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Dr. Warren G. Kramer III, MD on the Frequency Podcast by Phi

Lessons on Healing from 35 Years of Orthopedic Surgery

Dr. Warren G. Kramer III, MD

50 mins • June 9, 2026

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Episode Notes →

How does the body actually heal? Dr. Warren G. Kramer III has spent 35 years answering that question, repairing pro surfers, skaters, and motocross athletes, and what he's learned will change how you think about recovery, aging, and nutrition.

In the first episode of Frequency, the podcast by Phi, founder Kirk Ouimet sits down with one of the most respected names in action sports medicine. The conversation moves from the operating room to the dinner table: why complete rest and icing can slow you down, how platelet-rich plasma restarts healing the body forgot to begin, why your muscles protect your bones as much as calcium does, and the nutrients your skeleton can't do without.

It's a masterclass in how the human body repairs itself, and what we can do to help it.

About Dr. Warren G. Kramer III, MD

Orthopedic surgeon in Newport Beach, California, and a cornerstone of action sports medicine. He serves on USA Surfing's High Performance Committee and has led medical care for the World Surf League for decades. Board certified in orthopedic surgery and sports medicine, trained at UCLA and Harbor-UCLA with an international fellowship across Sweden, Norway, Germany, France, Italy, and England, he has performed close to 3,500 hip arthroscopies, and he's still an avid surfer, volleyball player, and skier himself.

Chapters

  • 0:00 Welcome from Dana Point
  • 0:43 A gift: the history of surfing
  • 1:05 What is orthopedics, really?
  • 2:06 Why joints, not bones, define how we move
  • 4:16 Growing up watching surgeries at birthday parties
  • 6:40 35 years in: the shotgun-wound elbow he rebuilt
  • 9:13 How orthopedics changed: from 14-day stays to walking out the same day
  • 11:07 The RICE myth: the doctor who apologized for "rest and ice"
  • 12:31 Why icing an injury can backfire
  • 13:16 PRP and stem cells: six months of healing in one shot
  • 17:35 Fascia: the "yoga pants inside your body"
  • 19:42 Yoga, Pilates, and Tai Chi for longevity
  • 23:23 What actually happens when a bone heals
  • 26:40 Calcium, K2, and why D3 alone isn't enough
  • 29:43 Muscle is the bodyguard of your bones
  • 32:42 His 96-year-old mother's recipe for aging well
  • 38:55 Omega-3s, mercury, and the future of Stack
  • 42:29 Why absorption, and the form of a nutrient, matters
  • 44:43 Dr. Kramer's honest take on Stack
  • 47:08 "You can't build a strong house out of soft bricks"
  • 48:54 The giveaway and sign-off

Links

About Frequency

Frequency is the podcast by Phi. Phi's mission is to increase the human healthspan.