Austin Ortho + Biologics: Kelly Cunningham, MD

08/03/2026

Outcomes of PRP and cell-based ("stem cell") treatment:

Watch Dr. Cunningham discuss the outcomes expected from his platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and cell-based ("stem cell") therapy treatments, using data collected from DataBiologics: https://youtu.be/7UoZF4RgIvU

Watch the full interview about OrthoBiologics here: https://youtu.be/ZZ7dVHE7xuE?si=tbKOs3Y9Huk6lCVD

To schedule a consultation with Dr. Cunningham, visit https://austinorthobio.com or call (512)-410-0767.

Kelly Cunningham, MD

Board-certified orthopedic surgeon offering expert consultation and treatment

-Pain & injuries of the knee, shoulder, and hip, including arthroscopic surgery

-Regenerative, non-surgical options

-Innovative biologic therapies including cell-based (“stem cell”) and PRP treatments

Trusted Regenerative Medicine Specialist & Orthopedic Surgeon & Sports Medicine Specialist serving Austin, TX. Contact us at 512-410-0767 or visit us at 3003 Bee Cave Road, Suite 200, Austin, TX 78746: Austin Ortho + Biologics

06/18/2026

Personal Attention to Your Joint Pain

After over 30 years of dedicated service to patients with knee, shoulder, hip and elbow pain, Dr. Kelly Cunningham and Austin OrthoBiologics continue to offer one-on-one consultation, treatment design and implementation of orthopedic and orthobiologic care to his patients. This may include cellular “Stem Cell“ therapy as well as platelet plasma PRP, as an adjunct to arthroscopic surgery or as a stand-alone in the clinic. Often, these treatments allow the delay or even avoidance of joint replacement for arthritis.

Having performed over 3000 treatments with a 94% excellent or good rating, Dr. Cunningham sees every patient at every visit, offering personalized service and treatment plans.

Attention to detail, including a complete history and detailed physical exam, and review of x-rays and MRI scans, are crucial to delivering successful care and allowing return to full, pain-free activity.

This is not a high volume practice; we schedule office days to leave plenty of time to ensure that each new and follow up visit leaves people satisfied, with no remaining questions, and with a full understanding of treatment, alternatives and results. That is our ethical pledge to you, the patient.

In an age of "drive-through" medicine, we value quality time over quantity. This is the key to over 10 years of clinical success at Austin OrthoBiologics.

Kelly Cunningham, MD

Board-certified orthopedic surgeon offering expert consultation and treatment
-Pain & injuries of the knee, shoulder, and hip, including arthroscopic surgery
-Regenerative, non-surgical options
-Innovative biologic therapies including cell-based (“stem cell”) and PRP treatments

austinorthobio.com
(512)-410-0767

05/11/2026

Thoughts on Regenerative and Wellness Medicine

I recently passed on a medical directorship of a longevity/wellness project involving, among other things, non-FDA-approved peptides.
The disconnect between clinical efficacy studies and patient usage, while overlooked by lots of well-meaning physicians, is too high a bar for me at this time.

Unlike biological treatments such as PRP and cellular/“Stem Cell“ therapy, well supported by numerous studies in the medical literature, scientific validity is just not there yet for these substances. Considering the possibility of being perhaps one adverse event away from a problem, “research use only” is not adequate justification for bearing the ultimate responsibility of their usage in clinical practice, despite a perceived track record of safety and obvious patient demand.

Until the FDA provides more clear guidelines, this increasingly busy corner of medicine will not be allowed to “rent” my medical license to prescribe.

Will someone out there, with a presumed long list of successful patient outcomes, please publish something of substance!
That time should come.… until then; watch, wait & learn, with an assist to patients trying to navigate the peptide space.

Kelly Cunningham, MD
Board-certified orthopedic surgeon offering expert consultation and treatment
-Sports injuries of the knee, shoulder, and hip, including arthroscopic surgery
-Regenerative, non-surgical options for early arthritis
-Innovative biologic therapies including cell-based (“stem cell”) and PRP treatments
austinorthobio.com
(512)-410-0767

03/23/2026

Non-surgical shoulder treatments with PRP / “Stem Cell“ - a Two-Year Study Update

Using the Databiologics.com metrics, we have followed over 100 of our Austin OrthoBiologics shoulder PRP and BMC (“stem cell”) injection patients for up to two years, and compared it to 3600 patients from similar clinics in the US and Canada.

