Dr. Larry Balle is a sports medicine physician practicing at Houston Methodist in Houston, Texas.
Podcasts
Bone & Sports # 119Oct 20, 2026The TOUCH Procedure: An Innovative Approach in Hand Surgery
Today’s fifty-year-old deadlifts, plays pickleball, and does yoga. When pain starts at the base of her thumb and the X-ray looks normal, it is easy to call it tendinitis and miss early arthritis. On this episode of BackTable Bone & Sports, Dr. Larry Balle welcomes Dr. Jamie Alexander and Dr. Daniel Torres, orthopedic hand surgeons at Houston Methodist, to discuss how they diagnose and manage thumb carpometacarpal (CMC) osteoarthritis in active and younger patients. They explore why early disease often gets missed, which metabolic and inflammatory workups matter, and how a multidisciplinary team helps patients get the right care.
- Bone & Sports # 118Oct 13, 2026
Navigating Basketball Medicine: An Athletic Trainer's Perspective
When a college basketball player asks when he can go back in the game, the person making the call is rarely wearing a white coat. On this episode of BackTable Bone & Sports, Dr. Larry Balle welcomes Matt Townsend, ATC, head athletic trainer for Arkansas men’s basketball, for an inside look at basketball medicine from the training room. They walk through the basketball calendar, common injuries, and the return-to-play decisions that happen in real time, including movement screening, tendinopathy rehab, vitamin D supplementation, and the impact of name image and likeness (NIL) on athlete advocacy.
- Bone & Sports # 117Oct 6, 2026
Upper Extremity Rehab: Key Concepts & Techniques
Why is rehab for the overhead athlete so nuanced, and how much of the answer is hidden below the shoulder? On this episode of BackTable Bone & Sports, Dr. Larry Balle welcomes Corbin Hedt PT, DPT to explore upper extremity rehabilitation, fellowship training in sports physical therapy, and the evidence behind advanced throwing programs. Hedt breaks down the kinetic chain from the ground up, explains why only a few accredited fellowships exist for upper extremity athletes, and shares why modern rehab is all about proximal stability leading to distal performance.
- Bone & Sports # 116Sep 29, 2026
Understanding Cardiac Risks & Management in Sports Medicine
Which athletes actually carry the highest cardiac risk, and is the sideline ready to act? On this episode of BackTable Bone & Sports, Dr. Larry Balle welcomes Dr. Nick Larson, emergency medicine physician, to discuss cardiac risk, screening, and sideline response for athletes of all ages. They discuss which athletes are at highest risk, what preparticipation screening does (and does not) catch, and how a working relationship with cardiology and a strong emergency action plan can change outcomes.
- Bone & Sports # 115Sep 22, 2026
Understanding Platelet Poor Plasma in Orthobiologics
Could platelet poor plasma be the missing link in muscle injury recovery? On this episode of BackTable Bone & Sports, Dr. Larry Balle welcomes Dr. Ryan Kruse, a sports medicine physician at the University of Iowa and team physician for the Iowa Hawkeyes and US Soccer, to explain what platelet poor plasma actually contains and why it has become his primary treatment for acute muscle injury. They discuss how PPP differs from PRP, the challenges of defining the optimal dose, and the growing interest in exploring the bioactive components that make PPP worth keeping.
- Bone & Sports # 114Sep 15, 2026
Exploring Osteochondral Allografts for Knee Injuries
When does a knee cartilage defect need more than a clean-up, and how do you decide on the best repair? On this episode of BackTable Bone & Sports, Dr. Larry Balle welcomes orthopedic sports surgeon Dr. Sachin Allahabadi for a practical tour of cartilage restoration. Together they explain what articular cartilage is, why it rarely heals on its own, and how to distinguish focal chondral defects from diffuse arthritis. The discussion covers the full spectrum of treatment, from chondroplasty and microfracture to cell-based restoration, osteochondral autograft, and allograft transplantation.
- Bone & Sports # 113Sep 8, 2026
Overuse Injuries: Causes, Diagnosis & Management
Why do overuse injuries keep coming back even after the pain settles down? On this episode of BackTable Bone & Sports, Dr. Larry Balle welcomes Dr. Grant Ralston to define overuse injury as a load-related disorder, and to work through its causes, diagnosis, and management in both pediatric and adult athletes. They review common conditions like bone stress injuries, chronic tendinopathy, plantar fasciitis, and apophysitis, and discuss why year-round play, early sport specialization, social media, and name, image, and likeness (NIL) pressures are making these cases more frequent in clinic.
- Bone & Sports # 111Aug 25, 2026
Best Practices for Concussion Care
How do you navigate the evolving science and controversy of concussion care in athletes and beyond? On this episode of BackTable Bone & Sports, Dr. Larry Balle welcomes Dr. Ryan Stempniak to break down the fundamentals and emerging advances in concussion management. They define concussion pathophysiology, highlight why most injuries occur without loss of consciousness, and discuss delayed symptom onset that can complicate diagnosis and treatment.
