Blythe Orthopedics & Spine, Inc.

12/01/2025

Very interesting article in future treatment for osteoporosis

A recent study points to a key bone-strengthening mechanism at work in the body, which could be targeted to treat the bone-weakening disease, osteoporosis.

11/22/2025

came across a new screw designed specifically for osteoporotic bone—and this thing is a game-changer. 🔩🧠 for pedicle screws in osteoporotic bone 🙌

Instead of the usual aggressive thread that chews up fragile bone, this design uses a cupped thread pitch that bites in clean, holds tight, and preserves the integrity of the bone. No shredding. No blowout. Just smart engineering doing exactly what it was built to do.

Watching technology like this hit the field reminds me why spine surgery keeps advancing—people out there pushing the boundaries, solving real problems, and making surgery safer for patients who need every advantage they can get. 💪🦴

Innovating without overcomplicating.
Strong grip. Better purchase. Smarter surgery.

Minimally invasive. Maximally effective.
That’s the future—and we’re already using it.

11/15/2025

2025 — This year wasn’t about the lectures, the tech, or the chaos on the floor. —> This year was about friendship.

Good friends. Real colleagues. The people who’ve walked through the fire with me, pushed me, challenged me, and kept me grounded when the rest of the world got loud.

Grateful for the tribe and the handful of folks who show up when it counts — in the OR, in life, and everywhere in between.

NASS isn’t just a conference. It’s a reunion of the people who make this profession worth it.

👊🏽 Spine surgeons.
👊🏽 Friends.

11/11/2025

Fourteen years in the Army, thirteen in the Air Force — two uniforms, one lifelong mission.

Started basic at Fort Sill (1991) while still in high school, then Combat Medic AIT at Fort Sam Houston (1992) — back when it was 91A, later 91B, now 91W Health Care Specialist. Began active duty in January 1993 with the Air Cav at Fort Campbell. A year later, I was selected for the elite 160th SOAR (Special Operations Aviation Regiment) — the Night Stalkers — and became a mission-qualified Special Operations Flight Medic, providing trauma care in places the maps don’t even bother to name.

After years of running and gunning with the best warriors I’ll ever know, I came off active duty, joined the Guard, and finally got to college. I finished my degree just in time for Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom, deploying as the Senior Medic with the 1139th Military Police Company to Baghdad.

Coming home changed everything. I traded my Staff Sergeant stripes for butter bars, commissioning into the Air National Guard as a Medical Service Corps Officer. Later, I rose through the ranks and served as an Orthopedic & Spine Surgeon, carrying the same mission forward — this time from battlefield to operating room.

Twenty-seven years of service. No breaks. No shortcuts. From medic to surgeon — from the field to the OR — the mission never stopped.

Along the way, I’ve buried more brothers and sisters than I care to count — some to combat, some to cancer, some to su***de. Each loss leaves a hole that no medal, no ceremony, no folded flag can fill. Those are the kinds of wounds that don’t bleed on the outside.

But not all wounds come from war. Some come from betrayal, lies, and systems that fail good people. Some come from parental alienation — the slow, deliberate destruction of the bond between a father and his children.

I’ve fought battles in deserts and operating rooms, but none have cut as deep as being separated from my own kids. To be erased from their world through manipulation and deceit — that’s a wound that never stops aching. It’s a war fought in silence, with no support, no medals, and no reinforcements. And yet, I still believe that truth has a way of surfacing, and love has a way of finding its way home.

Every child deserves their father. Every father deserves to love, teach, and protect his children. When a parent uses a child as a weapon — to punish, to control, to erase — it is not just cruel; it is evil. There should be a special kind of hell for anyone who poisons a child’s mind against a loving parent.

Those who’ve lived through it know — parental alienation is a living death. You grieve for people who are still alive. You love people who have been taught to hate you. You pray for the day they realize the truth, and until then, you wake up and keep fighting for your own peace, your own sanity, and the hope that one day, reconciliation will come.

