Joint pain affects millions of adults every year, whether through age-related conditions like arthritis or acute injuries from playing sports. It is one of the most common problems, and it can occur in children, young adults, and older people. Fortunately, you don’t have to suffer from this painful issue indefinitely. At Dr. Rogers Centers in San Antonio, TX, we offer different types of treatments that can relieve your pain within a few days or weeks.
How Can I Relieve Joint Pain?
Pain in one or more joints is a very common reason why our patients come to see us, and we have several different regenerative medicine solutions for you. This is a new and exciting field of study where we use stem cells and your own body’s healing mechanisms to renew and regenerate your joints’ tissues. In many cases, we can create the solution from your own cells, but sometimes, substances from cell donors are used.
Here at Dr. Rogers Centers, we use four types of treatment: platelet-rich plasma injections, microfat, amniotic fluid, and exosomes. While they have certain similarities, they all produce slightly different results and may be appropriate for different patients. Let’s now explore the four different treatments and how we administer them.
Platelet-Rich Plasma
The PRP injection is maybe the most well-known regenerative medicine technique out there, with many professional athletes making use of it to get back to their sport after an injury. It involves injecting certain components of your own blood, called platelets, into the treatment area to promote the growth of new and healthy cells. Platelets are growth factors that are usually first to arrive at the site of a cut or scrape and promote blood clotting.
However, they also release chemicals that help your tissues to regenerate by creating new cells. This function is harnessed during PRP therapy. We spin your blood in a centrifuge, so the platelets and plasma are separated from the larger cells, and then we inject the resulting solution into your injured joint. As a consequence, the area will be healed, just like a cut or scrape starts to heal underneath the scab.
Microfat
Microfat, also called Micro-Fragmented Adipose Tissue, is a solution of Lipoaspirate that contains around 2 million stem cells. When injected into your treatment area, these stem cells will be encouraged to differentiate and grow into the tissues that are needed. As with PRP, the substance is made from your own body. It is extracted, most commonly from the flank area, and then specialized equipment is used to emulsify it.
After the fat has been injected into your painful joint, we use PRP to encourage the new cells to grow. You will usually start to feel a difference after 2-3 days, and after a month, your results may already be finalized. Here at Dr. Rogers Centers, we often use this process for persistent knee and shoulder pain.
Amniotic
Amniotic fluid is the clear, yellow liquid found in pregnant women. It’s crucial for the baby’s development because it contains a lot of growth factors and cytokines which replace, repair, and regenerate tissues. When you have an injury such as osteoarthritis, bursitis, tendonitis, fasciitis, or general pain in the joints, the same substance can be used to stimulate your body’s repair mechanism and encourage your soft tissues to heal themselves.
The fluid is obtained from pregnant women who donate their placentas, so there is no ethical concern associated with this treatment. In a lab, the proteins and growth factors are then extracted from the placenta and concentrated. Although the fluid used in this treatment doesn’t come from your own body, an immune reaction is very unlikely. This is because there are no cells in the liquid, only proteins and growth factors.
Exosomes
Exosomes are extracellular vesicles, which are small bubbles produced by stem cells. They carry information around the body, for example a wide range of growth factors that stimulate the production of new cells. Our exosomes come from human mesenchymal stem cells that have been donated, and as with amniotic fluid, there is very little risk of rejection.
The big advantage of using exosomes is that they stimulate your own body’s cell regeneration, and you’re not using stem cells from another tissue or another person. Instead, only the messengers are injected. While exosomes are often injected directly into the treatment site, they can also be applied through a process called microneedling. This involves creating tiny punctures in the skin that stimulate wound healing and act as channels for the exosomes.
Why Are My Joints Painful?
If you’re suffering from consistent joint pain, you may wonder why this is the case and whether you can ever live a completely pain-free life again. There are many different reasons why your pain occurs, but some of the most common ones are conditions that develop with age and acute or chronic injuries from sports activities.
Age-Related Factors
Severe pain in your joints can result from arthritis, which is most often seen in older people. While there is a genetic component to the disease, it starts to affect most people after the age of 50. The condition can make your joints feel stiff, achy, and swollen. In fact, more than a quarter of people suffering from arthritis report that they have significant pain in one or more joints.
Because many people are still of working age when they first develop arthritis, it’s important that you get treatment for this condition. According to the CDC, 8 million Americans have trouble doing their job because of concerns related to their arthritic joints. If your daily life is significantly affected, you should contact us to set up a consultation. We will be able to offer you long-lasting pain relief and the chance to get back to the activities you used to love.
Sports and Other Injuries
The second group of people who often come to our clinic with painful joints is that of active adults who have contracted a sports injury. Sometimes, this is an acute condition, but at other times, it builds up gradually due to overuse. We also get patients who have an old injury that healed in the past, but is flaring up again as they grow older.
Unlike arthritis, sports injuries often don’t affect multiple joints, especially if they are acute. In such cases, treatment will be even quicker. By making use of your own body’s healing mechanisms, you could be back on the playing field in no time.
Which Treatment Is Right for Me?
All of our treatments can work wonders for someone suffering from painful or achy joints. However, they won’t all be appropriate for everyone. When you first get in touch with us about your condition, we will invite you to a consultation with one of our expert practitioners. At that time, we can discuss why you are suffering from joint problems, whether you’ve attempted regenerative medicine before, and what results you are hoping for.
When making our decision, we consider your general health condition, the type and severity of your injury, and your age. However, we will also take your personal preference into consideration, so if you already know which treatment you’d prefer, you can let us know.
Get Rid of Your Pain and Resume Your Favorite Activities Now
If you’re suffering from joint pain, you may wonder whether you can ever get back to normal and enjoy your favorite sports and recreational activities again. Fortunately, there are several different types of regenerative medicine that can help to eliminate your pain. By using platelet-rich plasma, microfat, amniotic fluid, or exosomes, we can encourage your body to rejuvenate itself and eliminate your condition.
To get started, contact Dr. Rogers Centers in San Antonio, TX, and book your initial consultation with us. We can answer your questions, give you more details about each of our innovative treatments, and choose the right fit for you.
