Why PRP Therapy Has Become a Popular Treatment
Platelet-rich plasma therapy concentrates parts of your own blood and then uses the resulting serum to help you heal more quickly. Read on to learn more about this state-of-the-art treatment.
If you experience joint pain, you understand how it can impact daily life. It does everything from limiting mobility and your favorite activities because of a constant state of discomfort. Fortunately, there are several treatment options available, including joint injections.
Dr. Jeremy Woodson and our highly trained staff at our office in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, provide cutting-edge treatments and preventive care for a wide variety of orthopedic issues in children and adults.
Whether you're having concerns with a knee, shoulder, or other joint or are simply seeking to stay active and healthy, our evidence-based protocols, including joint injections, will help keep you moving.
Joints connect our bones, offering support and mobility to help us move. However, when something goes wrong — be it osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, or an injury — significant pain can result. Joint pain is quite common and affects about 30 million Americans.
There are a variety of treatment choices to help relieve joint pain including everything from rest and physical therapy to medications, topical agents, and even surgery for severe cases. Injections are also a good option for many people, which we detail below.
Joint injections reduce inflammation, and therefore, pain in the joints. They can help decrease symptoms and make staying active easier. Some popular joint injections include the following:
Corticosteroids have been used for decades and are often the first choice for people with osteoarthritis and other kinds of joint pain in their shoulders, hips, and knees. These injections can decrease inflammation, reduce swelling, and typically provide relief for two to three months.
Hyaluronic acid or HA injections are typically only used for joint pain in the knee. Often they are selected if corticosteroids don't provide relief, if there aren't signs of inflammation, or if the individual has diabetes. The injection serves as a lubricant and shock absorber in the joint and usually decreases pain for four to five months, though it can work up to a year.
Platelet-rich plasma therapy uses a serum of concentrated platelets and plasma made from the individual's own blood to help accelerate recovery using healing substances like growth factors. These injections treat osteoarthritis joint pain as well as treat injuries.
Stem cell therapy uses stem cells concentrated from the fat or bone marrow to reduce inflammation, speed recovery from an injury, and heal faster. People can use their own stem cells or those from a donor.
To get a proper diagnosis as to what is causing your joint pain, and to get a recommendation on which type of joint injection or other treatment option is best, call our office today at 405-233-3602 for an appointment.
