The Brutal (But Effective) Path to Recovery: My Experience with Bone Marrow Aspiration
In my podcast with Dr. Thomas Incledon, we shared a good laugh over our experiences with bone marrow aspiration, a painful but effective procedure to aid in recovery. For me, it was about getting my knee back healed up after surgery, and this meant enlisting Dr. Joseph Purita to pull bone marrow from my hip, spin it down, and use those precious stem cells to accelerate healing in my knee. Sounds straight forward I know. But there was one major complication, my bones are absurdly dense, thanks to years of NFL impacts, lifting, and sheer genetics.
When Dr. Purita started the procedure, he quickly realized my bones weren’t the average case. To aspirate bone marrow, he had to break through the hip bone to access the marrow inside. Usually, it’s one or two taps, especially on older patients whose bones are far less dense. But in my case, it took him about seven strikes, each one harder than the last. Imagine being staked like a vampire, as I told Dr. Incledon - it was intense, to say the least. Dr. Purita wasn’t just tapping; he was practically going medieval, trying to break through what must have felt like stone.
Afterwards, I gave Tom a call. I had a few choice words for him, because he’d been through the same procedure and hadn’t given me a heads-up about how brutal it could be. Tom laughed it off, saying he barely felt anything when he went through it. He was surprised, but here’s the thing - most patients don’t have bones that require a mallet to crack! Tom didn’t have my NFL-hardened bone density, so his experience was nothing like mine.
Despite the pain, the procedure works. The stem cells from bone marrow have powerful healing potential, and for athletes or anyone looking for an alternative to surgery. This approach can make a real difference in healing time. By harnessing my own cells, I was able to promote healing naturally, something that’s worth the discomfort of those seven hard taps to the hip.
This story might sound rough, but it’s a reminder that recovery often takes grit. Sometimes, the most effective treatments aren’t easy, but when they’re done right, they’re well worth it. The bone marrow procedure was a battle, but it was one I’d take on again for the gains in mobility and the chance to stay off the surgeon’s table.
For anyone considering regenerative treatments, just know that it might be a little (or a lot) uncomfortable - but it’s all about the bigger picture: getting back to full strength and mobility without invasive surgery.
John Welbourn is Founder/CEO of Power Athlete Inc and former NFL player. John was drafted with the 97th pick in 1999 NFL Draft and went on to be a starter for the Philadelphia Eagles from 1999-2003, appearing in 3 NFC Championship games, and started for the Kansas City Chiefs from 2004-2007. In 2008, he played with the New England Patriots until an injury ended his season early with him retiring in 2009. Over the course of his NFL career, John started over 100 games regular season games with 10 play-off appearances. He was a four-year letterman while playing football at the University of California at Berkeley. He graduated from the college of letters and sciences with a bachelor's degree in Rhetoric in 1998. And did his Masters work at the UC Berkeley School of Education in 1999. Since retiring from the NFL, John has worked extensively with the NFL, NHL, MLB, Olympic athletes, the US Army and Naval Special Warfare. He works as a consultant and advisor for several companies focused on improving human performance through training, nutrition and fitness-based technologies. John provides daily coaching and mentorship to over 5000 athletes around the world through his Power Athlete Coaches Network and training program delivery platform. Since in 2013, John has hosted a weekly podcast, Power Athlete Radio; a podcast dedicated to improving performance and connecting with some of the smartest people on the planet. With more than 700 episodes Power Athlete Radio has proven to be on the top podcasts in the strength and conditioning realm. John travels the world lecturing on performance and nutrition for Power Athlete and as a keynote speaker. John is a married father of three and resides in Austin, Texas. You can catch up with him at his personal blog, “Talk To Me Johnnie”, at Power Athlete or on social media @johnwelbourn.