Using a pain rating score 0–10 and the “QuickDash“ upper extremity activity rating score, we see marked improvement in both parameters for up to 24 months.

Notice an uptick in both measures at around three months (although still considerably better than pre-treatment), which we attribute to:
– resumption of “normal” activities, in a very athletic population
– completion of physical therapy, and “regaining their footing“ in those activities between 3-6 months.
followed by resumed improvement for another 18 months, to levels even better than the national baseline.

Compare that to the limited 3-6 month improvement often seen with steroid injection…

This graphic illustrates significant improvement in both pain and function levels for a variety of shoulder conditions, including partial rotator cuff and labral tears, biceps tendinitis & early arthritis with the utilization of office injection of orthobiologics.

All without the need for surgery!

Kelly Cunningham, MD
Austin OrthoBiologics
Board-certified orthopedic surgeon offering expert consultation and treatment
-Sports injuries of the knee, shoulder, and hip, including arthroscopic surgery
-Regenerative, non-surgical options for early arthritis
-Innovative biologic therapies including cell-based (“stem cell”) and PRP treatments
austinorthobio.com
(512)-410-0767

01/22/2026

Hitting the slopes this season? Keep in mind these tips to prevent injuries on the slopes:

As a 15-year US Olympic Men’s Ski Team physician and orthopedist, every year during the winter months I treat many ski & snowboard injuries. As traveling doctor for the team, I accompanied the athletes throughout the US, Canada and Europe on the World Cup tour and was responsible for the triage, stabilization, and treatment of these world-class skiers. One of the most frequent questions I get this time of year from my patients who ski is, “How can I avoid hurting myself on the ski slopes?” So, what do I tell recreational skiers about staying healthy while on the slopes?

First and foremost, adjust to the altitude in your first few days. While there are medications that will improve your blood oxygen, they require a prescription and can have side affects. Perhaps the easiest to take along are low-dose aspirin, ginko biloba or Humann Superbeets chews and are safe (unless allergic) and easy to ingest.

Low-level exercise and lots of water (especially during the first night) are also key, as is abstinence from alcohol during the first 24 hours at altitude. Modern skis, boots, and bindings are universally safe now, unlike in decades past. Multi-release bindings help you come out of your skis safely in a fall and with less stress on your knees, the most commonly injured joint in a skier. Make sure they are set correctly. Speaking of knees, in most solid, intermediate skiers, unlike beginners (learning to stop) and racers (ACL injury from shear forces), serious knee injuries are actually quite rare.

The best way to protect yourself from ski injury is:
· get in good “ski-shape”
· ski within your limits
· stay relaxed but focused
· watch out for that last, fatigued run of the afternoon
· if you fall, fall forward and throw your hands in front of you
· if an injury happens, we are available for same- & next-day appointments and have for years worked closely with ski resort physicians to coordinate care.

And always, always, wear a helmet!

Kelly Cunningham, MD
Austin OrthoBiologics
Board-certified orthopedic surgeon offering expert consultation and treatment
-Sports injuries of the knee, shoulder, and hip, including arthroscopic surgery
-Regenerative, non-surgical options for early arthritis
-Innovative biologic therapies including cell-based (“stem cell”) and PRP treatments
austinorthobio.com
(512)-410-0767

11/03/2025

Using the DataBiologics platform, two year follow-up numbers are available - and the results are impressive!

Previous data review has shown good pain relief and improved activity from PRP and cellular therapy/“Stem Cell“ biologic treatment, with patients counseled that results may last for up to a year.
But now…
Compared to 8000 US and Canadian knee patients with similar treatments, our 125 study patients experienced CONTINUED IMPROVEMENT BETWEEN ONE AND TWO YEARS after treatment, which generally required only ONE INJECTION.

