In this guide from MVM Health in Pennsylvania, we go over the types of shoulder pain that stem cell therapy can treat.
What Is Stem Cell Therapy?
Stem cell therapy is a form of regenerative medicine that is used as a highly-effective alternative to surgical intervention. Using the body’s own stem cells, this form of treatment encourages your body’s ability to heal itself without the use of any synthetic substances. Treatment with stem cell therapy requires no anesthesia or downtime, and can effectively provide relief from new and old shoulder injuries alike.
What Types Of Shoulder Pain Can Stem Cell Therapy Be Used To Address?
Stem cell therapy can be used to relieve a number of different conditions affecting the shoulder. One of the most common issues that can afflict the shoulder is rotator cuff issues. The rotator cuff consists of the muscles and tendons responsible for holding your shoulder in place. These same muscles and tendons allow you to lift your arms or reach upwards. Rotator cuff issues can often be the result of a sports injury. Stem cell injections can treat sports injuries affecting the shoulder from either one-time trauma or chronic overuse.
Other shoulder issues that stem cell injections can be used to treat include:
- Shoulder arthritis. Stem cell treatments are a significantly less-invasive alternative to shoulder replacement surgery. With stem cell injections, you can get relief from the chronic pain of wear-and-tear arthritis impacting the cartilage of your shoulder joint.
- Shoulder bursitis. This condition is characterized by inflammation of the shoulder joint that comes in contact with tendons. Shoulder bursitis can be the result of overuse of the shoulder joint, physical trauma, or rheumatoid arthritis.
- Tendonitis that affects the shoulder. This is an inflammation of the rotator cuff and/ or the biceps tendon that results from the tendon being pinched by surrounding structures. Shoulder tendonitis can result from playing sports that require athletes to repeatedly move their arms over their heads, such as baseball, volleyball, or racket sports. Other activities that can cause this condition include certain swimming strokes and weight-lifting.
- Labral tears. The labrum of the shoulder is a thick piece of tissue that reinforces the ball-and-joint socket of the shoulder. A healthy labrum allows the shoulder bone to move freely and painlessly. A labral injury due to an accident or wear-and-tear can result in pain and a reduced range of motion.
Am I A Good Candidate For Stem Cell Therapy For Shoulder Pain?
The shoulder is one of the most complex joints in the human body and can be vulnerable to a number of issues. For this reason, it is important for an expert to determine the exact cause of your chronic shoulder pain. The team at MVM Health will review your medical history and employ ultrasound and advanced imagery to identify any injured or damaged areas in your shoulder. Together, we will go over your options and discuss if stem cell therapy is right for you, and what to expect from treatment.
For patients undergoing stem cell therapy, we will review the medications you are taking and advise you on what to avoid. Anti-inflammatory medications, for example, can potentially impact your healing process from the treatment.
For those who wonder if they are suitable for stem cell therapy in their journey to managing chronic pain, consider MVM Health. If you are living with chronic shoulder pain and find that it is affecting your enjoyment of day-to-day life, it may be time to seek treatment and pain management. For patients in Pennsylvania, MVM Health is glad to offer services in East Stroudsburg, Scranton, Wilkes Barre, and Lehigh Valley. The experts at MVM Health would be glad to offer guidance and a variety of treatment methods for chronic pain. Call 223-213-2084 to request an appointment.