Progress Report of Non-Surgical Rotator Cuff Repair
Rotator cuff repair surgery results are not that great. Several published studies, including this one, have shown that outcomes are not much better with surgery than without. Large tears tend not to heal well, and re-tears are common. Even after “successful” surgeries patients may not recover full range of motion and end up with limited strength and function of the […]
Stem Cell Therapy FDA Approved?
Is stem cell therapy FDA approved? This is one of the most frequent questions presented by our patients. This is an issue we have to address several times a week. I usually answer that question by asking patients if they have received other treatments, such as epidural injections, joint injections with corticosteroids, ACL repair surgeries, rotator cuff surgeries, etc., and […]
Joint Corticosteroid Injections: How is This Still a Thing?
Intra-articular injections with corticosteroids is a very common medical treatment for the pain caused by joint osteoarthritis. Most patients do not know that corticosteroids are not a treatment for arthritis and does not heal the joint. They work by reducing inflammation and usually provide quick relief of pain. This pain relief, however is short lived: usually lasting only for no […]
Epidemic of Unnecessary Surgeries
I have blogged several times before about the epidemic of unnecessary spine and joint surgeries performed in our country. Spine surgery is the single most costly surgery for Medicare. The rate of spine and joint surgeries in the USA is 2-3 times higher than in any other industrialized country, with incredibly large regional variations. The widespread use of MRI scans, […]
Alternative to Rotator Cuff Surgery
This week we saw two patients in our clinic that demonstrate the usefulness of precisely placed regenerative injections with stem cells as an alternative to shoulder surgery. Both patients were seen 6 months after their procedure and both were doing very well. Charles P is 71 year old male who became paraplegic about 40 years ago as a result of […]