Pain Relieving Injections
There are many treatment options for pain relief. Given the vast array of back and neck pain issues there are, this of course is a good thing. At Back & Body Pain Relief we offer many treatment options for patients and the reason being is because there is no “one size fits all” solution. Every patient is different and each case is different. What may work for one may not work for another. Pain relieving injections are one such treatment option. These injections are traditionally used to alleviate symptoms but some research has shown that they may actually stimulate inflammation. As mentioned above, some treatments work fine on some people, while not others and no treatment will ever be perfect, injections are no exception.
Let’s take a look at a couple of injection options and look at their pros and cons.
Corticosteroids
The aim of corticosteroids is to minimize pain. They effectively reduce the number of inflammatory cells and mediators to reduce inflammation and thus pain.
Pros
- Reduce inflammatory cells and mediators
- Reduce inflammation and consequently pain
Cons
- Collagen repair is inhibited and thus increases the rate of joint degeneration.
- Potential risk of fracture or bone loss.
- Overused in certain pain symptoms such as tendinosis.
- Decrease glycosaminoglycan syntheses and increase protein catabolism. This has the effect of slowing the healing process.
- Really not ideal for long term use.
Orthobiologic Regeneratives
Regenerative treatment options such as PRP are used to target the affected area of pain or injury with the goal of treating the condition rather than the symptoms. They use the patient’s blood (in the case of PRP) or a platelet product which is then injected into the afflicted area in order to improve healing, replace damaged cells and help restore proper function.
Pros
- Introduce blood and platelet to affected areas to promote improved healing and function.
- It helps to stimulate at cellular level and increase growth factors, repair damaged tissue cells and replace them.
- Triggers repair process of the actual problem, rather than merely masking it for a more permanent solution.
Cons
- At present, regenerative treatments are not covered by most insurers.
- Condition specific protocols are currently minimal.
Again, while no treatment is perfect and each individual case is different, we are a collaborative care practice. This means we have fully trained doctors and therapists operating for each treatment option. Moreover, we always come together to discuss patient cases and to develop an appropriate care plan based on that patient’s needs. Our collaborative approach means that we utilize our knowledge, experience and evidence based protocols to help patients out of pain.
While pain relieving injections or regenerative treatments may be an option for patients, we do use other conservative methods such as chiropractic or physical therapy before we look at regenerative medicine as an option due to them not being covered by insurance at present.
If you’re in pain right now, if you don’t have to be. Give us a call or schedule an appointment online. We also accept insurance for the majority of treatment options we have available. You can Schedule an appointment here.
