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Living with spinal stenosis can be a struggle, especially if you frequently experience back pain and discomfort that prevent you from walking and doing your usual activities. When you have spinal stenosis, the spaces within your backbone that house the spinal cord become compressed and narrow, thus putting pressure on the nerve roots that run through your spinal cord.
According to experts in pain management, Aventura, a lot of factors can cause the development of spinal stenosis. However, if you suffer from conditions like scoliosis, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, Paget's disease, spondylolisthesis, trauma, and spinal tumors then you have a higher risk for developing the condition.
As you age, you are even more predisposed to having spinal stenosis complications since 1 in 1000 people above 65 years old and 5 in every 1000 people above 50 years old have symptoms of this condition, according to the Spine Journal.
To prevent spinal stenosis complications, you have to take a proactive approach and consider getting medical advice from experts in pain management in Pembroke Pines. One option is to go through a platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy.
PRP is a non-surgical treatment option that requires the use of a high concentration of plasma, derived from the patient's own blood, which is injected in the damaged area of the spine. Ideally, PRP provides patients suffering from chronic back pain with a long-lasting solution as this treatment is not supposed to wear off as fast as taking pain injection or pain relievers. In many cases, PRP may even reverse the problem without the patient needing any invasive surgery.
Platelet-rich plasma therapy belongs to the field of regenerative medicine which uses natural growth factors to promote repair of the body tissues, stimulate cartilage wellness, and accelerate healing of the damaged areas. Since chronic damage from spinal stenosis, coupled with aging, has made the body unable to repair and heal itself without help, PRP works to compensate for that missing process.
Drawing out a platelet-rich plasma, which will be used for the injection treatment, is a pretty straightforward and painless process. It can be done at the doctor's clinic during one of your consultations.
It only takes 30 minutes to prepare the plasma, where the doctor draws a small amount of blood from your body. It's actually a lot like a routine blood test.
Then, this plasma is placed in a centrifuge or a machine that spins at high speed to separate the red blood cells from the platelets. The concentrated platelets are then injected into your spine with the help of an X-ray or fluoroscopy so that it is precisely where it should be.
The number of PRP injections depend on the doctor's evaluation of the patient's case. However, most PRP treatments are completed within two to six injections, properly spaced out in weeks to allow the tissues to properly heal and absorb the treatment.
Usually, the effects of PRP to the spine are felt by the second or third injection. This procedure has minimal side effects and will depend on the patient's comfort level.
Dr. Escobar’s pain clinic offers comprehensive and interventional pain management services. Our pain specialists are experts in performing procedures, such as spinal cord stimulation, platelet-rich plasma injections, epidural steroid injections, and other innovative techniques. All of which help relieve your pain and regain your quality of life. For inquiries, Contact Us.
The material contained on this site is for informational purposes only and DOES NOT CONSTITUTE THE PROVIDING OF MEDICAL ADVICE, and is not intended to be a substitute for independent professional medical judgment, advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare providers with any questions or concerns you may have regarding your health.