Are steroid injections or elbow surgery really the only options for Elbow Pain?

Medica Institute offer minimally invasive, non-surgical, safe alternatives for Elbow pain treatment to get your life back on track without surgery or steroid injections!

Elbow pain is common and primarily affects sports enthusiasts, hobbyists and people, whose jobs involve repetitive hand, wrist and arm movements. Elbows can wear down over time beyond our body’s natural ability to repair damage. Medica Institute procedures are likely to be an excellent treatment option for elbow bursitis, arthritis and overuse conditions such as tennis elbow or golfer’s elbow, and other conditions that cause elbow pain.

In recent years, several studies have shown the effectiveness of Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) in treating elbow tendon and ligament issues. In fact, there are very few cases where surgery would be recommended for anything but the most severe elbow injuries. Alternatively the patient would have been given non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications and pain killers for symptomatic treatment only, on the other hand PRP promotes healing of the inflamed or injured tendon.

While conventional treatment, like surgery, may improve the condition for some, a lot of surgical patients go on to experience continued symptoms such as numbness, tenderness, or reduced range of motion or function. Also current elbow surgical treatment options typically involve a painful post-surgical recovery with several days in the hospital followed by a lengthy rehab period to restore strength and mobility to the elbow. Whereas non-surgical Regenerative Therapy procedures are minimally invasive same day procedures with minimal pain involved and no lengthy rehabilitation. Patients typically experience little to no down time from our elbow pain treatment procedures, like Stromal vascular fraction therapy or Platelet Rich Plasma – PRP therapy.

Regenerative stem cell therapy and platelet rich plasma (PRP) concentrate injections are next generation Regenerative Treatments to treat the cause of elbow pain not just the symptoms. Regenerative Therapy is an alternative treatment option for elbow pain that continues to be proven successful, not only by scientist and researchers, but also by doctors who utilise this treatment for a variety of conditions, including arthritis, tendon, ligament and overuse injuries, like tennis elbow treatment and bursitis elbow.

It utilises biologic material harvested directly from the patient’s body to help heal disease and injury. The treatment has become a game changer for accelerating healing, regenerating tissue and combatting pain. It has reduced the need for prescription medications and surgery, proving to be a helpful tool towards managing and potentially eliminating pain in the body. Regenerative Therapy has helped untold amounts of people overcome insufferable chronic pain, restoring their function and mobility, and improving their quality of life. Regenerative Therapy by means of several protocols will ultimately help initiate the self-healing cycle in the injured part of the body, the end result then is pain relief.

 

Non-surgical Regenerative Treatments are a same-day procedures and the options are:

• Prolotherapy
• Platelet-rich plasma – PRP therapy
• Mesenchymal cell therapy
• SVF (Stromal vascular fraction) therapy

In certain cases it may be a combination of more than one treatment protocol. For some patients however, the complete protocol is a series of injections in several treatment sessions. The choice of treatment is at the discretion of the Consultant and is based on your unique case.

This treatment may however not be suitable for all patients and only after review of your individual cases can the Consultant be able to discuss your options.

 

Elbow conditions that can be treated with Regenerative Therapy like PRP therapy and Stromal Vascular Fraction therapy include:

    • Arthritis
    • Osteoarthritis
    • Lateral Epicondylitis – Also known as Tennis Elbow
    • Medial Epicondylitis – Also known as Golfer’s Elbow
    • Pitcher’s Elbow (Ulnar Collateral Ligament Injury)
    • Partial Distal Biceps Tendon Tear
    • Bursitis elbow

Please contact us for a consultation and complete assessment to determine whether or not your condition can be treated with these minimally invasive, non-surgical regenerative procedures.

 

What are the top Benefits of Non-surgical Regenerative Treatments?

With so many options out there, you may be wondering what benefits choosing Non-surgical Regenerative Treatments provides. Over all Regenerative Treatments are minimally invasive, non-surgical same day procedures with no risk of rejection, minimal recovery time and minimal worry. You are fully awake and ready to go home within a few hours after injections in the affected area.

 

Here are the top benefits to be aware of:

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Avoid surgery and its risks and many complications

Regenerative Therapy is a minimally invasive, non-surgical procedure, which gives patients an alternative to painful surgery and lengthy recovery. The procedure is performed in an outpatient setting and only takes a few hours. No general anaesthesia is required and most patients don’t need post-operative pain medication. Also, patients typically return to work within a day or two and they resume physical activity much faster than after invasive surgery.

Minimal post-procedural recovery time

One of the most time consuming factors of any injury is not always the treatment itself, but actually the recovery time. With Regenerative therapies, there is far less risk involved than surgery and recovery time is much shorter compared to surgery.

