Yes, you can stream Netflix—and your body can stream stem cells. In fact, this is the up-to-the-minute thinking about how stem cells work. Here is the latest from the recent International Cartilage Repair Society meeting on stem cells, growth factors, bone marrow, fat, and PRP.

What we think we know is probably not true. If we are practicing medicine the same way next year as we are practicing this year, we clearly haven’t learned anything.

Treatments for joint injuries have vastly improved during the past decade. Two of our best non-operative strategies are stem cell or growth factor injections. How do they differ—and which is best?

Short-term solutions for managing joint pain used to be limited to anti-inflammatory drugs and shots of cortisone. Today’s new injections can provide more than relief of symptoms.

Cortisone is a therapeutic drug used to fight ailments ranging from asthma to arthritis. It was the athlete’s best friend throughout the 20th century. But in orthopedics, there is a significant downside.