Spine Surgeon Investigates Low-level Laser Therapy

Eeric Truumees, MD

In July, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) cleared the Erchonia FX 635, a low-level laser therapy (LLLT) device, for “whole body” pain. As a spine surgeon, I was aware that this technique was used in some patients with chronic low back pain but was always skeptical about claims involving lasers and diffuse pain.

Are We Paid Too Much?

Eeric Truumees, MD

Most of us regularly read articles or hear newscasts that boldly claim that physicians are overpaid. My interest in this Editor’s Message began with an NPR Planet Money piece that called medicine a cartel."

Georgia and the Georgia Orthopaedic Society Respond to the Opioid Epidemic

Kelly Homlar, MD; J. Wendell Duncan, MD

This letter is in response to the article “Disposal of Unused Opioid Medications: Aligning Patient Needs and Provider Expectations,” which was written by T.K. Miller, MD; Malek Bouzaher, BS, MS; Susan Giampalmo, BS; and Joseph T. Moskal, MD, and published in the February issue of AAOS Now.

Unprofessional Behavior Cannot Be Tolerated

Edward R. McDevitt, MD

I would like to applaud Kerri Fitzgerald for her excellent article on professionalism in medicine. I was dismayed to read Medscape’s top articles read by orthopaedists in 2018.

CORRECTION

Perry J. Evangelista, MD

I would like to call your attention to an error contained in the article titled “Trauma Tips for the Orthopaedic Surgeon,” which appeared in the June 2019 issue of AAOS Now and discussed material presented on compartment syndrome.

Orthopaedic Surgeons Cannot Perform Stem Cell Injections in the United States Unless Under FDA Protocol

C. Thomas Vangsness Jr, MD

I read with great interest the review written by Duncan Ackerman, MD, that detailed his problem in North Dakota with stem cell injection clinics.

Medical Student Debt and the Future of Orthopaedic Surgery

Eeric Truumees, MD

In the first part of this editorial, I assessed whether U.S. orthopaedists are paid too much and compared our incomes to those of other professions across the nation and world. Here, I’ll examine the role of altruism and the impact of student debt on the attractiveness of medicine in general and orthopaedic surgery specifically.