Non-opioid pain relief options can be highly effective in controlling chronic pain. Opioids are typically prescribed as a temporary treatment to help relieve pain from people who have had surgery, injured, or experiencing chronic pain.
Although opioids can be effective for some types of pain, usually it is only masking symptoms rather than getting to the root of the problem. Opioids can also cause side effects and can lead to addiction if taken for a long time period.
Fortunately, there are many non-opioid treatments available that can heal the underlying ailment causing pain. Regenerative medicine treatments such as Regenerative cellular treatments and Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) are all-natural medicinal options that are low risk and non-invasive.
Some examples of ailments that can be treated with these options are:
- Back pain
- Knee Pain
- Shoulder pain
- Joint Pain
- Sciatica
- Hip pain
- Damaged tendon
- And many more
How Can Regenerative Medicine Provide Pain Relief?
Regenerative medicine is an area of medicine that uses advanced methods to repair, replace, and regrow damaged cells, organs, or tissues. The two treatment options that fall under the regenerative medicine umbrella are regenerative cellular treatment and PRP.
These treatments are a natural, low risk, alternative solution to many opioid pain relievers and surgeries. With the use of these treatments, the underlying cause of pain is targeted in order to reduce the need for pain relievers that will only camouflage the pain.
Regenerative cellular treatment uses mesenchymal stem cells harvested from Wharton’s jelly. These cells are found in the umbilical cord of cesarean section born babies with the mother’s consent. The collection of Wharton’s jelly is painless to both mother and child. These youthful, durable cells are more adept at healing than the cells that we carry as adults.
Our bodies find it more difficult healing itself as we grow older because our cells become too mature, decreasing their ability to heal. These stronger, more stable mesenchymal stem cells have a high success rate at healing when introduced to the damaged area in order to repair the nerve damage that causes pain. This treatment process is less invasive than surgery and carries less side effects than opioid medications.
PRP is another treatment option under the regenerative medicine umbrella, only this one uses components you’re your own body. Your blood and platelets are used in PRP to stimulate healthy cell regrowth, making it natural and utilizing the innate healing properties of the body. This procedure is also non-invasive and can be done the same day as your doctor’s visit. A vial of blood is drawn and the platelets are sorted and extracted from the red and white blood cells.
These platelets are then put into a centrifuge to create a highly concentrated mixture and then injected into a numbed area where there is pain. This treatment is essential to cell repair due to platelets playing an essential role in the healing process. The highly concentrated mixture of platelets helps heal damaged cells or tissues at a speedy rate.