Musculoskeletal
Conditions
Musculoskeletal Conditions
Our bodies are made up of a range of bones, cartilaginous joints, ligaments, muscles, and tendons, among many other organs, which work together to provide proper movement. As we age and use our bodies, and sometimes misuse them, certain parts begin to malfunction, which can cause severe and debilitating pain. If this has happened to you, you may want to visit us at Regen Doctor. If you suffer from anyone of the conditions below, we may be able to help you. This list is by no means an exhaustive list, and you are encouraged to contact us about any other problem you may have. Through PRP and/or stem cell treatments, you will be enabled to heal in a natural way, restoring your body’s normal function. Let’s take a look at some of the more common painful musculoskeletal conditions that can occur in any area of the body.
What We Treat
Joints are where two different bones meet and “hinge” with each other. The surfaces where they touch is usually covered with synovial cartilage, encased in a fibrous capsule, held together by ligaments, and moved by muscles through tendons. Synovial cartilage is a soft, protein-based tissue that is quite easily damaged. Indeed, regular wear and tear with age and excess weight can cause the cartilage to wear out and even to die off completely and the bones begin to grind against each other. When this happens, the bones start to spurt new bony outgrowths that can be incredibly painful. When damage is present, people tend to experience pain and swelling that can range from mild to severe. As cartilage does not have its own blood supply, once it is damaged it is very difficult for it to be repaired. Chondroblasts are the cells that produce cartilage.
There are three types of Chondroblasts cells that are based on composition; fibrocartilage, elastic cartilage, hyaline cartilage. The three types of cartilage cells can all become injured. Typically, cartilage in joints is of the hyaline type.
Arthritis is inflammation of the joints. Osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis are the two main types, but there are many others.
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative condition of the joints and cartilage generally associated with aging and/or injury that usually get worse over time. It is most common in the elderly and being overweight significantly increases the risk. Some 12% of all the osteoarthritis cases in this country are believed to be post-traumatic. One of the worrisome elements is that this type of arthritis is more common in people who are otherwise fit, healthy, and young. It is a degenerative disease most often caused by wear and tear, which can be accelerated by obesity. Since we have not only an aging population, but also a population that is getting heavier, OA is becoming increasingly prevalent. Presently, some 24 million people in this country are believed to suffer from OA, and this number is likely to continue to grow. OA can affect any joint in the body and frequently affects multiple joints at once, often causing severe pain, swelling, deformity, disability, and overall poor quality of life. There is currently no cure. Traditional management was symptomatic or surgical; including joint replacement, with its associated post-op pain, prolonged recovery time, and often-irreversible negative consequences.
Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease where the body attacks its own tissues including the joints and joint cartilage and can be debilitating and extremely painful. RA is believed to affect 1.5 million people in the United States. Although anybody can suffer from it, it is most common in people between 40 and 60 years of age. It is also three times more common in women than men. It is not known what causes the illness, although the environment and genes are believed to play a part. The immune system starts to attack the lining of the joints, believing it to be a foreign body. Most people experience it on both sides of the body and in multiple joints. However, the disease seems to often come and go, with regular flare-ups that may become more frequent over time. It can lead to severe pain, swelling, deformity, disability, and poor quality of life. Unfortunately, there is no cure for RA. Instead, conventional medicine can only manage the symptoms.
A tendon is like a cable of fibrous tissue that connects muscles to bone and allows muscles to move joints.
Tendinosis is an umbrella term that is used to describe any type of pathology to a tendon. If the tendons are suddenly wrenched or repeatedly overstressed, over time can lead to; enthesopathy, tendonitis, tendon strains, tendon tear. When these injuries become chronic, it means that the tissue becomes even more damaged before it has been able to repair itself. Tenosynovitis is a type of tendon injury generally caused by overuse. In this case, the sheath around the tendon becomes inflamed. These tendonopathies can occur in multiple sites, be excruciatingly painful and have truly debilitating effects, including the inability to perform regular daily tasks. These injuries are usually graded, with the first grade being minimal and the third grade being a full rupture. Depending on the gradation, different types of treatment may be required and results with traditional conservative and surgical approaches are often unsatisfactory.
Ligaments are found all over our body. They are dense bands of fibrous tissue that attach to two bones and hold joints together and in alignment, promoting their proper function and movement. Ligaments are very strong yet flexible and supple, but can become injured through over-usage and trauma.
Ligament sprains are very common and occur when one or more ligaments are stretched beyond the normal range of motion. This can occur anywhere in the body and is very common in wrists, fingers, knees, and ankles. Usually, forceful and sudden movements such as changes in direction or speed during falls and collisions can cause these injuries, stretching or tearing the ligament. Ligament sprains can range from moderate to severe, depending on how much the ligament has torn and how many ligaments are involved in the injury. A ligament tear is a grade 3 condition in which the ligament has completely broken into two or more segments. Once the tear has occurred, people will experience inflammation, swelling, pain, stiffness, bruising, tenderness, popping sounds, difficulties in movement, disfiguration in the affected area, and inability to bear weight. Sprains frequently become chronic and the sprained area tends to reinjure over time due to abnormal function. Traditional treatments often fall short of desired results and don’t really heal the damage.
Muscles have the ability to contract and relax and are responsible for powering joint movements by attaching to two bones across joints.
Muscle strains and muscle tears are common and are often caused by sudden and/or extreme movements, which can occur during very strenuous activities. They can occur anywhere in the body, can lead to severe pain, swelling, and dysfunction, and can become chronic. Fibromyalgia is a poorly understood and under-diagnosed condition that causes chronic and severe widespread muscle pain and tenderness throughout the whole body as well fatigue, depression, irritable bowels, and insomnia. The cause is not known but it is thought to affect 12 million people in the US and 70% of them go undiagnosed. Symptoms and function levels vary from day to day which causes confusion. Routine everyday tasks can become very difficult and functioning at work, home, and leisure activities become greatly impaired. In addition, this condition has proven very resistant to traditional medical treatments, and patients, family members, and doctors often become quite frustrated with results. Myofascial pain syndrome is another poorly understood condition that is focal in its development of more specific “trigger points” often localized to defined areas of the body such as the neck and back. Despite conventional treatments, this condition typically has a recurrent course and, like fibromyalgia, is highly affected by stress and mood.
PRP and stem cell treatments alone or in various combinations can be a very effective alternative to traditional approaches. Steroid injections can have serious side effects and often weaken the tissues and worsen the condition over time. Opioids and surgery can sometimes lead to catastrophic and irreversible results. Surgery often involves significant post-op pain, long periods of hospital and recovery time that can keep you out of work or other valued activities. PRP and stem cell therapies are done at our office, usually done in less than two hours, and patients can usually return to work or other activities quickly. Athletes in particular find they can return to sport training without pain, more fully, and much quicker than expected with conventional treatments. Contact us now to schedule an evaluation by our doctors to find out if you are a candidate for regenerative medicine therapy.
A bursa (plural bursae) is a small fluid-filled sac lined by a synovial membrane with an inner capillary layer of viscous fluid (similar in consistency to that of a raw egg white). It provides a cushion between bones and tendons and/or muscles around a joint. This helps to reduce friction between the bones and allows free movement. Bursae are filled with synovial fluid and are found around most major joints of the body. Bursitis occurs when these areas become inflamed, as they often do when there is musculoskeletal pathology.
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