How Regenerative Therapy Works to Alleviate Your Joint and Back Pain

Many Americans live with chronic joint or back pain, and many miss out on work or social activities because their pain is so intense that it limits their mobility. With so many factors that contribute to back and joint pain, finding an effective treatment can sometimes be a little tricky. But what if you could stimulate your body’s own natural ability to repair itself?

Sachida Manocha, MD, a leading interventional pain management specialist at Interventional Pain Center in Worthington and Newark, Ohio, offers a wide range of customizable treatments for joint pain and back pain, including regenerative therapy. 

Types of regenerative therapy

Regenerative therapy is an innovative area of medicine that focuses on stimulating your body’s ability to generate new cells and repair damaged or degenerated tissue. There are three main types of regenerative therapy:

Prolotherapy

Prolotherapy is a minimally invasive procedure that introduces an irritant ― such as a dextrose solution ― into your injured or damaged tissue. This might sound counterintuitive, but the irritant triggers your body’s healing response, which sends a flood of blood, oxygen, and other nutrients needed for tissue repair. 

Platelet-rich plasma therapy

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is a serum that’s made from a sample of your blood. Platelets are one of the solid components of your blood, and they’re rich in the growth factors and proteins that your body uses to repair itself. Dr. Manocha draws some of your blood and puts it in a centrifuge to separate the PRP from the rest of your blood’s components. Then he takes the PRP and injects it into your damaged tissue to stimulate healing. 

Stem cell therapy

Stem cells can turn into whatever type of cells your body needs, from skin cells to hair cells to bone and muscle cells. Dr. Manocha harvest them either from your own body or from an ethically sourced tissue donation. If Dr. Manocha uses your own stem cells, he uses a needle to extract the cells from the bone marrow in your pelvis or adipose tissue. He then injects the cells into your injured tissue to stimulate healing.

With all three procedures, Dr. Manocha uses state-of-the-art fluoroscopy X-ray technology to make sure he guides the needle to the correct location in your joint, spine, or soft tissue. He also provides a local anesthetic to help you stay comfortable during the injections. 

Regenerative therapy results

Regenerative therapy isn’t a quick fix, but it can provide long-lasting pain relief. The treatments can kickstart your body’s natural healing response, but you still need to allow time for the cellular repair to take place. Also, most patients have a series of regenerative medicine appointments to achieve the best possible outcome.

Everyone responds to regenerative therapies differently. You might begin to notice a reduction in your pain in a couple of weeks, or you might need more time to see the results. Do your best to stay patient with your body. If you have questions, Dr. Manocha will provide the information and resources you need. 

Is regenerative therapy right for you?

When it comes to pain management, there’s no single approach that works for every condition or every person. If you have chronic pain, arthritis, spine problems, or any other issue that’s interfering with your life, Dr. Manocha can help.

Dr. Manocha will give you a thorough examination to assess your condition and identify the best treatments, such as regenerative therapy, spinal cord stimulation, and medical marijuana. To start on the path to healing and pain relief, book an appointment online or over the phone with Interventional Pain Center today.