Research

Step into Our Research Lab: What Is a CFU?

You’ve occasionally seen me mention colony-forming units (CFUs) here on the blog. You’ve also likely seen the acronym in articles and while browsing the Internet, especially if you have an interest in stem cells, as the term “CFU” is thrown around a lot these days. But, what is a CFU? Broadly speaking, a CFU is…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

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

How Regenexx Lab Research Is Second to None

Yesterday I posted about the engine that drives us here at Regenexx: our clinical research. Today I’d like to follow that up with why Regenexx Lab Research is truly second to none in practical, rubber meets the road, orthobiologics research. Regenexx Lab Research So how does a regenerative-medicine clinic do research? To do it well…read more

Regenexx Clinical Research: The Engine That Drives Us

It seems like every regenerative-medicine clinic these days has a special new procedure and every device or tissue manufacturer has a fancy new product its pushing on these clinics. And, sadly, almost every clinic wants to do what the clinic down the street is doing and wants to jump in line to purchase the latest…read more

Regenexx Research: Technology Agnostic and Critical All at the Same Time

This Monday, as I was sitting in our weekly Regenexx research meeting, I snapped the pictures above. Why? It’s hard for patients and physicians to understand everything that goes into what we do at Regenexx. They don’t get to see the fantastic lab and clinical facilities, meet the researchers on our team, or sit in on…read more

Neck Fusion Side Effects in the Low Back?

While it seems common sense that all the parts of our spine are connected, because of orthopedic hyperspecialization, most patients believe that their necks and their backs are separate areas. After all, they have different names. Adding to the long list of neck fusion side effects, a new study shows just how wrong they are…read more

A New and Research-Based Corticosteroid Consent Form

Since the research continues to mount showing that the high-dose corticosteroids physicians inject every day into the spine and joints can and do cause harmful side effects, I recently mentioned on LinkedIn that malpractice could soon be an issue. Meaning that the side effects of steroids are so bad, that at the very least, we…read more