But here’s what I’ve learned: God doesn’t waste pain. Every loss, every scar, every lonely night — it all has purpose. I’ve been broken, glued, re-glued, and held together by God and Jesus Christ, by faith, by purpose, and by sheer willpower. What man tried to destroy, God used to rebuild me stronger, wiser, and more anchored than ever.

I’m not perfect. I’m not a hero. I’m just a man who refused to quit. A soldier, a father, a surgeon — rebuilt by grace and grit.

So this Veterans Day, I honor not just those who wore the uniform, but those who keep fighting unseen battles long after the uniform comes off. Some of us still fight — for our families, for our peace, for our faith, and for our purpose.

Because not all wounds are visible, and not all wars are fought overseas.

I live with grit, growth, and gratitude — for every mile, every scar, and every ounce of strength that got me here.

I’m nothing more than the sum of broken pieces — glued, re-glued, and held together by God, by Jesus, and by the belief that I still have a mission only He could design.

🇺🇸 NSDQ

11/08/2025

🚨 True Story from Med School 👨‍⚕️🍟

Back in medical school at Des Moines University, we had this legendary nutrition professor — every year, he’d bring out the same McDonald’s Happy Meal 🍔🍟 from his lecture shelf. Not a new one… the same one, preserved in its little cardboard box, year after year.

No mold. No rot. No smell. Just… frozen in time.

After nearly 30 years of teaching, my class of 2008 was one of his last. He held up the old burger and fries — both looking brand new — and said, “This is what food shouldn’t do.” Then he smirked and dared one of my classmates to eat a fry.

The guy took the challenge. Everyone held their breath. He chewed for a second and said,
👉 “Tastes cold. Otherwise… no different.”

The whole class went silent. You could feel everyone swearing off fast food for at least a week. 😅

Lesson of the day: If it doesn’t rot, it’s probably not food.

Two Australian friends kept a McDonald's burger for three decades, creating a social media phenomenon that even caught Joe Rogan's attention and went global.

11/07/2025

When the OR feels like a sauna, you innovate 💡
Testing out this AlphaCool Circulatory Cooling Vest today — 7.4 volts of pure chill to keep performance steady and sweat off the field.
If it keeps me cool through an ACDF or lumbar fusion, it’s a game-changer for every surgeon, nurse, and tech in the room. No tail so it’s mobile but you are carrying the weight of the ice/water between the shoulders in the vest. See if thats a tradeoff 🧐

Stay sharp. Stay cool. 🧊

10/16/2025

Most know me for spine surgery—but remember, I’m a board-certified orthopedic surgeon, and I still do total knees. 🦵
This patient tried everything—therapy, injections, meds—but pain persisted. She’s now walking her way back after a total knee replacement, spending just a short stay in the hospital and rehab before heading home pain-free. 💪
If knee pain or arthritis is slowing you down, come see me. We’ll get you moving again.

10/14/2025

Six weeks after a C5-6 and C6-7 ACDF and Mr. Roskam is back to living.
✅ No numbness or tingling
✅ Full strength restored
✅ Off all pain meds
✅ Brace off, rotation back, and feeling great

Thanks to the CTL Monet system, he had zero issues with swallowing — just clean fusion, smooth recovery, and real results.

That’s what minimally invasive spine surgery looks like when it’s done right. 💪
Minimally invasive. Maximal results.

10/11/2025

Facts ☺️

The Future of a Generation: Hyperkyphosis from Excessive Screen Use 🤔

We’re witnessing a troubling trend — the posture of a generation being reshaped by screens. Hours spent hunched over phones, tablets, and laptops are leading to a condition known as hyperkyphosis — an excessive forward curvature of the upper spine.

What was once seen mostly in the elderly is now appearing in teenagers and young adults, their necks craned downward for hours each day. The constant strain on the spine, shoulders, and neck muscles gradually alters posture, causing the classic “tech neck” or hunchback appearance.

Beyond looks, the consequences run deeper: chronic pain, reduced lung capacity, nerve compression, and long-term musculoskeletal damage. Doctors warn that these posture issues, left unchecked, could become one of the most widespread lifestyle-induced deformities of the 21st century.

It’s a silent epidemic of our digital age — one text, one scroll, one slouch at a time.✅