Regenerative Medicine utilizes non-opioid and non-steroidal techniques to provide patients with pain relief while also stimulating the body’s innate ability to heal. Rather than suppressing the pain temporarily with a medication, the goal is to regenerate the areas that have been injured or deteriorated over time. This typically involves a series of regenerative injection therapies including prolotherapy, neural prolotherapy, Prolozone™, platelet rich plasma (PRP), biological allograft or stem cells.
By addressing and treating the underlying cause of pain, healthy tissue is restored so longevity of the joint(s) may be prolonged. Regenerative injection therapy is often effective in prevention of orthopedic surgery, especially if deterioration is caught early. One of its greatest advantages is that the patient can resume the activities they enjoy in significantly less time. There is very little “down time” with these therapies; movement is typically encouraged to improve circulation and promote optimal healing.
Conditions that can be treated include but are not limited to: neck pain and injury, shoulder pain (arthritis and rotator cuff tears), Tennis and Golfer’s Elbow, osteoarthritis of the wrist and hand, hip pain (arthritis, bursitis, labral tear), low back and SI joint pain, knee pain (arthritis, meniscus tears, ACL, LCL, and MCL injury), ankle sprains, Achilles tendonitis, and other tendon or ligament injuries.
The two most commonly used regenerative injection therapies are prolotherapy and platelet rich plasma (PRP). Prolotherapy involves the injection of a dextrose solution to cause local inflammation that will stimulate the body’s natural healing process. PRP is a process in which the patient’s concentrated blood platelets are re-introduced into injured soft tissue, tendons, ligaments, or joints with chronic deterioration. The process requires a small blood sample that is spun in a centrifuge to concentrate the platelets. This concentrated PRP contains numerous growth and healing factors that are then injected into an injured or arthritic joint to initiate the body’s natural repair processes. Additionally, PRP attracts the body’s own stem cells to further promote repair and rebuilding of damaged tissue. If more aggressive therapy is required, the patient may be evaluated for a biological allograft or stem cell treatment.
The type of injection therapy and number of treatments is dependent upon the injury location and degree of severity. Some patients experience pain relief and increased range of motion of the affected joint(s) immediately. Each person will respond to treatment differently, but most require 2-4 treatments to see the maximum benefit. A follow-up appointment is scheduled about 4 weeks after initial treatment so the doctor may re-assess and determine the need for further treatment.
If you have questions or would like more information, please contact Innate Wellness & Medical Center at (928)776-1600 or visit our website at www.innatewellnessaz.com.
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Innate Wellness