Notice the “shape of the curve” on the included graphs; BLUE line is ours.
This improvement was noted in both pain reduction and activity level, the latter as measured by KOOS.
[KOOS is a knee injury and osteoarthritis outcome score to evaluate pain and stiffness with functional “activities of daily living” and is a patient-reported measure.]
We had a 2/3 response rate over the two years of our questionnaire, and are pleased to share these consistent results.

After TEN YEARS of success in helping patients with their pain and function, let us evaluate your knee, shoulder, hip or elbow pain and find an answer that may delay or even avoid major surgery or joint replacement.

Kelly Cunningham, MD
Austin OrthoBiologics
Board-certified orthopedic surgeon offering expert consultation and treatment
-Sports injuries of the knee, shoulder, and hip, including arthroscopic surgery
-Regenerative, non-surgical options for early arthritis
-Innovative biologic therapies including cell-based (“stem cell”) and PRP treatments

austinorthobio.com
(512)-410-0767

09/23/2025

Thanks to DataBiologics for featuring my work in regenerative medicine! It's been rewarding to see how these innovations can improve patient outcomes and quality of life, and their commitment to tracking these outcomes is a big part of helping us drive better recoveries and stronger results for patients.

Read the full article here:
https://www.databiologics.com/blogs/kelly-cunningham-texas

Kelly Cunningham, MD
Board-certified orthopedic surgeon
Austin OrthoBiologics
austinorthobio.com
(512)-410-0767

Expert, board-certified orthopedic surgery consultation and treatment in:
-Sports medicine: knee, shoulder, and hip injuries
-Regenerative medicine, non-surgical treatment options for early arthritis
-Cell-based "stem cell" & PRP modalities, surgery & in-office applications

Dr. Kelly Cunningham uses DataBiologics to validate his orthobiologic protocols with real-world outcomes. By benchmarking against national data, he shows faster pain relief, longer-lasting results, and fewer repeat treatments—helping position biologics as a reliable alternative to surgery and conv...

08/25/2025

Can I avoid surgery with Biologics?
Dr. Kelly Cunningham, a board-certified orthopedic surgeon based in Austin, TX, discusses the usages of surgical treatments with biologics. Dr. Cunningham specializes in OrthoBiologics, natural treatments that harvest the pain-relieving cells and products of your own body to provide pain relief and improve activity.

Watch the full interview about OrthoBiologics here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZ7dVHE7xuE&t=0s

To schedule a consultation with Dr. Cunningham, visit https://austinorthobio.com or call (512)-410-0767.

07/21/2025

Can PRP or cell-based ("stem cell") therapy help shoulder pain?
Watch Dr. Cunningham discuss shoulder conditions and treatments in detail. Dr. Cunningham specializes in OrthoBiologics, natural treatments that harvest the pain-relieving cells and products of your own body to provide pain relief and improve activity.

Watch the full interview about OrthoBiologics here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZ7dVHE7xuE&t=0s

Kelly Cunningham, MD
Board-certified orthopedic surgeon
Austin OrthoBiologics
austinorthobio.com
(512)-410-0767

Expert, board-certified orthopedic surgery consultation and treatment in:
-Sports medicine: knee, shoulder, and hip injuries
-Regenerative medicine, non-surgical treatment options for early arthritis
-Cell-based "stem cell" & PRP modalities, surgery & in-office applications

06/23/2025

I am honored to be recognized as a Top Performer by DataBiologics. This award is presented to providers who have demonstrated the greatest performance outcomes in blood-derived orthobiologics, such as platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and cell-based ("stem cell") therapies. I am grateful to be recognized among such a top-flight group of orthobiologic clinicians


Kelly Cunningham, MD
Board-certified orthopedic surgeon
Austin OrthoBiologics
austinorthobio.com
(512)-410-0767

Expert, board-certified orthopedic surgery consultation and treatment in:
-Sports medicine: knee, shoulder, and hip injuries
-Regenerative medicine, non-surgical treatment options for early arthritis
-Cell-based "stem cell" & PRP modalities, surgery & in-office applications