Orthopedic Conditions

Do Shoulder Labral Tears Need Surgery?

Do shoulder labral tears need surgery? What happens if a labral tear goes untreated? Can you fix a labral tear through injections?  Let’s dig in. What is a Shoulder Labral Tear? The labrum is the lip around the socket where the ball of the shoulder bone fits. It provides stability along with the shoulder ligaments…read more

Ankle Ligament Surgery? Do You Really Need it?

Do you need surgery for a torn ligament in the ankle? What is ankle reconstruction surgery? How long is the recovery from ankle surgery? Let’s dig in. Which Ankle Ligaments? The ankle ligaments that are most commonly injured are the ones on the outside. I have highlighted these in yellow in the image on the…read more

Protecting Yourself From Overly Aggressive Surgery and Procedures

If there’s one big mistake I see most patients make that places them at risk, it’s not understanding how to gauge the risk of procedural-based care. So the goal this morning is to help you understand how to protect you, and your loved ones, from us doctors. Let’s dig in. Complications Complications can happen in…read more

Is Aspirin Use Sabotaging Your PRP Treatment?

We’ve all been told for many years that we need to take an aspirin a day to help prevent heart attacks. Hence, there are many people that take this drug every day. However, given that aspirin is a blood thinner, does it impact the way your platelets work? If so, does that change the way…read more

Are NSAIDs Causing Stress Fractures?

Dr. Centeno reviews a new study that investigates the potential connections between NSAID use in US military troops and stress fractures.

Learning How Best to Inject the CCJ Ligaments: Our CCJ Instability Trial Begins…

Last week, we began the world’s first randomized controlled placebo trial to treat craniocervical junction (CCJ) instability. While our clinic has been treating these patients for more than two decades, these past few years, we have developed a new injection technique to finally begin addressing the problem in ways that existing care can not. Let me…read more

We Should Never Be Proud of MRIs That Show Holes Burned in Patient’s Bodies…

A new study was recently published on a new treatment for back pain due to degenerative discs. Ordinarily, I would be excited, as what’s not to like about another treatment option for back-pain patients. However, the problem with this one is that it works by blasting a hole in the vertebrae? Yep, you heard that…read more

Real vs. Fake Orthopedic Stem Cell Treatment: How to Tell the Difference

There are hundreds of stem cells clinics in the U.S., alone, offering to cure everything from impotence to autism to heart damage suffered after a heart attack. Some particularly bold clinics are even claiming stem cells can grow you a new joint from a severely degenerated one. In fact, when I last reported on the…read more