Regenerative Injection Benefits Overview
Regenerative medicine has burst onto the scene in recent years with great interest. People suffering in pain have been given hope once again that they can live pain-free without drugs or surgery. Many people are vaguely familiar with the term regenerative injection therapy or PRP but don’t actually know what it truly entails or what the benefits of this new treatment are. Let’s take a look at the top 10 regenerative injection benefits.
Pain Relief
First, and foremost, regenerative injections deliver pain relief in many cases for those suffering from back, knee, shoulder, elbow, foot, and joint pain. The pain relief from the orthobiologic injections can be much stronger than cortisone shots or hyaluronic acid shots, and can even provide more relief than surgery depending on the case.
Cost-Effective
Low price is another huge benefit. Many people are not only very apprehensive about going under the knife but also are concerned about the cost. The average price of knee replacement surgery in the US is $58,300 and that doesn’t even factor in pre-surgical care, imaging, and post-surgical rehabilitation. Orthobiologic treatments are 5% of that cost or less. The average hip replacement surgery in the US is $39,299 without rehab costs and follow-up care. Regenerative injections for hip pain cost approximately 6% of the replacement surgery. Finally, the cost of rotator cuff repair surgery in the US is $50,302 on average and that includes imaging and rehab expenses. Orthobiologic treatment to repair rotator cuff tears and arthritis are about 5% of the cost of surgery. When we compare regenerative orthopedic expenses vs the average US individual annual healthcare expenses required to meet their deductible for surgery, $8,210; we find that Orthobiologic treatments are roughly 70% more cost effective. These huge savings are only being compared on a yearly basis but when we factor in long term pain management care, patients will be saving tens of thousands of dollars.
Quick Recovery Time
Regenerative injections for joint pain take approximately 12 weeks to heal from depending the age, condition, and health of the person. After that time period, the body will still be healing but will be able to begin light at home rehab exercises. After replacement surgery, patients are looking at 3-6 months of recovery with intensive rehab and physical therapy. Some patients can take up to 12 months to fully recover depending on the surgery.
Safe
Safety is always a huge concern when undergoing any type of procedure. The regenerative injections have minor risks of infection and discomfort. To minimize these risks, doctors sterilize the area of the procedure and use local anesthetic along with pain medications to make the procedure as pain free as possible.
Non-Surgical
Orthobiologic treatments are non-surgical procedures that can be done in an outpatient setting. Patients do not need to be put under and the extraction is completed in less than 2 hours for most patients.
Healing of Connective Tissue
The strengthening and improvement of cartilage, tendons, and ligaments is an advanced breakthrough in orthopedics and has changed pain management as we know it. This unique feature is what provides the long term pain relief as the damaged or injured structure is improved thus reducing pain and ultimately increasing function.
Minimal Treatments
Almost all patients who have chronic joint pain have gone through years of treatments. It may have started with over the counter NSAIDs and gradually progressed to cortisone or hyaluronic acid injections. Some patients may have even been prescribed opioid medications when all other treatments have stopped providing relief. Other patients try chiropractic care or supplements in hopes of delaying the replacement surgery. The great thing about regenerative care is that patients do not need indefinite treatments in most cases. Patients may only need 1-3 treatments for long lasting relief generally speaking. Often times, this allows people to reduce or eliminate all pain medications and improve their overall health.
No Medications
Conventional pain management in the US is largely medication based. This is due to numerous factors and can expose the patient to long term side effects and decreased quality of life. By treating the underlying cause of the pain with regenerative injections, patients are often able to lower their medication load down or sometimes completely get off their pain medications entirely. Always work with your prescribing doctor on medication management and tapering for safety.
Increased Quality of Life
Many pain management doctors and primary care doctors can attest that patients in chronic pain slowly degenerate in their activities and quality of life. By the time people are recommended surgery, they are usually living sedentary lives and don’t feel like themselves anymore. The chronic pain has engulfed them and they feel like they are out of options. After, structural integrity of the joint is improved, patients began to slowly increase activities and return to previous hobbies and social activities they used to enjoy.
Natural
Regenerative injections are autologous meaning that the cells used are from your own body and are natural. There is no need to worry about tissue matching and rejections. These cells are simply taken and put back in where they are needed most for healing and pain relief.
Summary of Regenerative Injection Benefits
Living life in chronic pain can completely change who you are as a person and significantly decrease quality of life. There are non-surgical regenerative options available across the US that can help people avoid long term use of medications and surgery. Platelet Rich Plasma has quickly emerged as a highly effective option for musculoskeletal pain with numerous benefits. Always get a second opinion and research surgical outcomes before making the decision that is best for you and your family.
Stop Suffering and Live the Pain Free Life YOU intended Today!
These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are for educational purposes only. If you are interested in autologous stem cell therapy, we will happily connect you to local and trusted providers as we do not provide that service but are strong proponents of its potential.
