Southwest Florida's Health and Wellness Magazine Health and Wellness Articles
By Richard Hiler, DABCN
Knee pain is a common complaint that causes individuals to seek medical care; however, many specialists will only treat the knee, but this can be damaging for the patient’s progress and outcome, as knee pain is usually much more involved systemically.
Feel Amazing Institute sees many patients that have acute or chronic knee pain. Whether it’s from injury or degenerative disease, their plan of action is much more involved and gets to the root cause of the individual’s pain.
Along with X-rays, MRI or other imaging, Feel Amazing Institute evaluates the patient’s level of pain, degeneration, and functionality with several in-office tests, such as nerve conductivity testing, examining and testing muscle strength and misalignment. Just because you have knee pain, your issue might have presented because of decompression issues, an abnormal gait, hip misalignment and other root causes. In order to properly treat your knee pain for an optimal outcome, those issues should be considered.
Standard medicine often only masks pain and symptoms with addictive drugs and corticosteroid injections, and many times unnecessary surgery is recommended. The good news is there are ways to treat knee and joint pain without drugs.
Alternative Options for Knee and Joint Pain
PRP (Platelet Rich Plasma)
PRP uses your blood’s natural healing properties. The platelet-rich plasma, which is taken from your own blood, is centrifuged and injected directly into the affected joint in an effort to improve joint function, reduce pain, and slow damage to the cartilage. The centrifuge increases the concentration of healing factors from approximately 6% to 94%. In many cases PRP can also help to repair damage to muscle. As with any other arthritis treatment, the overall effectiveness of PRP varies from patient to patient. When the therapy is performed properly, decreased pain and increased function of the joint can be expected in almost all cases.
HYALURONIC ACID INJECTIONS FOR KNEE & JOINT PAIN (Insurance will often cover)
When all else has failed, it’s important to know that there are other treatment options available. One such option is hyaluronic acid injections. These injections are essentially a form of knee and joint pain treatment that are often used when other options, like pain relievers, have been proven ineffective.
Hyaluronic acid is a substance that works by serving as a lubricant and shock absorber within your joints. It’s already found naturally within the body, although large amounts are often broken down and lost within individuals with osteoarthritis. Your body, and more specifically, your joints, need hyaluronic acid for optimal functionality. If your joints do not have enough of it, the absence of an effective shock absorber means you can expect to experience regular stiffness and joint pain. Hyaluronic acid is injected in the form of a solution or gel. In most cases, you will receive a series of shots over a two to five-week period. Injections are generally given one week apart in an effort to gauge their effectiveness.
The overall effectiveness of these injections varies from patient to patient. It’s difficult to say exactly how well this particular knee and joint pain treatment will work for you. Based on past studies and the wide use of the method, however, most patients find that these injections work wonders to significantly reduce pain and stiffness within their joints.
STEM CELL THERAPY/ALLOGRAFTS
Stem cell therapy is a minimally-invasive way to heal the underlying causes of your knee pain, rather than treating the pain alone. It can slow down degenerative conditions and, in some cases, help new tissue grow.
At Feel Amazing Institute, we use stem cells sourced from the placenta, amniotic fluid, or umbilical cord. The stem cells are sourced from healthy mothers/healthy births and screened in FDA-approved labs before being sent out to practices like ours.
Your joint stem cell therapy will include injections into the affected joints. Each stem cell is a “blank slate” of a cell that can emulate others in the vicinity, making it possible to regrow and heal damaged tissues that can’t regenerate on their own. Patients report that the discomfort is minimal, and there is very little recovery time involved.
Stem cell joint therapy is important because once the body starts to degenerate, it will not stop— It ACCELERATES! It is estimated that once degeneration starts in the knee, it will continue to lose 4% to 6% of the cartilage each year until it is bone on bone approximately 15 to 25 years) unless we RE-generate it.
Knee Treatment Protocol:
• Viscosupplementation
• Stem Cell Therapy
• PRP (Platelet-rich Plasma) speeds natural healing, reduces pain and inflammation.
• Ozone Therapy- Injections of ozone/oxygen to the joint, promotes regenerative healing
• Insurance will often cover viscosupplementation
• Manual therapies and/or exercises
• Bracing and kinesiotaping
Feel Amazing Institute
We proudly serve the Naples area with comprehensive Chiropractic, Physical Medicine, and Regenerative Medicine services since 1998. Our office strives for excellence Whether you suffer from chronic pain, are recovering from an injury, or are seeking overall improved health and performance, we have the skills and experience to help you work toward your goals.
If you are looking for treatment of bulging discs and/or herniations, neck or back pain, spinal misalignment and correction, sciatica, neuropathy (numbness and/or burning and pain in feet and hands), you have found the right place for your health care needs.
We have comprehensive programs if you sustained injuries in a Auto Accident or at Work, or if you have Peripheral Neuropathy, Balance Disorders, or need VAX-D Spinal Decompression Treatments.
If you are in need of a highly experienced chiropractor, or regenerative medicine in Naples, FL, look no further than Feel Amazing Institute.
Call us at (239) 330-1000 or visit feelamazing.com.
Feel Amazing Institute
3031 Airport Pulling Road North
Naples, FL 34105
(239) 330-1000