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Trigger Point Injection Side Effects: Are Common Trigger Point Injections Killing Muscle?

Are trigger point injection side effects real? Trigger points are problem areas in muscle that are in spasm (tight) and that no longer contract (weak). It used to be thought that they are caused by overuse, but it’s now known that they are instead neurologic (caused by the nerves that supply the muscles). These spots…read more

Epidural Steroid Injection Risks: New FDA Epidural Steroid Warning?

Epidural steroid injection risks are in the news again. First, I am not a big fan of epidural steroid injections. These injections are imaging guided procedures where a steroid (potent anti-inflammatory) is placed between a bulging or herniated disc and a painful nerve that’s causing sciatica. The good news is that they’ve dramatically reduced low…read more

Is Testosterone Good or Bad for Stem Cells? More on Our Recent Study

Testosterone use in men has exploded this past 10 years. Commercials lace the airways warning men of the problems of “Low T”. At the same time, due to recent studies suggesting that older men have more heart attacks on testosterone, the same airwaves are starting to become populated with advertisements for law firms seeking clients…read more

How to Read Your Shoulder MRI

Have you ever wondered how to read your Shoulder MRI? An empowered patient gets better quicker. This has been a tenant of our practice since it’s inception, hence all of the information on this web-site, the book, videos, etc… Today I’d like to introduce a short video that I call, “How to Read Your Shoulder…read more

Herniated Disc Recovery Time: More Whole Body Inflammation Predicts Poor Recovery from a Herniated Disc

What impacts herniated disc recovery time? Chronic inflammation has been associated with many modern problems like heart disease, irritable bowel and even multiple sclerosis. Measuring this inflammation is usually accomplished by using CRP or C-reactive protein. This substance is part of the cellular garbage disposal system of the body and high levels have been associated with…read more

Glucosamine Research: Glucosamine Doesn’t Mess Up Your Cells and Helps Worms and Rats Live Longer!

What’s new in glucosamine research? Today I’d like to highlight why sometimes we have to take animal and lab studies with a grain of salt. To illustrate that, I’ll use two new studies that show some interesting things about glucosamine, a supplement many people take to help their arthritis. Lab tests had suggested that taking extra…read more

Rotator Cuff Repair Healing: Can Shoulder Surgery Beat Physical Therapy?

  Is surgical rotator cuff repair healing any better than physical therapy? Meaning, is a painful shoulder surgery with big downtime and recovery any better than plain old physical therapy exercises? It better be, right? If you guessed it produces better results, you would be wrong according to a new study. The study looked at…read more

Overweight Knee Pain? A New Study Suggests its All About the Leptin

Overweight knee pain? Leptin is one of those really important hormones that few people have heard much about. It’s basically the key that fits into the lock that turns off your hunger. People who are heavier can become resistant to this hunger switch mechanism, so when they eat they don’t feel full. As a result, they…read more