No use of general anaesthesia

Do you not like the way general anaesthesia makes your feel? Or do you simply get anxious at the thought of being put under? Regenerative Therapy may be just what you need as it does not require the use of general anaesthesia. It provides a safe increasingly effective non-surgical alternative to treating medical conditions using the body’s own natural ability to repair itself without the use of medication.

Same day procedure

The best part, after comprehensive examination and review of your case, blood tests & radio-imaging scans are done to establish a baseline for your pre-existing condition, is that our Regenerative Therapies are a non-invasive treatment and an outpatient same day procedure, where the Consultant will decide which line of Regenerative Therapy is most suited to your case. In certain cases it may be a combination of more than one treatment protocol. For some patients however, the complete protocol is a series of injections in several treatment sessions.

Safe procedures with No risk of rejection and No communicable disease transmission

Since you undergo an autologous transplant with the cells that originated within your own body, your immune system has no reason to attack them and is in turn much safer than other outside sources, there is no risk of contracting a transmittable infectious disease from a donor patient also. In fact, studies thus far have indicated no safety issues with fat-derived autologous (from self) cells. Because they are your own cells, the risk of rejection is eliminated.

Like any procedure, there is a minute risk of infection at the sample collection and at the injection site. To minimize that risk the procedure is carried out under strict sterile conditions.

Am I a candidate for the Medica Institute therapies?

In general, Regenerative Medica Institute Therapies can be utilised by anyone, regardless of the age, race, or gender. However, in order to determine if you are a good candidate and will benefit the most from Regenerative Treatment, you will need to schedule an appointment with our Clinic to have an assessment done by our Consultant, who will review your medical records and determine if you are a qualified candidate for our therapy. The choice of treatment is then at the discretion of the Consultant and is based on your unique case.

 

Do Regenerative Treatments or therapies work?

There are a number of studies that have been published in the field of Regenerative medicine demonstrating positive results from Regenerative Treatments like Stem Cell therapy, PRP etc.

Regenerative therapies have now been utilised in clinical practice to treat degenerative knees, hips, shoulders and other joints for more than five years and are demonstrating excellent results. Patients are seeing marked reduction in pain as well as improvement in cartilage quality. A variety of well-founded clinical trials have been conducted on stem cell therapy for management and treatment of chronic pain. The trials concerning Regenerative therapies are widely published online (ex. on PubMed) and readily available for all to access. The use of Regenerative Treatments are proving to be both a safe and effective means of treating many conditions. These treatments allow the body to heal and regenerate in ways that were thought impossible before. Regenerative technology provides a natural alternative to the use of medication and surgeries, which may be more harmful and invasive.

Regenerative Therapy procedures are quickly becoming a first line treatment for chronic pain, degenerative joint disease, like arthritis or osteoarthritis, providing a minimally invasive option to avoid invasive surgical repair, and other various conditions. There are many Medica Stem Cell patient testimonials on our website who have experienced significant improvements on their condition for you to view.

 

When do I See Results?

What can I expect after Regenerative Treatment?

Regenerative Therapy only takes a few hours to complete and is performed in an outpatient setting, no general anaesthesia is required and most patients don’t need post-operative pain medication. Patients will be able to go home almost immediately after the injection is done. Since this therapy is an orthobiological treatment that requires time for the cells to restore the damaged areas in the elbow, patients will not feel the effect of the injection immediately. On average, most patients will start to see signs of improvement in the form of reduced pain or increased function within a few days. This is due to the strong anti-inflammatory effect and the growth factors associated with adult mesenchymal cells. This anti-inflammatory effect lasts from 2-3 months. From there, you can see continued gradual improvement as the cells help provide healing to the affected area.

The first day after the treatment, you might experience mild discomfort at injection site which should not be restrictive, mild pain in the treatment area may persist for up to a week. This can be alleviated by rest and if needed simple pain killers may be prescribed.

Elbow injuries or conditions may or may not require repeat treatment. Typically it is best to wait 3-6 months before considering it.

Reviews of your progress may extend up to 6 months following the procedure. Reviews can be by means of a clinic visits or alternatively for your ease by video / phone call.

You will be asked during the period of follow up to keep an accurate record of your progress to compare to your starting point.

The final outcome of the treatment and extent of improvement varies from one patient to another depending on type and severity of the condition, age, etc…

 

Regenerative Therapy for Elbow Pain may help patients who don’t respond to typical drug treatment, want to reduce their reliance on medication, or are looking for safe alternatives to surgery. Regenerative Treatments are not suitable for all conditions and all patients. The consultant will be able to advise if you are a suitable candidate.

Your first step to exploring your treatment options for Elbow pain is scheduling a consultation with our Consultant. To do so call us on 020 8168 2000 or alternatively book a consultation online or request a call back today!