Here are 21 spine surgeons who are involved in stem cell research for spinal treatment.

The American College of Rheumatology has issued new recommendations for initial treatment of knee and hip osteoarthritis, as well as first-ever recommendations for hand osteoarthritis, according to an Arthritis Today report.

Complementary and alternative medical treatments like herbal supplements are increasingly used among older patients and patients with chronic pain, but they could have harmful side effects when combined with medications taken during and after orthopedic surgery, according to an American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons news release.

After watching the patient video used in the Spine Patient Outcomes Research Trial, patients with lumbar spine disorders were able to form or strengthen their treatment preferences in a balanced and unbiased manner, according to a study published in Spine.

As part of healthcare reform's initiative to lower the cost of healthcare, the Independent Payment Advisory Board and Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute were formed to make decisions about the procedures Medicare will cover. IPAB will develop proposals guiding Medicare as to which treatment methods are necessary and acceptable for coverage while PCORI is charged with conducing evidence-based research for patients and physicians to enhance treatment pathways. Both IPAB and PCORI are led by a small number of people consisting of select medical and non-medical professionals.

Ken Chapman, MD, is a pain management physician with The Spine & Pain Institute of New York, in Manhattan and Staten Island. He is board certified in pain management and anesthesiology and serves as the director of pain management at Staten Island University Hospital, North Shore LIJ Health system as well as assistant clinical professor at SUNY Downstate. He discusses eight things to know about minimally invasive lumbar decompressions for patients with spinal stenosis.

John Bookmyer is CEO of Pain Management Group, a management company in Findlay, Ohio, that operates joint ventures in pain management with seven hospital partners, discusses how partnerships between pain management physicians and hospitals can be successful.

Four orthopedic sports medicine physicians discuss current use of platelet-rich plasma injections for athletes and whether they think the treatment will stand up to evidence-based research.

Frank Phillips, MD, a spine surgeon and partner at Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush, discusses five points on minimally invasive spine surgery.  Dr. Phillips is a founding member and Past-President of the Society of Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery (SMISS).

Insurance carriers across the country are scaling back the coverage indications for spine surgery, which could potentially leave spine surgeons without the ability to treat thousands of patients who could benefit from surgical intervention. Spine surgeons and societies have been working to increase awareness of the efficacy of surgical intervention for the appropriate patients, but it hasn't been an easy road.