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Knee Replacement Outcome Data Falls Short

You might think we know that the knee replacements that surgeons perform everyday work very well, after all we perform 600,000 of these procedures annually. These are invasive surgeries using FDA approved knee replacement devices that are paid for by every insurance company. While there is some data from various studies, a recent large study…read more

Ankle Stem Cell Treatment in a Rodeo Champion

The Calgary Herald reported yesterday that a two time world champion steer wrestler is hoping our ankle stem cell treatment will help his ankle arthritis. Looking at the punishment his ankle is taking in the photo they printed yesterday (see above) all I can say is…”Ouch!” Article below: Graves counts on stem cell therapy to repair ankle Two-time world…read more

Hip Resurfacing Problems-Too Good to be True?

So many Hip Resurfacing problems in recent studies!  It’s amazing how the language we use to describe our surgeries shape how patients think about them. Most patients who hear the term, “hip resurfacing” think that it merely involves adding a small cap here and there and they’re done. Patients are drawn to this procedure because of…read more

Cells=Drugs takes a Scientific Hit

Transplanting organs is difficult because the host’s body rejects the foreign tissue. Since mesenchymal stem cells are anti-inflammatory and can modulate an immune response, one company has been trying to help the dreaded disease of severe organ rejection (GVHD or Graft vs. Host Disease). This company placed someone else’s mass manufactured stem cells in a vial in a…read more

Stem Cells for Hip Osteonecrosis-Mexican Style: Ole?

Why are we so finicky about candidacy grading? As you may know, we insist on giving every patient an honest assessment of their candidacy grading-Good, Fair, or Poor. Being a good candidate doesn’t guarantee the procedure will work just like being a poor candidate doesn’t guarantee it will fail. However, given all the patients we’ve treated through the years, the patient…read more

Knee Stem Cell Update in an Ultra Long Distance Mountain Biker

Is there a mountain biking knee stem cell treatment to address the particular needs of the ultra high activity level and resultant injuries of mountain biking? DG is an elite mountain biker who avoided knee surgery 3 years ago by having his own stem cells injected into his knee. How’s he doing on the mountain bike?…read more

You be the Judge: Hip Replacement for Pain in the Back of the Hip?

Back of hip pain? I examined a judge from Michigan this week who had been told she needed a hip replacement because of pain in the back of her hip. When I spoke to her on the phone about her candidacy for the Regenexx stem cell procedures, her “hip” pain didn’t sound like most of it was coming…read more

Why are we still Operating on Hips solely based on MRI? Hip Labrum Surgery Mania Revisited…

 Before you allow someone to decide on surgery based on an MRI finding…you might want to get a good exam and try a hip labrum surgery alternative first.   A study just presented at the AOSSM conference demonstrates what we’ve been saying for years-operating or obsessing on MRI findings is a bad idea. Many patients these days often…read more