Surgery is often a last resort option for patients. Complication concerns and long recovery times are often the reasons why patients search for alternatives. It’s patients like these who end up in Dr. John Ferrell’s office – and it’s why he decided to create a new type of medical practice for DMV patients.
Ferrell co-founded Regenerative Orthopedics and Sports Medicine, also known as ROSM. Instead of going the surgery route, Ferrell and his team aim to help the body heal naturally. In this Q&A, Ferrell shares how the ROSM approach is different, his clients’ life-changing results, and the importance of investing in your orthopedic health.
How is ROSM an alternative to conventional treatments or surgery?
We formed ROSM 10 years ago to help redefine orthopedics. We believed the experience in orthopedic clinics was suboptimal for patients. Often, patients felt rushed in and out of the office, had very little time to spend with the surgeon, and were typically offered one of three options: physical therapy, cortisone shots, or surgery. Oh yes, and there was a fourth option, the "straw treatment," where they were told to "suck it up."
What we offer our patients is more time with the physician, as well as a variety of non-surgical options that utilize the body's own cells or plasma to heal in a natural way. Additionally, we spend a lot of time using musculoskeletal ultrasound to quickly evaluate issues or problems, such as tears in soft tissue that need healing.
What is your favorite part about serving patients in the DMV community?
My favorite part of serving the DMV (D.C., Maryland, Virginia) region is being able to give back to the community where I grew up. We love working at community events to provide medical care or just education on ways to keep people healthy and active.
Anything else you’d like to share?
Typically, when we think about health investments, our minds go to preventing or managing conditions like diabetes or heart disease, but we seldom consider orthopedic health in the same light. There's a significant opportunity within regenerative medicine to proactively invest in our orthopedic health. This means addressing conditions like mild arthritis early on, and managing them to prevent progression to more severe stages, such as bone-on-bone arthritis, through regenerative treatments. We're beginning to observe that individuals who proactively invest in their health can often prevent or significantly delay the need for surgeries.
Wanda Jackson
ROSM Patient
ROSM patient Wanda Jackson came to Dr. Ferrell after seeing a long list of orthopedics. Jackson, who is a runner, was training for the Marine Corps Marathon when she began experiencing knee pain. But, as many athletes do, she continued to push through. When it got to the point of being too much to bear, she began visiting different doctors who told her surgery was the only option.
“That started a series of just seeing different orthopedics who told me I would never run again. I fell into a deep depression,” Jackson said in a TV interview for WJLA’s Good Morning Washington.
When someone suggested she schedule an appointment with Dr. Ferrell at ROSM, the healing began. “I went to Dr. Ferrell…and told him every orthopedic I had seen told me I needed a knee replacement. And he said, ‘No you don’t…I can get you back out there.’ He changed my life.”
Jackson has a message for those who may be experiencing the same pain as she did: “Get second opinions and explore more regenerative options. Take a chance,” she says.
“We offer our patients more time with the physician, as well as a variety of non-surgical options…to heal in a natural way.”