Joints are connections where two bones meet to provide support and mobility. Any damage to the joint and its surrounding tissues, due to disease or injury can interfere with movement and cause pain. Joint pain can be mild or debilitating, and can be either long term (chronic) or short term (acute) pain. Severe pain may cause swelling in the joints which may affect your quality of life. The most common joint pain is knee, shoulder and hip pain.
Joint pain may be caused due to various conditions such as osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, strains, gout, bursitis, sprains and other injuries. Pain is also a feature of joint inflammation, infection or tumors in the joint.
Moderate to severe pain can be treated with pain medications such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID’s), muscle relaxants and antiepileptic drugs. Your doctor may also suggest PRICE protocol (Protect, Rest, Ice application, Compression and Elevation), steroid injection at the region of pain and physical therapy to relieve joint pain.
To treat joint pain your doctor may also recommend stem cell therapy, a form of regenerative medicine that utilizes the body’s natural healing mechanism. Stem cells are present in all of us, acting like a repair system for the body. With increased age however, there is reduced availability of stem cells. The goal of stem cell therapy is to amplify this natural repair system by increasing the numbers of stem cells at the injury site.
Stem cells can be harvested from many areas in the body. These include adipose tissue (fat), bone marrow and peripheral blood. It is then processed and injected into the affected joint under the guidance of special X-rays.