Nonsurgical Treatment Options
Nonsurgical treatment options, such as Regenexx® procedures, provide effective alternatives to surgery for orthopedic pain, including osteoarthritis, joint injuries, spine pain, overuse conditions, and sports injuries. These treatments use advanced, research-based methods to concentrate and precisely apply a patient’s own cells to promote natural healing.
Subscribe to the BlogWhat Causes Tightness in the Side of the Neck?
On this page: Tight scalene muscles Scalenes compensating for other muscles Ways to treat tightness in the side of the neck I’ve already told you about my left upper trap; now meet my left scalene. When I lift too much, these muscles, which live on the side of the neck, get tight. Tight Scalene Muscles…read more
Lipogems Review: Is This a Fat Stem Cell Procedure?
Lipogems is a fat-processing kit that has gained some popularity the past few years. Near as I can tell, it produces a beautifully cleaned fat graft that is finely chopped. However, many physicians have begun to call this a stem cell procedure. Is that true? What Is Lipogems? Lipogems is a device used to process a…read more
Epidural Steroid Side Effects: Repeated Injections Cause Diminishing Relief
On the surface, as a nonsurgical way to relieve pain and inflammation, epidural steroid injections seem like a great idea. However, when we dive beneath the surface, we find that epidural steroid side effects are pretty awful. I’ve observed many times, that for some patients, that while that first shot seems nothing short of miraculous,…read more You May Have a Pinched Low Back Nerve Despite What Your Doctor Thinks
The first day of medical school, our head honcho got up and was brave enough to say that about half of what they would teach us would probably be proven wrong. Yikes, was he ever right. This also applies to what your doctor thinks he or she knows about back pain. For example, we have…read more Is Injecting Bupivacaine or Lidocaine into a Joint Malpractice?
This week a patient sent a note that her mom was to undergo surgery and the anesthesia crew was planning on using the local anesthetic bupivacaine. She knew from reading the blog that this wasn’t a good idea, so let’s explore just how nasty this drug is to joints and why doctors are still using…read more Prolotherapy for CCJ Instability: Keeping Patients Safe
Patients with craniocervical joint (CCJ) instability will often be offered prolotherapy injections. While much of this is performed blind, some physicians will use guidance. However, while guidance is used, many times it’s not used with contrast. Why is this an issue? Let me explain. What Is Prolotherapy? Prolotherapy is one of the earliest regenerative-medicine procedures. It…read more Pain in Base of Thumb: Convincing a Skeptic
More than a year ago I was lecturing at a medical conference, and a woman who was a stem cell scientist approached me. While some scientists usually don’t like physicians using stem cells, this one had pain in the base of the thumb and asked if I could help. I just received an e-mail back from her,…read more Hip Arthritis X-Ray Not Associated with Pain?
I love studies that question our belief systems in orthopedics, and this new one is a doozy. Several years ago, orthopedic guidelines shifted from requiring a knee or hip MRI to recommend a knee or hip replacement to just requiring X-rays. Now, a new study questions whether that’s a smart idea. Basically, it didn’t find an…read more 
