Dr. Stogicza describes in great detail, the reemergence of prolotherapy, and why its efficacy is becoming more recognized in treating pain. She describes prolotherapy as “absolutely the opposite of every standard technique.” She explains how it is categorized as regenerative therapy, and gives an example of how prolotherapy is used to treat the root cause of cervicogenic headaches by allowing the body to heal the ligamentous (soft tissue) damage that can refer pain to cause such headaches.

Dr. Ramsin Benyamin gives a brief talk on osteoporotic fractures and how he has focused his practice in preventing these atraumatic fractures. He explains how the consequences of such fractures can be life altering. He also discusses bone density preservation and the proper treatment for such fractures, including vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty.

Dr. Calodney and Dr. Chang Chien have an informative conversation over the use of regenerative medicine. They both agree that the reliance of corticosteroids in pain medicine may not be the best option for long term, chronic pain, as these continuous steroid injections can actually be catabolic to the surrounding tissues. Dr. Chang Chien talks about current research that demonstrates the efficacy of platelet rich plasma over other commonly used injectants for OA. Dr. Calodney discusses the pros and cons for these regenerative options for degenerative disc disease.

Dr. Mert Akbas explains how he uses epiduroscopy in his practice, as both a diagnostic and a therapeutic modality. He emphasizes the importance for patient selection to avoid complications. He also gives a few tips he has learned to make the procedure safer and easier that are contradictory to some literature.