Joint Pain/Repair

Regenerative Care for Joint and Back Pain

Joint and Back are among the most common conditions we treat. We offer a full gamut of treatment options from PEMF (pulsed electromagnetic force), prolozone therapy, Amniotic Tissue injections, and stem cell enhancement therapy. These therapies can be used as standalone treatments or together. In some cases one therapy has failed only to have another therapy work.

All of these work by increasing the production of cartilage and an anti-inflammatory action. The primary difference is the agent used to increase the production of cartilage and reduce inflammation.

As a whole most of these therapies have a success rate of around 75%. Success rates vary depending on the age of the patient and the amount of damage to the joint. In older patients we have seen prolozone therapy be very successful in one knee, but unsuccessful in the other knee due to the more severe damage in the other knee. Younger patients  generally have better outcomes than older patients when it comes to joint pain.

There is also a great deal of variance in the cost of these therapies. On the low end is PEMF, which usually requires multiple treatments to be effective. We offer a package as low as $150/8 visits (compare that to clinics charging $50 to $75/ treatment).

STEM Cell Enhancement Therapy!

Stem cells are pluripotent cells mean that they can be turned into any cell. When we are young we have an abundance of stem cells, which is why young kids heal so quickly when the injured themselves. As we get older the number of’ circulating stem cells decreases dramatically, which is why things start to break down as we age including our joints. Stem cells can be harvested from bone marrow, are fat.  However, we use amnionic stems cells harvested cord blood.  Amniotic stem cells generally work better than those harvested from fat as they are younger cells.  That is an effective but expensive procedure. The average cost of a stem cell tissue transplant is between the $5,600 and $9000 depending on the clinic. This is an invasive and depending on the tissue source painful procedure. 

In contract amniotic stems cost an average of $5,000 and does not require a surgical procedure. These cells are available overnight.  We use this type of stem cell in our procedures as they more potent and easier to obtain.

you can increase the number of your circulating stem cells substantially without any surgery. We have a patented nutritional product that is shown to increase circulating stem cells between 53% and 90% depending on the type of stem cell with two weeks of therapy.

Placental extracts can also be injected into joints.  Placental extracts have many of the stame benefits of stems cell, but at a considerably lower cost.

PEMF!

PEMF works by increasing energy, heat, and circulation in the affected area. PEMF treatment is applied with a coil, which delivers magnetic energy to joint. The coil is placed around the affected joint and then the intensity is increased to just below the pain threshold. The treatments are done in 3 minute segments. Typically we will treat the affected several times on the same visit. PEMF can give immediate pain relief, but usually multiple treatments are required for tissue repair.

Prolozone!

Prolozone is our most popular option. Prolozone treatments cost between $280 and $350 depending on the number and size of joints treated. Most patients require 3 to 4 prolozone treatments to obtain relief. Older patients and more damaged joints often require 4 to 6 treatments before relief is obtained. Some patients with more severe joint damage may not respond to prolozone. For those patients we recommend amniotic tissue injections with AmnioFix.

The advantage of prolozone therapy is that many patients obtain complete relief from pain very quickly. The treatments are given two weeks apart for joints and as needed for back pain. Often only one or two treatments are required in back pain. Once the joint is pain free, one or two additional treatments may be needed 4 to 6 months later to maintain the progress.

For back pain the injections are made in the facet joints to the side of the spine. Facet joint inflammation is the most common cause of back pain and stiffness. These are not injections in or around the spinal cord. During the procedure you may feel some minor discomfort lasting 2 to 3 minutes after the procedure. In some cases inflammatory pain may last longer. Most patients experience reduction of their pain within 24 hours.

AmnioFix (amniotic tissue injections)!

This therapy offers a broad range of effectiveness. Amniotic stem cells come from amniotic sac and placenta, not an embryo. There are no ethical concerns with this therapy. Note this product contains no blood products. Amniotic tissue cells contain a high concentration of  growth factors and stem cells. The stem cells in the tissue are not viable, but the injection attracts your own stem cells to the injury site. The advantage of amniotic tissue  therapy is that in vast majority of cases amniotic tissue therapy is given as a single treatment, which will have long lasting effects over many months. In fact the benefit from most AmnioFix treatments may take several weeks to manifest. Amniotic tissue is harvested during a planned C-section. There is no harm to the mother or the baby. This is planned procedure and the mother is carefully screened for a variety of infectious diseases. The donors are not paid.

AmnioFix therapy can and usually is done currently with prolozone therapy. We have found there is a synergistic effect when using the two forms of therapy in combination.

The cost of AmnioFix and other placental products is based on volume of material injected. Larger and multiple joints require more material to be effective. Stems cell are generally injected directly into the joint. 

We recommend choosing treatments based on their cost/benefit ratio. For most patients prolozone therapy is the logical first choice followed by AmnioFix treatments if prolozone fails to give results after 6 treatments. If all fails then surgery is the final and irreversible choice. In our opinion surgery should rarely be the first choice due to the high expense and risk of poor outcomes.

For most patients with joint pain the most cost effective therapy for joint pain is prolozone therapy. The average cost of a course of prolozone therapy is $900 to $1,800. Prolozone has almost the same rate of success of stem cell or amniotic tissue injection at a lower cost. For more systemic issues, neuropathy, then amniotic tissue  therapy offers the best solution.

Comprehensive Joint Care Program!

Best results are obtained by using a variety of complementary treatments in a comprehensive treatment program. I comprehensive joint care program consists of five steps:

1. Increase the number of circulating stem cells with nutritional therapy.
2. Supply oxygen and energy to the injured tissue with prolozone therapy.
3. AmnioFix supplies over 400 growth factors and attracts stem cells to the site of injury.
4. PEMF increases circulation to the injured area.
5. Nutritional therapy supplies all the needed minerals, proteins, and other nutrients needed for effective tissue repair. This last step is particularly important because our studies we have not found a single patient with adequate trace minerals without supplementation.

Costs!

Costs  vary with the number and size of joints affected, but in general this therapy is quite affordable. However, what may be more important are the risk of this therapy compared to that of major surgery. Cost can be financed over up to 24 months with zero interest through Care Credit.

Care Credit!

We offer Care Credit financing. There are variety of payment plans available. You have the choice of a revolving line of credit or you can choose a fixed payment plan. You can apply for Care Credit online or when you come to the clinic. We recommend apply online before your visit.

What to Do Next?

1. Call 509-943-2101 for your free consultation.
2. Go online to Care Credit and fill out an application.

Decision Matrix