The shoulder is a very complicated joint.
Unlike simple hinge or ball-and-socket joints that rely on bones fitting snugly together, the shoulder joint is held together by muscles and tendons that together form the rotator cuff. Although this construction allows the shoulder joint to move in all directions through a very impressive range of motion, it places the shoulder joint at a higher risk of injury.
Although the shoulder joint can suffer from a variety of painful issues, by far the most common is some form of rotator cuff injury. Injuries to the rotator cuff or other parts of the shoulder joint can lead to chronic pain, a reduced range of motion, and arthritis of the joint. PRP and stem cell therapy for shoulder pain in Los Angeles is becoming an increasingly popular treatment.
Platelet Rich Plasma
Platelet rich plasma (PRP) is prepared from the patient’s own blood. A blood sample is taken and through the use of centrifugation the formed blood cells (white and red cells) are removed and the platelets are concentrated. Platelets are full of cytokines, chemokines, and growth factors, and when activated, they release these potent healing factors into the local area. Platelets are normally activated in response to an acute injury to stimulate healing, but chronic injuries like tendonitis do not usually activate platelets. Doctors however have realized they can prepare PRP and inject the concentrated activated platelets into the site of a chronic injury and activate the body’s healing processes.
Stem Cells
Most cells in the adult body are terminally differentiated cells, namely they are highly specialized cells that perform a specific function and do not divide and form new cells. The body relies on stem cells to proliferate and produce new cells, some of which then differentiate into specialized cells to perform specific functions. Stem cells are most abundant in tissues that regularly replace aging cells, such as the bone marrow, the dermis underlying the skin, and the lining of the intestine. However, stem cells can also be found throughout the body, such as in the blood and in fat deposits.
The first stem cell transplants used stem cells from the bone marrow to rebuild a damaged hematopoietic system, and today stem cell transplants are a routine treatment for certain cancers and other conditions. More recently, scientists have been using stem cells to orthopedic conditions, such as arthritis and damaged tendons.
PRP and Stem Cell Therapy for Shoulder Pain in Los Angeles
Since many chronic shoulder conditions are complex and characterized by damaged muscles and tendons, tendonitis, and arthritis, doctors are now using a multiplex approach to regeneration of the shoulder. PRP and stem cell therapy for shoulder pain in Los Angeles applies both PRP to induce healing of the tissues and stem cells to produce new cells and tissues to replace the damaged ones. Because PRP and stem cell therapy for shoulder pain in Los Angeles simply stimulates natural regeneration of the joint, pain relief may take several months to become fully evident.