Spinal Injections

Why Fixing My Back Can Help You Fix Yours

I’ve had chronic off-and-on back issues for many years. However, recently, I got a little crazy with lifting an impossibly heavy object and needed an updated treatment. However, I discovered my new diagnosis late. That error will hopefully help you fix your low back. Let me dig in. My Bad Back History When I was…read more

Why is the Thoracic Spine a No Man’s Land?

A patient came in recently to discuss the effects of PRP treatment she received in Canada. Out of that conversation came a common refrain. A Toronto spine specialist didn’t want to repeat her prior very successful thoracic spine interventional treatment that I had done in Colorado. Why? He had never treated this area of the…read more

Injecting the C1-C2 Facet Joint Under Ultrasound: A PA with a Scary Big Needle

I’ve been covering non-physician, mid-level providers performing all sorts of procedures for which, IMHO they lack adequate training. Some of these procedures are less risky than others, but this morning we’ll go over a physician’s assistant wielding a very big needle and sticking it into one of the highest-risk areas of the body. Let’s dig…read more

Dural Leaks and Epidural Injections

I like to write to educate patients as I’ve observed that educated patients recover more quickly. Today we’ll discuss Dural Leaks and Epidural injections. So let’s dig in. What Is a Dural Leak? The brain and spinal cord are surrounded by a covering called the Dura. Those structures live in a fluid called the Cerebrospinal…read more

Recovering from Orthobiologic Injections: My Journey

One of the biggest questions patients ask every day is what can I expect when recovering from my Orthobiologic procedures? What does that look like? Let’s learn a little today by seeing how I’m doing today after my procedures this week. Let’s dig in. Staying Ahead of the Aging Curve As I get older and…read more

Stem Cells and SCI: Placebo or the Next Best Thing Since Sliced Bread?

I have gotten many emails through the years from patients who know someone who has a spinal cord injury (SCI) and who ask if we could help. My answer has always been the same. We only treat orthopedic injuries. However, a study on stem cells and spinal cord injury was just published in February that’s…read more

Do You Need Spondylolysis Surgery?

Do you need spondylolysis surgery? The answer is probably not. However, let’s review what your options are including new procedures that promote healing without surgery. What is Spondylolysis? Before we learn about spondylolysis surgery, we need to learn about the medical problem of spondylolysis and it’s cousin spondylolisthesis. This is a medical term derived from…read more

Our New C0–C1 Facet Injection Paper

This past decade, a big change has occurred in neck facet-joint treatment. The art of injecting something into a facet joint has become slowly extinct, while the procedures to perform nerve ablation of painful neck joints have ramped up. This has caused a real problem as newer regenerative-medicine techniques involving stem cells and platelet rich…read more