Treatment to get rid of back pain
A new study, conducted by Kunming Medical University in China, revealed that platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections can be more effective in treating back pain than common traditional treatments, as reported by Russia Today newspaper.
PRP is a mixture of blood cells (called platelets) and plasma, the liquid component of blood.
Platelets, which help the blood to clot, contain proteins called “growth factors” that aid in the healing process. In the field of treating back pain, these proteins appear to stimulate the growth of new healthy cells and tissues.
The research team explained that the process involves rotating a small sample of the patient's blood in a centrifuge to produce a liquid whose concentration reaches 8 times the concentration of platelets in normal blood, which greatly enhances the growth factor content, and is then injected into the patient.
The therapeutic proteins in the injection are thought to help repair damaged tissue (the source of the pain) during the weeks and months following the injection.
In the recent study, data was collected from 4 studies that included more than 150 patients suffering from low back pain.
The results, published in the journal Pain Research, showed that 55% of patients reported that their pain had largely disappeared after 4 weeks of treatment.
After 6 months of treatment, 80% of patients treated with platelet-rich plasma said their pain was completely gone, compared to 77% of the radiofrequency group, 42% of patients with the common drug lidocaine, and less than 1% of the steroid injection group.
Researchers believe that treatment with platelet-rich plasma (PRP) accelerates long-term tissue repair and increases the amount of collagen, a fibrous substance that enhances tissue strength.
It is worth noting that more independent studies are needed before offering PRP to treat joint pain and back pain.
Source: websites