- Bone & Sports # 110Aug 18, 2026
Understanding Joint Arthroplasty: Techniques & Advances
How have modern surgical techniques, pain management algorithms, and focus on rehabilitation transformed joint replacement outcomes? On this episode of BackTable Bone & Sports, Dr. Larry Balle welcomes Dr. William Bryan of Houston Methodist to share his insights from decades of experience in orthopedic surgery and sports medicine. Dr. Bryan reflects on his journey from mentorship under Dr. George Lane and Dr. Michael DeBakey to serving as team physician for the Houston Astros, emphasizing the importance of restoring normal function and keeping patients active.
- Bone & Sports # 109Aug 11, 2026
How Wet Bulb Globe Temperature Affects Athletes
What’s your game plan when heat illness strikes on the field? On this episode of BackTable Bone & Sports, Dr. Larry Balle welcomes sports medicine physician Dr. Irvin Sulapas to discuss how clinicians and athletic trainers can use wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT) and other tools to improve athlete safety. They highlight best practices for communication with coaches, modifying training protocols, and recognizing the full spectrum of heat-related illness from heat rash to syncope and exertional heat stroke.
- Bone & Sports # 108Aug 4, 2026
ACL Rehab: Protocols & Best Practices
Time is money, but when it comes to ACL rehabilitation, the calendar alone does not determine readiness for return to play. On this episode of BackTable Bone & Sport, host Dr. Larry Balle is joined by returning guest Dr. Andy Glidewell to discuss modern protocols for anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rehabilitation. They cover the ACL’s role in knee stability, common injury mechanisms, and why moving beyond timeline-based milestones is crucial for optimal recovery. Glidewell emphasizes that while surgery reconstructs the ligament, rehabilitation is what restores true knee function.
- Bone & Sports # 107Jul 28, 2026
Ergogenic Aids & Supplements: Sports Medicine Insights
Ergogenics: supplements NOT substitutes. On this episode of BackTable Bone & Sports, host Larry Balle joins Dr. Ryan Rhodes, a sports medicine physician and Army National Guard flight surgeon, in a discussion about ergogenic aids and supplements in athletic and military populations. They distinguish supplements from substitutes and define ergogenics broadly, noting limited evidence for popular peptides and the “bro science” culture. The doctors review historical and modern pharmacologic performance enhancers including anabolic steroids, selective androgen receptor modulators (SARMs), growth hormone and hormone replacement therapy (HRT).
- Bone & Sports # 105Jul 14, 2026
Exploring Whole Body MRI Screening in Athletes
Whole-body MRI is moving beyond diagnosis and into prevention, but is the technology ready and are clinicians prepared to interpret and act on what they find? On this episode of the BackTable Bone & Sport Podcast, host Dr. Larry Balle welcomes back physical therapist/athletic trainer, Dr. Andy Glidewell to dive into the controversy of whole-body MRI screening for athletes and fitness-focused patients. They discuss how imaging has evolved from simple diagnosis to clinical mapping for rehab and performance planning, drawing on experiences like the NFL Combine’s extensive MRI use, and examine both the clinical opportunities and the practical barriers to broader adoption.
- Bone & Sports # 103Jun 30, 2026
Sports Medicine & Lifestyle Medicine Intersections
Lifestyle medicine isn’t new; it’s medicine’s original prescription, and it might be the most effective way to start treating your patients’ musculoskeletal health. In this episode of BackTable Bone & Sports, Dr. Larry Balle welcomes Dr. Megan Ferderber to discuss how foundational habits like nutrition, exercise, sleep, stress management, social connection, and avoiding risky substances can transform joint and tendon outcomes.
- Bone & Sports # 102Jun 25, 2026
Understanding PRP & Orthobiologics for Musculoskeletal Medicine
Are you truly understanding PRP and orthobiologics, or just following the latest trends in musculoskeletal medicine? In this episode of BackTable Bone and Sports, host Dr. Larry Balle and guest Dr. Jason Epstein explore the realities of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and orthobiologics in non-operative musculoskeletal medicine. They highlight why successful outcomes start with honest patient counseling, clear definitions of the procedure, and addressing common misconceptions such as PRP being “stem cells.”
- Bone & Sports # 101May 19, 2026
Lateral Knee Extra-Articular Tenodesis (LET)
It’s comeback season! What’s bringing lateral extra-articular tenodesis (LET) back to the landscape of ACL surgery? In this episode of BackTable Bone & Sports, Dr. Larry Balle joins sports orthopedic surgeon and knee specialist Dr. Kyle Borque to discuss the resurgence of lateral extra-articular tenodesis (LET) as an adjunct to ACL repair and reconstruction. They explore LET’s origins as a solution for rotation instability in the era of open ACL surgery, and examine how modern arthroscopic techniques, patient selection, and surgical evidence have driven LET’s renewed relevance in today's practice.
- Bone & Sports # 100May 12, 2026
Return to Play Post Injury: Balancing Risk & Recovery
“The athlete’s job is to stay consistent with rehab and to be hungry to get back on the field. I think our job as a sports medicine team is to make sure that they’re safe and that they can perform.” In this episode of BackTable MSK, guest host and sports medicine physician Dr. Larry Balle joins physical therapist/athletic trainer Andy Glidewell to discuss how “return to play” is defined and why it is often misunderstood among athletes, coaches, physicians, and rehab teams.