The Interventional Orthobiologics Blog

PRP Doesn’t Help Cartilage Repair? Always Read the Fine Print!

It’s always bizarre to me what makes the rounds of the science news. This week it was a paper, that websites covered, with the headline, “Platelet-rich plasma does not promote stem cell-mediated cartilage repair.” Like many research papers that are hyped, you always need to read the fine print. When you do, this headline isn’t accurate. Let…read more

Treating Rotator Cuff Tears with Stem Cells, Not Surgery

I love treating shoulder rotator cuff tears with precise injections of bone marrow concentrate which contains stem cells. This patient was a weightlifter with a high-grade tear who wanted to avoid surgery and get back to powerlifting. He just sent us a video of his progress, lifting more weight without surgery than most can ever…read more

An Active Grandmother’s Neck Pain Resolved Without Surgery

It’s a confusing time right now in stem cell therapy. So many clinics are claiming to do so many things, it’s hard to know what’s real versus just a money-making scam. This morning I’ll review a grandmother who got to the place where it was difficult to play with the grandkids and how we helped…read more

Why Back Surgery Side Effects Are so Common: BFH Syndrome

I write about what I see in clinic and around me. One of the interesting things from this week was a low back pain patient who had surgery that was so invasive it left a hole in his low back. I coined the term BFH syndrome (Big [Insert Expletive] Hole) to describe this back surgery…read more

Is Amniotic Stem Cell Therapy Covered by Insurance?

One of the more bizarre twists in the amniotic “stem cell” scams out there is that certain physicians claim to be able to get an insurance company to reimburse for the procedure. I’ve also seen the same with the Lipogems system. Is this true? Nope, what’s really happening is an illegal misuse of billing codes that can…read more

Hip Labral Tear Recovery Without Surgery: The Bright Shiny Object Syndrome

Orthopedic surgery suffers from what I call the “bright shiny object” syndrome. What is this? It’s the cause of countless unneeded and invasive surgeries and treatments that cause more damage than good. This morning I’d like to introduce you to a patient from Canada who traveled to Colorado seeking hip labral tear recovery without surgery. She’s also featured…read more