lift his arms over his head. In seconds, I…read more
What’s Possible with Stem Cell Cartilage Regrowth?
As you may have read some time ago, I got to experience what a cartilage lesion can be like in a young person when my son was 14. On a separate note, yesterday, I looked at the before and after MRIs of a twentysomething we had treated and at the same time got a video of…read more My All Stem Cell Type Orthopedic Stem Cell Research Infographic for 2018
(Click here for a larger view) A few days ago, I published my 2018 version of the orthopedic bone marrow stem cell research infographic. Since last year, I’ve also published an annual all cell types version, which adds in the research being published on adipose (fat) and birth tissue stem cells. This year I also…read more Does Blood Have Stem Cells? Is PRP a Stem Cell Treatment?
Every once in a while, I come across websites that claim that PRP is a stem cell treatment. While it’s hard to believe in 2017 that physicians are still making this error, given the almost-next-to-near-zero state of regenerative-medicine education for physicians in this field, I’ll believe anything. So is PRP a stem cell treatment? Nope. Let…read more The Embryonic King Is Dead, Long Live the Mesenchymal King
When I first started using mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) to treat orthopedic problems in 2005, embryonic stem cells (ESCs) were king. However, a funny thing happened in 2010, when the number of research papers published on MSCs equaled the number published on ESCs. Since then, things have gotten much worse for ESC research, and MSC…read more Are Fat Injections in Knee Joints Stem Cell Procedures?
Physicians today, at a minimum, need to be able to define what a stem cell procedure really is and need to be able to assure their patients that their stem cell procedure likely works through the action of stem cells. Unfortunately, either unknowingly or deceptively, there are many procedures being performed that are called stem…read more My New Annual All Stem Cell Type Orthopedic Infographic
As I promised yesterday, for the first year ever, I have updated my orthopedic stem-cell-research infographic to include other stem cell sources outside of bone marrow. It’s exciting to finally have enough data on fat to believe that it will be a factor in what’s best for orthopedic patients. (Click here for a larger view)…read more 
