Is Multiple Dose PRP to Treat Knee OA Cost Effective for Health Plan Coverage vs Single Dose?
As the CMO for Regenexx, it’s my job to thread the needle between access to ground-breaking interventional orthobiologics treatments via a self-funded health plan and wasting an employer’s money by authorizing care that we know doesn’t work or doesn’t work well enough compared to traditional surgery. This past year, I have been asked several times…read more
I’ve Returned and So Apparently Are the Neck Multifidus Muscles after Exercise!
I’ve been out for six weeks sailing the Med. It was another great trip and a much-needed break for an old guy! Today, let’s cover a new study that shows that cervical multifidus muscle atrophy can be recovered with exercise. Getting Back If you recall, we are on a four-year journey to sail the Mediterranean,…read more
When Milligrams Are Toxic: Corticosteroids and Tissue Damage
Many physicians are addicted to using steroids despite research showing they damage orthopedic tissues like joints and tendons. However, this is just a problem of not understanding the proper dose to use, which has been caused by institutional momentum. Let’s dig into how these drugs cause havoc in the body and how they could be…read more
Can PRP Injected Around Nerves Cause Serious Scar Tissue?
Anyone reading this blog knows I like to write about my daily experience. This week I got a call from a physician acting as an expert witness on a malpractice case against a physician who injected PRP into the scalene muscle. The argument made by the patient’s attorney is that since PRP can be pro-inflammatory,…read more
Upcoming Clinical Trials for Interventional Orthobiologics
Interventional orthobiologics is a field that’s gaining momentum every day. While legit players right now in the United States are sticking to things that are FDA compliant, like PRP, BMC, and MFat, several FDA clinical trials are winding their way through the system. This morning’s blog focuses on the ones I can find and invites…read more
Is PRP Really as Good as MFat for Knee OA?
Two recent studies were published that seemed to show that platelet-rich plasma was as good as a common adipose tissue treatment to treat knee arthritis. However, anytime a study produces a result that goes against what we see clinically, it’s worth digging a bit into how they did the study. Both of these have some…read more
The Alien Abduction Model of DDD: Why Cellular Drug Trial Results Have Been Underwhelming
Let’s say that you’re sleeping one night and get awoken by an alien in your bedroom who takes you back to the mothership for experiments on your low back. That’s pretty much what we’ve been doing with animal degenerative disc disease research for decades. It’s this artificial DDD model that has caused many cell therapy…read more
Rebutting Misinformation in Orthopedic Journals: Ittleman and Shapiro
Orthobiologic treatments represent a disruptive technology that I have blogged on dozens of times. Given that many patients who used to get invasive orthopedic surgery are now skipping those procedures and instead using interventional orthobiologics, orthopedic surgeons have varied reactions to this new playing field. We’ll explore those issues today in the context of an…read more
