Tyler Collins
December 31st, 2025
My name is Tyler Collins and I am a 19 year old female high jumper who jumps in the ACC at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In the Fall of 2024, I found out that I had a bilateral pars fracture of my L-5 vertebrae. I also had a few annular tears to the surrounding disks. Upon further examination, my case became more complex involving the early destabilization of my SI joints and fluid in my facets. Our main concern was healing my pars fracture, which would be very hard to do with just rest and no intervention considering that my bones were calcified apart instead of healed together. Surgery was an option, but would limit my mobility, so we researched alternative solutions that would aid in healing. We came across Dr. McMurtrey at Alpine Spine and Orthopedics and his stem cell procedures and immediately started researching. The results for young adult athletes, like me, were spectacular. Within a month, I was on the way to Utah for my first procedure. My procedure went smoothly. The first 2 weeks after the procedure I did no activity and wore a hard back brace. I also limited all flexion and extension for the entire 3 month period I took before getting a checkup MRI. I did walk, do planks, and biked. My MRI showed very slight bone bridging that would be made thicker with a second procedure. There was fluid in my facets that limited and slowed healing, this was caused by too much movement. I went in May for my second stem cell procedure and it went very well once again. I took the entire 3 month period to rest before re-testing, but this time I was more strict on no extension or flexion. I did very stationary and static core and glute exercises for the second half of my rest. I retested again and there was more bridging, about a 30% medial bone bridge on each side. Obviously this is not perfect and was really hard to hear in the moment, but I had hope that more healing could be done. I was given the option to continue resting or to start ramping up activity with no direction of whether starting activity would help the situation or harm the situation. Upon lots of prayer, I decided it was time to get going. I met with my physical therapist and we start ramping up activity very slowly: adding rotation, loading my spine slightly, running on a reduced gravity treadmill. Immediately my back started feeling better. Sometimes bone needs load in order to heal. I have gradually worked up to full activity without any back pain what so ever. I modify my lifts so I am not back squatting, dead lifting, or power cleaning, but besides that I have full mobility and strength and no pain. I am so grateful to say that I just competed in my first collegiate track meet a few weeks ago jumping an indoor season personal record and with no pain. Without Dr. McMurtrey my pars would have not had what it needed to grow back together and to provide stability. I am forever thankful for Dr. McMurtrey and for the good Lord for getting me back to my sport!
Lana Harty
November 25th, 2025
I can’t say enough positive things about my experience with Dr. McMurtrey and his clinic. I went in for a stem cell procedure earlier this year after struggling for a couple years with osteoarthritis in my foot. Before finding this clinic, the only treatment option I had been given was joint fusion, which would have meant permanently losing mobility in that joint.
After doing a lot of research, I chose to travel from Canada for a regenerative stem cell treatment. From the very first consultation, Dr. McMurtrey stood out. He is kind, patient, and genuinely caring. He took the time to walk me through every step of the process, made sure I understood what to expect, and answered every question thoroughly.
I had the procedure in February 2025, and the improvement since then has been remarkable. My pain and mobility are dramatically better, and my follow-up MRI showed significant positive changes. I’m able to start getting back to the activities I love, something I wasn’t sure would happen previously.
If you’re considering regenerative treatment or looking for alternatives to surgery, I highly recommend Dr. McMurtrey and his team. Their expertise and kindness made all the difference for me.
Robin Ackerman
November 5th, 2025
We consulted with Dr. McMurtrey after 9 months of severe pain and no activity for my son dealing with a bilateral pars fracture from weight lifting. The Chicagoland orthopedic was referring us for a fusion and I knew that would create a lifetime of pain. We were so impressed with the education and referrals coming from Alpine and knew it was worth a chance. We flew in and stayed in Utah for a few nights. After 6 weeks my son noticed his pain was going away. At 3 months we repeated a CT scan which showed full healing as no more evidence of fracture. He has been super active and played hockey, golf, basketball and baseball non stop since the good news. Thank you Dr. M for leaving the comfort of hospital work to truly change lives. This was a huge answer to prayer!
Scott M
December 4th, 2025
After years of visits for our daughter with multiple specialists and even a failed back surgery (with screws placed in her spine), we finally found Dr. McMurtrey. During a thorough evaluation, he even discovered additional fractures in her back that no one else had noticed and recommended a minimally invasive stem cell procedure rather than more invasive surgery.
Since the procedure, our daughter has experienced a dramatic turnaround. For the first time in five years, she is completely pain-free, and she has regained the ability to be active — something we never expected back then.
Dr. McMurtrey’s knowledge, professionalism, and compassion stood out from the start. He took the time to explain everything clearly, answered all our questions, and made us feel confident and our daughter cared for throughout the process. His expertise in stem cell treatment is second to none.
We are beyond grateful to Dr. McMurtrey and the team at Alpine Spine & Orthopedics. He gave our daughter a chance at a normal, pain-free life again — something we thought might never happen. We are forever thankful!
Benjamin Wiegand
December 2nd, 2025
I had a great experience with Alpine Spine & Orthopedics and Dr. McMurtrey - hands down the best orthopedic experience I’ve had, and that’s saying a lot after multiple prior surgical interventions.
I came to see Dr. McMurtrey for multiple meniscus tears in both knees and a full-thickness chondral fissure in my right femur from years of hard use (skiing and dirt bikes). I tore both ACLs when I was younger, so I’ve unfortunately been set up for knee issues in my 40s. This summer my left knee pain had progressed to the point where walking a mile was difficult, which was the opposite of my normal routine (trail running and mtb most days of the week).
We reviewed my imaging on the big screen and Dr. McMurtrey took the time to clearly explain every issue and the plan to address it. The procedure itself went smoothly with mild sedation, and I was able to walk out the same day with a nerve block in each knee. Because my case was complex and the work was extensive, I had moderate pain for about two days afterward, then steadily improved everyday over the next two weeks as the swelling subsided.
Over the next 2.5 months I rehabbed with PT and eased back into pedaling my mountain bike. Now I’m 3 months out, walking pain-free, and working toward a mellow ski season. A follow-up MRI at 3 months also showed tissue improvement, including a smaller defect at the fissure. I’ll need another patching procedure down the road in 3-6months, but that’s still far better than being scoped again creating more trauma to the joint.
Gotta love it when real science meets practical care that keeps people moving.
