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Regenerative medicine is an emerging branch of modern medicine that refers to the process of replacing or regenerating cells, tissues or organs to fulfil their normal function. In the practice of pain management, 3 specific treatment modalities are mainly used as regenerative medicine: platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy, stem cell therapy and prolotherapy. Regenerative medicine treatment modalities focus on healing damage to the body and are thought to result in pain relief as well as improved function.
Now I would like to give you brief information about PRP, stem cell therapy and prolotherapy:
The patient’s own blood is used for platelet-rich plasma or PRP treatment. Using the patient’s own blood eliminates the risk of infectious disease transmission during treatment and is considered a minimally invasive type of treatment. Blood is drawn from the patient and then placed in a centrifuge. Platelets are separated from part of the blood and then injected into the treated area. Concentrated platelets have high doses of bioactive proteins, such as growth factors, which are essential in the repair and regeneration of tissues. Platelet-rich plasma therapy injections have five to ten times the amount of platelets normally found in the blood. The quality of PRP depends on the viability of platelets. PRP should be prepared and administered by a specialised team.
Stem cells are cells that have the capacity to transform into any specific cell type of the body, and are therefore smart cells that can transform into the required cell type according to the signal they receive. Their task is to renew or repair the living structure (e.g. skin, tissue, organs, etc.) of which they are a part. Bone marrow and adipose tissue-derived stem cells are the most commonly used especially in the treatment of chronic pain caused by injuries in the musculoskeletal system. Injecting stem cells into a damaged area of the body is thought to help regenerate healthy tissue.
Prolotherapy involves a series of injections of a mildly irritating agent into the area of pain or instability, performed at intervals of several weeks. Classical prolotherapy involves injecting a hypetonic dextrose solution into a specific area where damage or injury has occurred. Although some study results have been published in the medical literature regarding the effectiveness of prolotherapy in the treatment of musculoskeletal pain, high-quality randomised controlled trials supporting these results are limited.
