What if I were to tell you that there is a minimally invasive injection therapy that stimulates the body’s natural healing process to repair and strengthen ligaments and tendons that have been damaged from overuse or injury? That this same injection therapy helps to regenerate the connective tissue elements of the joint, increasing joint stability and therefore decreasing pain.
Often described as “anti-aging medicine for the joints,” regenerative injection therapies restore tissue health and function, encourage the deposit of new, better organized collagen, and promote new growth in the location/s where you need it to regrow it.
There are three therapeutic categories that fall under the umbrella term of regenerative injections.
- Prolotherapy
- Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) Therapy
- Stem cell therapy
Each one of these categories deserves their own article, but for brevity’s sake I will highlight some key takeaways. The two therapies offered at Natura are Prolotherapy and Platelet-Rich Plasma Injections (PRP). Stem cell therapy has its place, but the cost and the sourcing of the stem cells is often prohibitive for most individuals.
Prolotherapy is an injection therapy that promotes healing of damaged, inflamed and painful joints by promoting “stem-cell migration.” This is what tells the immune system to focus on, and heal, injured tissue.
Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP)
PRP acts similarly to prolotherapy but uses a concentrated components of your own blood (platelets and other growth factors) that are ‘stem-cell-like,’ delivering this fibrin matrix to the area of injury to regenerate. “You, healing you.”
How it Works
A biological solution is injected into the damaged area. The needling technique and the delivery of the biologic solution stimulates a mild inflammatory response, which triggers the body’s natural healing cascade. This encourages the deposit of new, better-organized collagen, the material that makes up ligaments and tendons. As a result, ligaments and tendons are strengthened; joints are better stabilized; pain subsides, range of motion returns, and cartilage degeneration slows down.
Prolotherapy involves injections of a mildly irritating solution into the painful area. The irritant, usually a dextrose (sugar)-based solution, triggers the body’s natural healing, resulting in joint tissue repair.
Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) Platelets play a role in initiating and accelerating tissue repair and regeneration. Specifically, bioactive growth and signaling proteins in the platelets cause new collagen to be deposited. Once deposited, new collagen shrinks as it matures, tightening and strengthening ligaments and tendons at the injection site. In PRP therapy, a concentrated solution of the patient’s own platelets is injected into the area of pain or injury, delivering a powerful cocktail of growth factors, encouraging cartilage regeneration and ultimately relieves pain and related dysfunction.
What it Addresses
Regenerative injections are an effective treatment for all manners of acute and chronic pain from sports injuries to osteoarthritis. Here is a partial list:
- Back pain
- Knee pain
- Shoulder pain
- Hip pain
- TMJ
- Neck pain
- Osteoarthritis/DJD
- Meniscus tear
- Rotator cuff
- Ligament sprains
- Tendinitis
- Tennis/Golfer elbow
- Achilles pain
- Chronic bursitis
- Joint instability
What to Expect
80-90% of patients have received good to excellent results when assessing their pain relief and improved function, and treatment has been shown to have lasting results. Most people require one to three treatments spaced at least 4-6 weeks apart. Initial improvement is usually seen within a couple of weeks.
In research studies and clinical practice, treatment has been shown to have lasting results. Initial improvement is usually seen within a few weeks, with patients gradually returning to normal function. Ultrasound and MRI images show definitive tissue repair after PRP therapy, confirming the healing process. The need for surgery can be greatly reduced by treating injured tissues with Prolo/PRP therapy before irreversible damage occurs.
Why have I not heard of this therapy?
Well, an obvious answer is that since this does not involve any FDA-regulated pharmaceutical or surgical device, there is very little incentive for our standard medical model to adopt it. And as such, private insurance companies do not cover this service.
The truth is regenerative injection therapies have been utilized for decades, and incorporated into various realms of medicine from dental to cardiac surgeries to esthetic medicine. In the 90’s Prolo/PRP was introduced into the sports medicine world and popularized by elite athletes. The appeal of a non-surgical therapy to restore function and reduce pain– quickly and effectively – allowing one to get back in the game.
Am I a candidate for this therapy?
For patients with chronic and acute pain, as well as athletes with sports injuries, regenerative injection therapy can be a good alternative to surgery, arthroscopy, cortisone shots, and the chronic use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories and narcotic pain medications. If you are uncertain about these therapies or have additional questions, I would encourage you to call the clinic and schedule a 15-minute complimentary consultation with me to discuss whether or not you would be a good candidate for this therapy.
Interested in Regenerative Injection Therapy for yourself? Call Natura’s front desk for scheduling, at 406-317-1965.
For more information on Dr. Brayko, click here.