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Research Revelation: PRP Relieves Pain For Facet Arthropathy

If you’ve been following my blog and/or the New Jersey Pain Care Specialists’ website, you know that I’m a strong proponent of Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP). This simple, non-invasive way provides relief for acute or chronic pain by promoting the natural healing potential of the body with platelets from your own blood. We know it works, but its full potential is still being explored.

At New Jersey Pain Care Specialists we have been successfully utilizing PRP therapy to treat tendon, ligament and joint injuries, as well as for cosmetic procedures. But there are no known studies on its use for cervical and lumbar facet joint arthropathy – a degenerative disease that affects the joints of the spine and the disintegration of cartilage on those joints. The condition results is disabling back pain. Now, an article in Pain Medicine News reports on a recent study that says PRP injection for facet arthropathy reduces back pain and disability and increases physical function for as long as three months. The findings were presented at the American Academy of Pain Medicine’s 2015 annual meeting.

Medical writer Rosemary Frei reports that the records of 24 patients receiving PRP therapy were used to track and compare back pain and functional effects for up to a year. Dr. Marco Palmieri and his pain medicine colleagues in the Department of Anesthesiology at Stony Brook University Medical Center found that the patients’ average pain scores from facet joint arthropathy decreased after injection at months one and three, but returned at months six and twelve. Neck and disability scores also fell in the first month and returned afterward. Physical function and satisfaction with the patients’ ability to socialize increased in months one and three, while anxiety, pain interference and pain anxiety scores dropped in the first month.

The researchers concluded that PRP therapy provides a positive effect on facet joint arthropathy within the first 90-day period. This is a research breakthrough and additional data needs to be collected to support the findings and to determine how to sustain or extend the period of back pain relief.

In the meantime, while there’s great promise for treatment of facet joint arthropathy with PRP, New Jersey Pain Care Specialists currently offers PRP therapy to treat a range of tendon, ligament and joint problems, including rotator cuff injuries, tennis elbow, Achilles’ tendon, plantar fasciitis, meniscus tears, bursitis of the hip, knee pain or ligament sprains. We also offer PRP for natural cosmetic procedures, such as facial treatments and hair regeneration.

If you’d like to know more about how PRP therapy can work for you now, call us at 732-720-0247. And please keep checking njpcs.org for the latest pain relief updates.

At the present time, PRP Treatments are not covered by medical insurance.

About The Author

Dr. Harris Bram, MD, DABPM

Dr. Harris Bram, MD, DABPM

Dr. Harris Bram is an Interventional Pain Management Specialist in New Jersey. He is a graduate of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. His postgraduate training in anesthesia was performed at Hahnemann University Hospital, where he sub-specialized in cardiac anesthesia. He completed his pain management fellowship at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, PA.

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