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The Interventional Orthobiologics Blog

Weak Neck Muscles Can Cause Shoulder Trap Pain When Lifting

I have a way of knowing when my neck nerves are ramped up and my neck stabilizers are off line. My left upper trapezius muscle gets tight. This is a super common thing and most patients believe it has something to do with the actual muscle. So they stretch it and stretch it, only for…read more

How to Avoid Discography Side Effects: Biologic Discography

Frankly, until we became the first in the world to inject stem cells into discs, discography never made much sense to me. I would tell patients, “I’m going to poke a hole in your disc to see if there’s a hole in your disc.” However, when we began to see that platelet rich plasma and…read more

Arthritis from Injury to a Joint: Can It Be Prevented?

Our entire medical-care system has been trained through decades of trying to control costs to simply ignore small injuries. However, here’s the thing: these small injuries can become big problems if left untreated. In fact, all severe arthritis likely starts with a small injury to the cartilage or ligaments that was ignored. I call these…read more

Why Is My Calf Muscle Twitching?

Maybe watching your favorite show on TV or browsing the Internet, and suddenly you experience a spontaneous episode of calf muscle twitching. Or perhaps, like what happens with me on occasion, you’ve just finished an intensive round of exercise, CrossFit for example, and that exertion is followed with some calf muscle twitching. Has this ever…read more

RIP Radiofrequency Ablation Treatment for Low Back Pain

When Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA) became popular in the late 90s, it seemed like a miracle for many patients with chronic neck pain. At the same time, while this therapy seemed to work reliably to provide pain relief in the neck, it was always hit or miss as a treatment for low back pain. Perhaps that’s…read more

Why Is My Calf Muscle Twitching?

On this page: Calf muscle twitching and low back nerves What to do about calf muscle twitching Maybe you’re watching your favorite TV show or browsing the Internet, and suddenly you experience a spontaneous episode of calf muscle twitching. Or perhaps you’ve just finished an intensive round of exercise, CrossFit for example, and that exertion…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

My Unstable Back and the Ridiculous Pain Neuroscience Education (PNE) Model

As I write this blog, I’m on vacation in Venice, Italy, with my family. My low back has been getting more unstable for the last several months. I first noticed it slipping a bit to the side as I performed injections, as I’m often sideways to the procedure table. This morning, after a 25-minute intense,…read more
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