When Pain Gets in the Way: Finding Your Wind Again

Like sailing, healing isn't always about fighting the waves—sometimes it's about finding the right direction, using what you have, and learning how to move forward.

Has pain gotten you down?

Maybe you've stopped skiing because your knee hurts. Maybe your shoulder keeps you from climbing, your back makes long bike rides impossible, or you've simply started saying no to the things you used to love.

For people who live in the Rockies, pain can mean more than discomfort. It can mean losing movement, independence, and the activities that make life feel like your own. I know this not only as a physician, but as someone who believes deeply in the power of movement to shape how we live.

But an injury or chronic pain doesn't always have to mean another surgery—or simply another pill.

For some patients, there may be another path: helping the body use its own biology as part of the healing process. This is where my work in regenerative medicine begins.

Using Your Body to Help Your Body Heal

This is the philosophy behind regenerative medicine and orthobiologics: use the body's own resources, when appropriate, to support healing rather than simply managing symptoms.

As a board-certified, fellowship-trained physician specializing in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Spine and Sports Medicine, and interventional orthopedics, I take a non-operative approach to helping patients return to the activities and lives they value.

My focus isn't simply on treating an MRI or numbing a painful joint. It is on understanding why something hurts, how that pain is affecting function, and what it will take to help a person move forward.

Regenerative treatments may be one part of that equation.

I offer two orthobiologic treatments using materials derived from the patient's own body:

Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) uses a concentrated portion of the patient's own blood containing platelets and biologically active components involved in the body's natural healing response.

Bone Marrow Aspirate Concentrate (BMAC) uses bone marrow obtained from the pelvic bone and concentrated for use in selected orthopedic conditions.

These treatments are not appropriate for every injury or every patient. The goal is not to promise a quick fix. The goal is to thoughtfully determine whether supporting the body's own biology may have a role in an individualized treatment plan.

The Goal Isn't Just Less Pain. It's More Life.

That distinction matters.

For an active person, success isn't always measured by a pain score. It may be measured by getting back on a bike. Returning to the climbing wall. Hiking with your family. Playing with your grandchildren. Skiing a favorite run. Or simply waking up without thinking about your back before you think about your day.

That is where my physiatrist's perspective can be valuable.

Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation looks at the whole picture—pain, movement, strength, biomechanics, lifestyle, goals, and function. Regenerative treatments, when appropriate, can be considered alongside rehabilitation, strength training, activity modification, and other non-operative treatments.

The goal is not to stop moving. It's to find a smarter way forward.

Keep moving. Keep exploring. Keep living.