In recent years, there have been tremendous advancements made in the field of medicine including new diagnostic and treatment modalities. These medical breakthroughs have created options for diseases, illnesses, and conditions that previously didn’t have any; however, some medical problems continue to plague the healthcare system. One example is chronic pain. For those who live with chronic pain, they often struggle to go to work, exercise, help out around the house, and even get out of bed in the mornings. This can create a tremendous drain on not only their quality of life but also the quality of life of their entire family. Now, there are new options available for chronic pain treatment.
Stem Cell Therapy for Chronic Pain
Research into stem cell therapy has provided a new treatment option for chronic pain. Many people have pain due to arthritis and cartilage degeneration. This creates a situation where bone is rubbing on bone, creating arthritic pain. For people with this type of pain, stem cells can be used to re-grow this cartilage and decrease arthritic pain. Other people may have neuropathic pain, or pain due to nerve irritation. Stem cells can be used to re-grow these nerves and correct the signals that create neuropathic pain.
Platelet-Rich-Plasma Therapy (PRP) for Chronic Pain
Many individuals with chronic pain suffer with this because of damage to their joints and soft tissue. As people age, they do not recover as quickly as they did during their younger years. Studies have demonstrated that platelet-rich-plasma (PRP) injections into these spaces can expedite the healing process and reduce pain. Platelets from someone’s own body help with wound healing and blood clotting, helping tissues recover. Instead of a major, invasive surgery, this inexpensive series of injections can help people with knee, shoulder, ankle, and spinal pain.
Prolotherapy for Chronic Pain Treatment
Prolotherapy is a relatively new treatment option for those with chronic pain. Prolotherapy is short for proliferation therapy, where the treatment goal is to grow back missing cells and tissues that could be leading to painful sensations. Using a thin needle, a substance is injected into a site where tissue is missing. This substance encourages missing tissue to grow back. Examples of possible missing tissues include ligaments, tendons, muscles, fascia, and even joint capsules. Studies have demonstrated that prolotherapy has been effective at relieving people’s chronic pain.
For many years, chronic pain has been treated with expensive, invasive surgery or opioid medications that have numerous side effects, including addiction. Now, research has developed new options for the treatment of chronic pain. These methods are often cheaper and come with fewer side effects. These options have given hope to many people who now have renewed faith that their symptoms might be alleviated.