My Top 10 Posts of 2015!
Now that 2015 is coming to a close, I thought I’d pick out my top 10 favorite blogs. In fact this year, I have three top 10 lists. Next will come the top 10 most read Regenexx blogs of this year and then the top 10 that generated the most social media buzz. So let’s begin!
My favorite blogs are usually the ones I felt the most passionate about. I write almost everyday, and many times the topics that I chose are based on what I’ve seen in the clinic that week. I also research the US National Library of Medicine often, so when I come across a research paper that seems interesting, I turn it into a blog post. I also have a network physician (Rob Kramberg, M.D.) who sends me studies that might be interesting to post, so much thanks to Rob! Finally, sometimes I just update readers about the latest and greatest happenings at Regenexx.
Here’s my top 10 list (not in order):
–Can a Precise Regenexx Stem Cell Injection into a Shattered Shoulder Humerus Bone Work where Surgery Couldn’t?-Why do I love this post? My life’s work is continuing to prove that while traditional orthopedic surgery has earned a great place in medical history, it’s also time for much of it to be replaced with less invasive procedures. In this case, a woman with a shattered humerus bone and avascular necrosis was told by many surgeons that they wouldn’t touch her problem with a 10 foot pole. However, a precise fluoroscopically guided injection of her own stem cells prepared using our advanced techniques helped heal most of her bone! There were countless cases just like this one this year. Patients who had little hope for recovery using traditional orthopedic surgery techniques who reported great results and/or had big changes in their imaging after a Regenexx procedure.
–Our New Interventional Orthopedics Fellowship Stem cell Training Programs-If one aspect of my life’s work is perfecting the use of stem cells and platelets to heal or manage orthopedic problems through precise injection, the nest part is teaching these advanced techniques to appropriately skilled physicians. This is really not happening out there right now, as any doctor with a heartbeat and a driver’s license is being trained to poorly inject stem cells by for profit outfits often by physicians who barely know more about the topic than their students. Our new 3 month Interventional Orthopedic mini-fellowships allow physicians who already have advanced injection skills to integrate precise stem cell procedures into their practices. These physicians have about 100 separate procedures to master, so if the weekend existing stem cell courses are like the certificate degree mills on-line, our program is the Harvard or Princeton of musculoskeletal stem cell education.
–Mesenchymal Stem Cell Research Publishing Volume Decimates Embryonic Stem Cell Research-When the stem cell craze first began in the late 90s, it was almost all focused on embryonic stem cells (ESCs). How this tissue was being sourced (i.e. from aborted fetuses) angered many, so science began to research a new type of stem cell obtained from your body that went by the moniker of “mesenchymal stem cells” (MSCs). A few years back, a strange thing happened, the volume of MSC research surpassed ESC research. This year the trend not only continued, but it accelerated! The ESC king is dead, long live the MSC king!
–My Lecture at Walter Reed and the Uniformed Services University-Most people don’t know that because my brother had attended the Naval Academy, I almost went to Vanderbilt on a Navy ROTC scholarship. There was one little complication however, I failed a color blindness test. Turns out that you have to be qualified upfront for every job in the Navy , including flight surgeon. So being able to give back to the military was a great honor this year, as I was invited to give a stem cell course to Army, Navy, Marine, and Air Force physicians at the Uniformed Services University located at Walter Reed.
-Regenexx Publishes the Largest Knee Arthritis Stem cell Study to Date-One of my focuses has always been publishing our meticulously collected data from our treatment registry. Our knee arthritis stem cell paper using the Regenexx-SD patented protocol is the largest of it’s kind, with the next biggest stem cell paper in this area reporting on about 10 times fewer patients than our publication.
-My Video on Stem Cells From Fat vs. Bone Marrow-This is always a hot topic-does fat or bone marrow have more stem cells? What fascinating is that the fat stem cell advocates have been using a 5th grade math error to justify their view that fat has many more stem cells. This video explains the math error and shows that bone marrow in many ways, is a far richer source of stem cells than fat.
-My Summary of the Many Research Papers Published on the Use of Bone Marrow Stem Cells for Orthopedic Injuries and Diseases-What’s amazing is that in 2015, we still hear many advocates of mass produced stem cell drugs scream from the roof tops that we don’t yet have enough research. Despite these protestations, when you add up all of the research on bone marrow stem cells used for orthopedic problems going back to 1997, more than five thousand patients have been treated and had their results published in peer reviewed medical journals. We’re also proud to note that about 1/3 of those patients are our patients who were treated with our patented protocol!
-Our Research on Healing Knee ACL Tears with Precise Stem cell Injections-There is no orthopedic injury that for me better represents the future than ACL tears. This is traditional orthopedic surgery bread and butter, cutting out a damaged ligament, drilling big holes in the bone, and installing a tendon and hoping it stabilizes the knee as well as the original equipment. However, we’ve seen evidence that using our precise injection technique under fluoroscopic guidance can replace the need for surgery in about 70% of patients who currently get surgery. This is our first research paper to begin to prove that point with a second one to follow soon!
-Our Shoulder Stem Cell Precise Injection Paper is Published-Another area that represents the less invasive future of orthopedics is rotator cuff tears. Again, we’ve seen good observational evidence that about 70% of patients who currently end up with invasive surgery for rotator cuff tears can skip the surgery and instead get a precise injection of stem cells into the tear to promote healing. This paper is our first publication to begin to prove this point.
-My Video on How Most Doctors Performing Stem Cell Injections are Screwing up the Bone Marrow Harvest Procedure-As discussed above, if you see a physician who proclaims they know how to perform stem cell injections, chances are he or she took one of the “schlock” weekend courses described above. In addition, this doctor likely also never learned how to properly draw bone marrow to maximize the number of stem cells. For example, some uneducated physician teaching the course likely told him or her that the best way to do this is to draw a single site. This is despite the fact that we’ve know for many years that this is not the best way to get the most stem cells. This video tries to educate physicians about how to do this right. How can you make sure your doctor knows the correct technique? Find a Regenexx provider near you!
The upshot? At the end of the day, my top 10 list are the blogs I felt the most passionate about. Later this week, we’ll look at the ones you loved the most either by page views or social media engagement. Here’s to a fantastic 2016!
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NOTE: This blog post provides general information to help the reader better understand regenerative medicine, musculoskeletal health, and related subjects. All content provided in this blog, website, or any linked materials, including text, graphics, images, patient profiles, outcomes, and information, are not intended and should not be considered or used as a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Please always consult with a professional and certified healthcare provider to discuss if a treatment is right for you.