Orthopedic Conditions

The Top 3 Causes for Butt Pain

The idiom “pain in the butt” is a common one, typically used when someone or something is particularly annoying; however, butt pain is very real, and when it happens to you, it’s not only annoying but can also be severely painful and disabling. There are three common causes we frequently see in the clinic in…read more

What Is This Doctor Thankful for on Thanksgiving? New CRPS Treatments

One of the worst diseases you can have is something called CRPS, or complex regional pain syndrome. Think of CRPS like bringing a can of gasoline to your pain bonfire. Or maybe better said, CRPS is like an accelerator stuck to the floorboard of the pain car without any working brakes. It’s awful. This year…read more

Culture Expanded Stem Cells for Knee Arthritis

I evaluated an interesting patient down at our Cayman Islands advanced stem cell practice site recently in that his MRI changes were fascinating. While I see patients every day who are improving and have great stories, many times I just don’t have the time to write up what’s happening. However, every once in a while,…read more

Stem Cell Disc Injection: The Hammer and the Nail

There’s a saying in medicine, “When all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail”. Meaning that if all the doctor knows how to do for a given problem is one treatment, then he or she tends to use that treatment when it’s not appropriate. This morning I’d like to highlight a stem…read more

Are Bone Spurs Bad? Bone Is Alllllliiiiivvvveeee…

Are bone spurs bad? Bone spurs inspire fear in the hearts and minds of most patients, kind of like The Blob from a bad ’60s horror movie. When they hear that they have them, they’re immediately freaked out. However, much like the title of Stanley Kubrick’s ’60s movie, Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to…read more

Fix the Neck Curve: Surgery Is Not the Answer

The neck curve is the red-headed stepchild of spine care. Thankfully, spine surgeons, after ignoring this issue for many years, are just starting to realize its importance. Regrettably, the surgeries they’re performing to fix the neck curve are for the most part unnecessary and causing more harm than good, but, heck, you can’t have everything. Let’s…read more

Ulnar Shortening—Avoid This Barbaric Procedure

I have a rule when seeing patients. If they describe a past surgical procedure to me and I involuntarily say, “They did what to you?” that procedure is a candidate for my top 10 dumb surgeries list. One of those procedures that has always been right up there is ulnar shortening. Your wrist hurts? It…read more

Gastrocnemius Recession Recovery? Do NOT Get This Procedure

I spoke to a patient on the phone this week who told me he had a gastrocnemius recession surgery for heel pain. Huh? This is a surgery that involves lengthening the calf muscle for a tight calf, which is like saying your car pulls to the left when you drive so we should lengthen the left axle.…read more