Digital Misinformation in Musculoskeletal Care: Evaluating the Educational Quality of TikTok Videos on Orthobiologic Stem Cell Therapy

Background and/or Objectives: As interest in orthobiologic interventions like stem cell injections grows within the public domain, patients increasingly seek information from social media platforms such as TikTok. These short-form videos often prioritize engagement over scientific accuracy, posing a risk of spreading misinformation and promoting unsafe treatment recommendations. For physiatrists—who routinely counsel patients on conservative and interventional treatments for musculoskeletal conditions—understanding the credibility of this digital content is essential to guiding informed decision-making and safeguarding patient outcomes.

Design: Cross-sectional content analysis of TikTok videos using validated health information scoring systems.

Setting : Public TikTok videos

Participants : 201 videos were included from an initial sample of 363, after excluding irrelevant and duplicate content. Video creators were categorized as private users, product-affiliated accounts, surgeons, non-surgical physicians, and other healthcare providers.

Interventions: NA

Main Outcome Measures: Video quality was assessed using DISCERN, mod-DISCERN, JAMA Benchmark Criteria, and the Global Quality Score (GQS). Additional data included video content type, duration, audio style, and user engagement metrics.

Results: Patient-experience accounted for the largest share of video content (47.3%). Although the average quality-index scores of TikTok videos were very low, content produced by healthcare providers was substantially higher, with videos from surgeons scoring highest across all quality measures (p < 0.01). Educational and pathophysiology-focused content consistently outperformed patient testimonials. Voiceover narration and longer video durations were associated with higher quality-index scores. Notably, higher JAMA scores positively correlated with user likes and saves, suggesting that audiences may prefer higher-quality content when available.

Conclusions: The vast majority of TikTok content on stem cell therapy lacks clarity, nuance, and risks misinforming patients. However, higher-quality videos—especially those by healthcare providers—garner greater engagement. Physiatrists are well positioned to counter misinformation by developing accessible, evidence-based content on orthobiologic interventions to support patient education and uphold standards in musculoskeletal and sports medicine.