Find Relief From Joint Pain at IPC’s Maryville Pain Management Clinic

The human body’s innate ability to heal itself is pretty amazing. When we scrape our knee, our platelets instantly team up to form a clot and stop the bleeding. If a virus invades our body, our immune system releases antibodies to fight off the antigen and ward off future infections.

However, when it comes to chronic joint pain, that’s where our body struggles. The remedy is right there, flowing freely through our veins – but it wasn’t until recently that pain management specialists discovered how to harness the body’s natural healing power to treat joint problems.

With platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy, the board-certified providers at Interventional Pain Consultants (IPC) in Maryville, Ill. can use your own plasma to ease pain and delay further joint deterioration. Platelet-rich plasma contains super concentrated growth factors that encourage cell renewal. When these platelets are injected into the damaged tissue, the growth factors stimulate your body to speed up its production of reparative cells and send them to directly to the injured area to reduce pain and inflammation.

For areas of the body like the knee or elbow joint that don’t have a significant natural blood supply to promote healing, PRP wakes up the healthy stem cells that are present and encourages them to multiply.

the conditions prp therapy treats

• Joint pain in the knee, hip, shoulder or elbow
• Achilles tendon injuries
• Plantar fasciitis
• Acute or sports injuries that do not respond to steroid injections
• Chronic osteoarthritis
• Degeneration of the joint

How PRP Treatments Work

PRP is a minimally invasive, in-office treatment that takes only a few minutes. Before your procedure, your medical team will draw a small amount of blood from your arm. The blood is then placed in a centrifuge to separate and extract the platelet-rich plasma. After your skin is cleaned and numbed, the doctor will inject the platelets directly into the joint space under a live X-ray or ultrasound. Once the platelets enter the tissue, they immediately go into repair mode – in fact, most patients experience pain relief after just one or two sessions!

In order to minimize any side effects, maximize your outcomes and prevent your joint from locking up after treatment, your PRP care plan will also include a series of required physical therapy sessions. Because our Maryville office offers both PRP and PT in one convenient location, your personal care team will work side-by-side throughout your rehabilitation to help you return to a life free from chronic pain.

Benefits of a PRP procedure 

• Long-term pain relief – For patients who have tried other procedures, such as steroid or cortisone injections, but are still dealing with daily pain, PRP treatments along with physical therapy can restore your functionality and range of motion while reducing aches and stiffness. Pain respite from PRP lasts for six months on average, but many patients report continued relief for up to two years after their injection.
• Treatment for osteoarthritis – Osteoarthritis occurs when the cartilage surrounding your joint deteriorates, and the synovial fluid that provides lubrication dries up. PRP helps restore hyaluronic acid in the joint to rebuild its natural cushioning and prevent your bones from rubbing together.
• Minimal side effects and risks – Because PRP treatment uses your own plasma, most patients experience zero severe reactions to the injections. After treatment, you may have minimal pain, swelling or irritation, but patients usually resume their normal activities almost immediately after their procedure.
• An alternative to surgery – For younger patients or for those patients ineligible for surgery, PRP provides long-term relief so you can delay an invasive operation. In the case of a mild injury, PRP may eliminate the need for surgery altogether.

Press pause on pain with prp therapy at IPC in Maryville

For patients across the St. Louis region, platelet-rich plasma injections at Interventional Pain Consultants have helped them find the relief they’ve spent years searching for. To put your body’s natural healing process into motion and put a stop to your chronic pain, contact IPC at 618.288.6722 to schedule a consultation with Dr. Wynndel Buenger and our pain management team.