by Mary-Elizabeth Schurrer  

We all want to maintain a life of wellness and vitality—but for those who deal with persistent, chronic orthopedic pain, this can often seem like an unattainable goal. In fact, some chronic pain sufferers will spend years consulting with medical professionals or enduring invasive operations, only to find minimal or temporary bouts of relief.  

If this circumstance sounds all-too-familiar, I cannot wait to introduce you to the subject of this month’s Community Spot. Mark Walter M.D. is a pioneer in the field of Regenerative Stem Cell Orthopedics, as well as the founder at RegenOrtho here in Sarasota. His area of expertise can offer the effective, long-term pain relief you’ve been searching for—without a potential risk of surgery. So on that note, allow me to turn it over to Dr. Walter.   

Natural Awakenings: For anyone who is unfamiliar, could you summarize when Stem Cell Orthopedics is, and how does this particular modality work?   

Dr. Mark Walter: With this modality, I use healing cells from the patient’s own body fat, then combine it with growth factors from their blood. I inject these cells at specific sites to help rebuild joints in the knees, hip, spine, neck, shoulder, ankle or almost any other part of the body with unresolved pain, injuries or damage.  

It’s common for an MRI or ultrasound to miss micro-tears in the attachments of ligaments, tendons and joint capsules, which are often the root-cause of persistent, chronic orthopedic pain. So whenever I see a patient, the first question on my mind is: “What’s the primary pain generator?” Then, as I examine the patient and identify the jump-sign, I could ultimately diagnose a different root-cause of the pain than previously diagnosed by conventional orthopedic surgeons or other doctors.  

Therefore, my practice has an entirely different approach to treating joint pain, and for many patients, it can offer them a much safer and more effective solution. In fact, as more patients come to understand Regenerative Orthopedics, they often remark that it should be primary care orthopedics.  

If someone experiences significant chronic pain of more than a month or two, I should be the first doctor they come to—not the last resort, as is often the case. But the reason this approach is so little known is that it isn’t part of the conventional medical system which, of course, is based on surgery and pharmaceuticals.   

NA: What specific factors drew you to Regenerative Orthopedics and Stem Cell Therapy, and what are the benefits of practicing this form of medicine?   

Dr. Walter: Here we have a healing modality that’s safe and minimally invasive with almost no downtime after the procedure. In most cases, we can actually treat the root cause of pain, so many patients can avoid the risk of surgery. Regenerative Stem Cell Orthopedics has an 85 percent success rate. To me, this is an effective way to help someone restore their quality of life.  

NA: In your experience, what medical issues can Stem Cell Orthopedics successfully help with, and what does the treatment protocol usually entail?   

Dr. Walter: As I mentioned earlier, orthopedics can be used to treat almost any joint in the entire human body. As such, we commonly use Regenerative Stem Cell Orthopedics for all types of arthritis, injuries, chronic pain and more. This modality can help resolve at least 80 percent of orthopedic issues with long-term success.  

In my practice, the stem cell treatment protocol itself is done in a single day as an outpatient procedure. From start to finish, it only takes about three or four hours out of their schedule. Best of all, they can return to activities of living the next day.  

NA: What can a patient expect during their first appointment with you, and what would you tell someone who is hesitant to undergo this form of treatment?   

Dr. Walter: The main advantage of stem cells is that we only use a patient's own tissue, which makes this treatment as natural as possible. As I said, it’s also quite safe, and there’s almost no downtime. When we perform the stem cell injection on a patient, we’ll draw some fat from under the skin, then we do what I call a lipo-sculpting procedure. We take their blood, they relax for a couple of hours, then we inject the stem cells into specific areas of the body.  

In most cases, patients can return to their normal daily activities in 24 hours. Generally, we advise that our patients wait two or three weeks before resuming sports, exercises and more strenuous activities. In some instances, we might also recommend a platelet-rich plasma (PRP) booster about six to eight weeks after the initial procedure. PRP is a concentration in the blood that functions as a growth factor and works in synergy with the stem cells. Think of it this way: if a stem cell is the seed, then PRP is the fertilizer. The PRP can reignite the stem cells to accelerate the healing further.   

NA: What are the risks?

Dr. Walter: The main risk of a stem cell procedure is that someone might pay for the procedure and not achieve the results they hoped for (since stem cell procedures are not yet covered by Medicare or any insurance companies). But overall, as mentioned, we have an 85 percent success rate for long-term pain relief and return to activity. In my view, this option should be carefully considered for anyone with a significant problem. This is the medicine of the future!   

Mark Walter, MD, has pioneered the field of regenerative orthopedics for the last 22 years, and is considered one of the top Stem Cell Orthopedic specialists in Florida. Dr. Walter completed his MD degree at McGill University (1980), then completed five years of post-doctoral work in Regenerative Orthopedics with the world-famous Hackett-Hemwall foundation (in association with the University of Wisconsin). He is a master Prolotherapist and a leading proponent of offering patients non-surgical alternatives for serious orthopedic issues. Dr. Walter also just released his new book Stem Cell Orthopedics: A New Way to Fix Joint, Back and Neck Problems (available on Amazon). For more information, to schedule a phone or in-person consultation, to or reserve a seat at an upcoming free monthly seminar, please call Dr. Walter’s office in Sarasota at 941-955-4325, text the Stem Cell Hotline at 941-376-2100, or visit RegenOrtho.com.