Regenexx
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why do some cultures have no back pain?
Eighty-five percent of Americans experience back pain at some point, and a third of those will develop chronic back pain. Meanwhile, in some cultures back pain is virtually nonexistent. Is this a genetic issue, or are we doing something wrong? One back surgery down...
Regenexx shoulder stem-cell study published
There’s a lot of attention paid to stem-cell injections for osteoarthritis of the knee, but much less to stem-cell injections used to treat shoulder problems. Regenexx recently published the world’s largest registry experience with precisely guided stem-cell...
is using PRP in knee surgery a good idea?
A trend developing in orthopedic surgery involves the addition of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) in knee arthroscopy. Research seems to suggest that surgical outcome might be improved by adding PRP at the time of surgery. PRP is a serum created by concentrating platelets...
do you really need that shoulder surgery?
Pain is the single biggest driver of elective modern orthopedic surgery. Despite this, research of the last decade or so has shown that surgery is really bad at treating pain. A recent study on shoulder surgery outcomes and rotator cuff tear biology illustrates this...
why overweight patients have trouble with knee replacements
Overweight knee-replacement patients have more endothelial microparticles (EMPs) floating around their veins than other patients, according to a study published March 4, 2015, in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery. In addition, overweight patients have fewer...
40 percent of shoulder replacements in patients younger than 55 fail after 10 years
In their Internet advertising, many clinics that do shoulder-replacement surgery feature pictures of young and active people. Those images don’t necessarily square with current research about the outcomes that younger patients can expect if they undergo...
is back fusion worth the risk?
Decisions in medicine, like most things, are based on risk versus benefit. There are life-saving procedures and surgeries that clearly are needed, but are many doctors doing more harm in non-emergency situations? A recent study looks at the potential damage done to...
shoulder steroid shots harm blood supply to the rotator cuff
Medical research continues to show that injecting steroids into shoulder tendons is a bad idea. The most common shoulder injection is a combination of a steroid and an anesthetic. The type of steroid is called corticosteroid because of its anti-inflammatory effects....
all medical research is not created equal
Like all things, research can be smartly constructed or just plain dumb. A recent study of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) used to treat ankle sprains falls into the latter category. The platelets in platelet-rich plasma (PRP) come from whole blood and are concentrated in...
stem cells can help larger cartilage lesions of the ankle
Patients suffering from osteoarthritis of the ankle traditionally are told that their only hope is an ankle fusion. Since 2006, injections of the patient’s own stem cells have allowed many to avoid surgery and to recover ankle function with minimal pain. Research...
helping a firefighter keep kicking with alternative to neck surgery
Josh is an active guy with a dream who was being held back by injury but was able to push through with the help of interventional orthopedic medicine. A 34-year-old firefighter who had knee pain and neck pain, Josh first injured his knee approximately three years ago....
does research show that Tommy John surgery works?
Tommy John surgery is known in medical practice as ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) reconstruction and is common among athletes. The procedure was first performed in 1974, and is named after the first baseball player to undergo the surgery, major league pitcher Tommy...
Cirque du Soleil performer chooses interventional orthopedics to treat ankle problem
Interventional orthopedics allows doctors to use exacting injection techniques to replace invasive surgeries with innovative and less invasive procedures. The patient was a Cirque du Soleil performer with a nasty cartilage lesion in the tibial (top) part of her main...
PRP improves hip arthroscopy healing
Hip surgery for femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) is incredibly common. All surgery creates a huge demand for healing. A recent study looks at whether adding platelet-rich plasma (PRP) at the end of hip arthroscopy improves surgical outcomes. PRP is made by...
one-third of minimally invasive hip-replacement patients get tumors
Many studies show severe complications as a result of metal-on-metal hip replacement, but many patients continue to sign up for this surgery. A recent study shows high rates of psuedotumor formation in patients who have received metal-on-metal hip-replacement devices....
study links an invisible chemical to pain associated with a torn rotator cuff
The concept that a structural change such as a rotator cuff tear seen on MRI is causing pain is ingrained in modern medical thought. Doctors and patients alike believe this, but the validity of the concept is questionable. A recent shoulder study that shows that pain...
new study shows spinal stenosis surgery is no better than physical therapy
What are your spinal stenosis options? Should you have surgery? The past five to 10 years have been tough for some surgeons. Study after study shows that many common surgeries to repair joint or spine problems don’t work when the surgeries are tested against either a...
can platelet-rich plasma injections replace hip surgery for labral tears?
Is it possible to obtain the same results as hip labrum surgery without going under the knife? Precise platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and stem-cell injections have been used by Regenexx doctors for some years to treat hip labral tears, with promising outcomes reported as...