Take Time to Consider Regenerative Pain Relief Options
Photo by Samuel in AdobeStock
These times may have a silver lining for those that thought they need joint surgery. Even though numerous medical systems came to a screeching halt in the past few months, chronic pain persists. Many people that might have otherwise worked through their pain have been at home living with ever-present joint and back pain, as well as neck pain and its associated neurological symptoms.
Prior to the lockdown, some people were on the docket for joint surgery and others were receiving regular cortisone or other pain “management” injections. Having these options unavailable or increasingly difficult to qualify for may allow people to look for better alternatives to surgery, corticosteroids and other traditional options.
As is well documented in the medical literature, cortisone injections can provide short-term pain relief, but the trade-off is a faster breakdown of the joint. Basically, they accelerate the degenerative (arthritic) process and the likelihood of joint replacement surgery. For people looking to stay away from hospitals and anesthesia, this is a good time to look into regenerative medicine options like prolotherapy, including platelet-rich plasma and stem cell therapy.
These treatments are safely done in an outpatient setting and can break the degenerative cycle of corticosteroids and pain medications. They offer a more natural resolution of many of the most common joint pain conditions, including osteoarthritis and sports-related injuries, and eliminate the need for surgery, including joint replacement, labrum and meniscus removal, fusions, and ligament/tendon reconstructive surgeries.
David Woznica, M.D., is a board-certified PM&R and Sports Medicine physician at Caring Medical Regenerative Medicine Clinics, located at 715 Lake St., Ste. 600, in Oak Park. For more information, call 708-462-6377 or visit CaringMedical.com.
