Disc Regenerative Therapy involves non-surgical regenerative medicine treatments using stem cells, or platelet rich plasma (PRP) and, in certain instances, alpha 2-macroglobulin (A2M) to repair damage due to degenerative disc disease. Degenerative disc disease (DDD) can be caused by the natural aging changes that occur in your spine as the discs which are normally soft and spongy, dehydrate, shrink and weaken with age, resulting in degeneration. DDD can also be caused from accidents and traumatic injuries that result in tears of the disc annulus. DDD often results in discogenic back and neck pain that originates from damage or degeneration of one or more vertebral discs.
Unlike all other pain management and surgical treatments for Discogenic pain which aim to alter the structure of the disc by removing, burning, or otherwise destroying disc tissue, Disc Regenerative Therapy seeks to support and encourage the remaining chondrocytes within the disc to multiply and produce new disc tissue. In this manner, disc degeneration can be slowed if not reversed. Painful tears of the annulus, a common injury to the disc from acute trauma, are thought to be especially susceptible to regenerative treatments.
Regenerative injections for back pain involve very little discomfort and are generally performed with only local anesthetic. The procedure represents less risk than invasive spinal surgery and does not result in the long painful rehabilitation that usually follows surgery. Patients experience very little down time following the same day procedure and may have noticeable results within only a few weeks. Actual repair of the tissue requires two or three months following the initial stem cell and platelet rich plasma injections.
Not all patients will be appropriate candidates for Disc Regenerative Therapy. For those who are good candidates, Disc Regenerative Therapy can provide significant benefits that reduce pain, improve overall functioning and quality of life.