Though a common symptom, pain in the shoulder may be a product of uncommon sources with overlapping clinical features. Needless to say, the cause of shoulder pain is not always easy to identify. Thus, an extensive understanding of the anatomy of the shoulder joint and the surrounding tissue is essential to identifying the true source of pain and treating it.
With three joints, including the sternoclavicular joint, acromioclavicular joint, and glenohumeral joint, multiple ligaments, rotator cuff muscles, tendons, and the subacromial bursa, shoulder pain is the third most common type of pain reported in primary healthcare in the United States.
When faced with shoulder discomfort, a majority of individuals turn to their general practitioner and are prescribed anti-inflammatory medication, rehabilitation therapy, or a corticosteroid injection. Yet, with the emergence of regenerative medicine using platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy for shoulder pain and other conditions, individuals experience promising results with significant pain reduction and better mobility.
Most importantly, PRP therapy is a welcome alternative for those hoping to avoid invasive surgeries and lengthy recoveries.
When trauma or injury occurs, damaged cells and collagen proteins in the blood signal the body’s natural inflammatory response. The first cells to arrive to the area of injury are platelets containing growth factors that initiate healing. Yet, with time and age, the amount of stem cells that respond becomes less.
Thus, the idea behind PRP therapy is to use a patient’s own blood to isolate the rich blood platelets needed to amplify healing and promote collagen formation, as well as the regeneration of cells and tissues.
STEM CELL TREATMENTS FOR SHOULDER PAIN RELIEF
An exceptional alternative for shoulder pain relief and injuries, regenerative medicine, using the body’s own stem cells, involves a minimally-invasive technique in which platelet-rich cells are injected into a diseased or damaged area.
For example, common injuries associated with the rotator cuff include rotator cuff tears and tendinopathy or tendinitis. Given this diagnosis, PRP treatments might be used to facilitate the body’s natural healing mechanisms.
In its most concentrated form, the plasma accelerates healing, enhances tissue recovery while proteins signal new blood vessel formation, the regeneration of bone, and connective tissue repair.
PLATELET-RICH PLASMA INJECTIONS
PRP treatments have become a key player in wound healing and injured tendons, ligaments, muscles, joints, and other degenerative conditions of the shoulder. By taking a small portion of an individual’s blood, isolating the activated platelets and injecting them into abnormal, damaged tissue, the concentration of growth factors promote reparative cell formation as well as collagen production.
What’s more is that PRP injections are performed on an outpatient basis, are far less expensive than surgery and do not require a lengthy recovery.
While PRP injections have reduced pain for a variety of musculoskeletal conditions and disorders, including arthritis and osteoarthritis, they have provided significant pain reduction for individuals with a rotator cuff injury or tear. In regard to mobility and function, many report a dramatic improvement in range of motion such as forward flexion, abduction, and internal rotation of their shoulders in the months following treatment.
At Modern Aesthetica in Santa Monica, Dr. Daniel Moghadam is a leading physician that administers PRP therapy for shoulder pain, injuries and conditions. Unlike steroids and other painkillers, PRP treatments heal the underlying cause of shoulder pain for complete recovery, improved function, and no pain.
To schedule an appointment with Dr. Moghadam, contact Modern Aesthetica today.