Finding effective pain management has always been a challenge, much to the frustration of patients and their doctors. But, breakthrough technology is changing things. Stem cell therapy and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy are harnessing the body’s innate healing ability to treat the causes of pain.
At Optimal Pain & Regenerative Medicine®, we’re excited to be on the leading edge of regenerative medicine. In this blog, we discuss stem cell and PRP therapies and how they may be able to help you.
Regenerative medicine basics
With PRP therapy, we draw a sample of your blood. We then extract the platelets — which are a critical component of your body’s healing system — and inject them into the area of your body that needs healing. With this infusion of platelets, your body will heal faster.
With stem cell therapy, we take some stem cells — usually from the bone marrow of your hip — with a needle. Then we inject them into the tissue that needs healing. Stem cells have the ability to divide into any cell needed for healing.
Revolutionizing pain management
We recommend regenerative medicine because it can safely relieve your pain by rebuilding tissues, accelerating and supporting healing, and regulating inflammation.
Rebuilding tissues
Every time you suffer an injury, you depend on adult stem cells to heal the problem. Stem cells have the remarkable ability to divide and create new cells. Then the new cells can develop into tissues for muscles, ligaments, tendons, cartilage, bone, blood vessels, and skin.
By building new, healthy tissues to replace damaged, inflamed tissues, pain relief can begin.
Accelerating healing
Platelets in your blood are responsible for activating the healing process when tissues are injured. They accomplish their job by releasing proteins. These proteins, called growth factors, help promote cellular growth.
Platelets contain a multitude of growth factors that target different facets of healing, from restoring the matrix that supports new cell growth to triggering cell division and tissue regeneration.
By flooding an injured area with platelets, you can supercharge the healing process.
Healing support
Some tissues may not heal well — or at all — because the blood supply to those areas may be low or nonexistent. A PRP injection can make up for the lack of blood and trigger healing in those tissues.
Injecting stem cells may also be helpful in older patients because the body’s ability to heal can degrade over time. Stem cell and PRP injections can also improve healing following surgery or after a severe injury.
Regulating inflammation
Inflammation is beneficial immediately after an injury. It clears away damaged and dead tissues and delivers nutrients, oxygen, platelets, and stem cells to the area to start repairing tissues. However, if the inflammation goes on too long, it can damage tissues and lead to pain.
Platelets and stem cells send out biochemicals that can regulate the inflammatory response.
To learn if regenerative medicine can help relieve your pain, book an appointment online or over the phone with Optimal Pain & Regenerative Medicine® today.