GET RELIEF FROM INTRADISCAL PRP INJECTIONS FOR BACK PAIN
If you’re one of the estimated 25% of Americans who suffer from chronic low back pain, you know how disruptive it can be to your everyday life. Back pain can profoundly affect the way you live, move, and work – making it almost impossible to enjoy the things you love. Back pain can impact your mood, ability to concentrate, and even your close relationships!
But what causes lumbar back pain?
Your back pain may be discogenic in nature, meaning your pain comes from the discs in your lower back sitting between your vertebrae.
Since your intervertebral discs don’t have access to an adequate blood supply, they don’t heal very quickly and are vulnerable to degeneration and damage. When the discs become damaged, chronic inflammation and subsequent low back pain can occur. But there are options to treat your chronic low back pain, including PRP injections.
WHAT IS AN INTRADISCAL PRP INJECTION?
An intradiscal PRP injection is a natural way to heal damaged discs in your spine using your own plasma. Let’s break down some of this vocab:
Intradiscal = An injection given in a disc in your back, so this refers to the injection location.
PRP = Platelet-rich plasma; this refers to what’s being injected.
Platelet-rich plasma, or PRP, is plasma that contains high levels of concentrated platelets and growth factors.
Your blood is made up of four components: red blood cells, white blood cells, plasma, and platelets. Plasma is the liquid portion of your blood. Platelets are small, colorless blood cells that are involved in clotting and wound healing.
So, a PRP injection is exactly what it sounds like – it’s an injection that contains plasma that’s chock-full of platelets. PRP is made from your own blood, which is then injected back into the area that needs the therapy.
HOW DO INTRADISCAL PRP INJECTIONS RELIEVE PAIN?
PRP injections are used for a variety of musculoskeletal conditions, including lumbar degenerative disc disease.
When platelets are concentrated in a damaged area, they signal your body to begin repairing the damaged tissue and stimulate new cell growth. So, PRP injections reduce pain and promote healing within your body by stimulating its innate ability to repair itself.
Patients can expect to feel relief from their symptoms as early as a few weeks, but it could take up to 3-6 months to experience the full pain-relieving benefits.
You may need more than one PRP injection to experience optimal improvement of your symptoms, although even one injection can be effective. Up to three injections can be given within six months.
IS INTRADISCAL PRP INJECTION A SURGERY ALTERNATIVE?
Yes, this non-surgical, regenerative low back pain treatment delivers many benefits and is one alternative to undergoing surgery for pain relief
Intradiscal PRP injections:
- Are minimally invasive – involving only diagnostic testing, blood draws, and an injection.
- Promote natural healing – this treatment taps into your body’s natural ability to heal itself instead of relying solely on invasive or pharmacological approaches.
- Reduce pain and inflammation – at its source so you can experience long-term relief.
- Are a non-pharmaceutical approach to pain management – using your own blood’s plasma.
- Are a low-risk treatment – involving few side effects.
- Reduce the need for medication – protecting you from the harsh side effects and addictive nature of stronger pain medications.
This makes PRP a less-invasive alternative to back surgery that provides long-term pain relief and improved function for a better quality of life.
ARE YOU A CANDIDATE FOR INTRADISCAL PRP INJECTIONS?
Do you suffer from chronic low back? Have more conservative treatment modalities not worked for you? If over-the-counter pain medications, physical therapy, steroid injections, or other treatments have failed to bring you relief, OC Wellness Physicians Medical Group can help.
You don’t have to suffer from chronic low back pain. And surgery doesn’t have to be your only option to treat damaged discs. There is hope for back pain sufferers, and there are many options for treating it, including PRP injections.
WHAT TO EXPECT AT YOUR VISIT
If you’re a candidate for intradiscal PRP injections, we’ll draw some of your blood. Then we’ll use a special machine to separate the platelets and plasma from the other component in your blood, creating PRP. The injection will be prepared, and using precise x-ray or ultrasound guidance; we’ll inject the PRP into your damaged spinal disc.
You may experience some discomfort from the injection, which typically subsides within a few days. You’ll likely be able to resume your normal activities after the injection, although you may need to avoid strenuous exercise at first.
Our team of pain management experts will gather your medical history and perform a thorough examination before creating a pain-relieving treatment plan. To diagnose and treat your low back pain, we’ll perform testing to determine which discs in your back are problematic.
If you’ve tried other treatment methods and still haven’t gotten the relief you need, we’ll discuss if intradiscal PRP injections are right for you!
At OC Wellness Physicians Medical Group, our goal is to help relieve your chronic pain so you can get back to living life to the fullest. We strive to promote and support your body’s innate healing abilities – naturally.
If chronic low back pain stops you from doing the things you love, we’re here to help you!
Schedule a consultation and get started on your healing journey today.