David Crane, MD founded Bluetail Medical Group because he believes the human body can repair what conventional medicine often writes off as permanent damage. Board-certified in sports and emergency medicine, with over 20 years of clinical experience.
Schedule Consultation →I know what it feels like to try everything and still hurt. And I know what it feels like when the right biological intervention finally lets your body do what it's been trying to do all along.
My path to regenerative spine medicine wasn't linear. I trained in emergency medicine because I wanted to work under pressure, make fast decisions, and help people in acute distress. Those instincts never left me.
As I worked in emergency departments and transitioned into sports medicine, I began noticing the same pattern: patients with acute injuries healed. Bodies have intrinsic repair mechanisms. The question wasn't whether they could heal; it was how to optimize healing.
Over two decades, I shifted from simply managing symptoms to identifying the biological bottlenecks preventing recovery. That curiosity led me to regenerative medicine: PRP, prolotherapy, bone marrow and adipose-derived stem cell concentrate, and most recently, exosome therapy.
Learn more about our approach →Medical degree from the University of Missouri School of Medicine. Emergency Medicine residency at Maricopa Medical Center in Phoenix. Dual fellowships in Emergency Medicine and Primary Care Sports Medicine at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh.
Explore conditions we treat →Understanding the cellular biology is non-negotiable. Any practitioner can inject platelet-rich plasma. Not every practitioner understands what those platelets actually do: how they activate growth factor cascades, recruit stem cells, modulate inflammatory cytokines.
View our treatments →Exosomes represent the frontier of regenerative medicine. These extracellular vesicles carry bioactive molecules that modulate inflammation and promote tissue repair at the cellular level. We document what the research shows; no claims beyond the science.
Learn about our research →Dr. Crane's practice is grounded in formal training, active research, and a commitment to evidence-based regenerative medicine. Every certification below represents a commitment most practitioners don't make.
Two decades of hands-on patient care across emergency medicine, sports medicine, and regenerative spine treatment.
Primary Care Sports Medicine fellowship at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh.
Emergency Medicine residency at Maricopa Medical Center in Phoenix, Arizona.
Medical degree from the University of Missouri School of Medicine.
Teaching physicians nationally and internationally the science behind regenerative injection therapy.
Documenting clinical outcomes and contributing to the evidence base for next-generation regenerative biologics.
I don't just study regenerative medicine. I've lived it. After college, I developed chronic knee pain from an ice climbing fall that became a running injury I couldn't shake. For fourteen years, that knee dictated what I could and couldn't do.
I tried physical therapy for two years. It helped manage symptoms but never resolved the underlying problem. As a fellow in sports medicine, I underwent surgery for a cartilage injury. The surgery didn't help either.
What I finally learned was that I needed to turn the pain off before my body could begin the recovery process. And that's what changed everything. Pain isn't just a signal. It's a biological state that actively inhibits repair. Stem cell therapy finally turned the pain off and allowed me to recapture function.
That experience is the foundation of how I treat every patient who walks through our doors.
Too many spine patients receive band-aid solutions: injections that numb pain without addressing why the nerve is inflamed, or muscle relaxers that mask symptoms while atrophy worsens. Even surgery, when necessary, removes tissue without restoring the biological capacity of what remains.
We can't cut out pain. We have to address inflammation, biology, and the natural repair cycle.
The spine has three interdependent columns: anterior, facet/nerve, and posterior soft tissue. I evaluate all three to build a personalized treatment plan, not a one-size-fits-all injection protocol.
Pain isn't just a symptom to manage. It's a biological state that actively blocks healing. Interrupting the pain signal isn't palliative; it's therapeutic, and it's the first step toward real recovery.
This takes more time than a quick injection, and it requires a physician willing to understand your specific anatomy. It's how I practice.
Founded Crane Clinic Sports Medicine in 2005 and Bluetail Medical Group in 2008, with locations across Missouri, Wisconsin, and Indiana. Today I treat patients across the full lifespan, from student athletes to working adults to older patients who need comprehensive resourcing to reduce pain and restore independence.
Our LocationsMuch of what we know about musculoskeletal science comes from studying animals that repair themselves. The blue-tailed skink sheds its tail under threat and grows a new one. That capacity for self-repair isn't unique to lizards. We have it too. The name reflects a conviction: with the right resources, the human body can repair what conventional medicine often writes off.
What Makes Us DifferentWhen I'm not in the clinic, you'll find me skiing or mountain biking. I've always been drawn to sports that demand quick decisions, physical commitment, and respect for the terrain. Those instincts carry directly into clinical practice: the ability to read what's in front of you, adapt to what the body is telling you, and make precise decisions under uncertainty.
I'm married with two daughters and one son. My family keeps me grounded and reminds me that medicine is, ultimately, about helping real people maintain the life they want to live. It's not about diagnoses or imaging findings. It's about whether my patient can play with their children, get back to their sport, work without pain, or simply move through the day without limitation.
An overview of current evidence and clinical approaches for intradiscal biologic therapy in the treatment of disc degeneration.
Read more → EducationNational and international courses on regenerative therapeutics, emphasizing cellular biology, precision delivery, and evidence-based protocols.
Read more →Every patient contributes to our outcomes database: pain scores, functional disability, return-to-activity, and satisfaction.
Explore outcomes →Exosomes: extracellular vesicles that modulate inflammation and promote tissue repair at the cellular level.
Learn about exosomes →Outcomes from patients across the full lifespan: from student athletes to adults in their 80s.
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