Anatomical Studies of the Shoulder by Leonardo da Vinci c.1510
Is your shoulder pain affecting your life? Here’s great news about a highly effective treatment! But first, a little background…
Your shoulder is a complex part of your body. It is composed of three bones: the clavicle (collarbone), the scapula (shoulder blade), and the humerus (upper arm bone). These bones combine with tendons and muscles that allow for a great range of motion in your arm. In fact, your shoulders are the most movable joints in your body.
Because of this, it is vulnerable to a variety of problems. These include sprains, strains, dislocations, separations, tendinitis, bursitis, torn rotator cuffs, frozen shoulder, fractures and arthritis.
Many individuals suffer greatly from Shoulder Impingement Syndrome. If any of you have experienced any degree of shoulder pain, you know how debilitating this can be.
What is Shoulder Impingement Syndrome?
Shoulder Impingement Syndrome—also called painful arc syndrome, supraspinatus syndrome, swimmer’s shoulder, and pitcher’s shoulder—occurs when the tendons of the rotator cuff muscles become irritated as they pass through the subacromial space, resulting in pain, weakness and loss of movement.
One of my patients tried several types of treatments including pain management, steroids and prolotherapy, to no avail. None of these options provided the pain relief he was looking for. He came to see me in my office and I administered one platelet rich plasma (PRP) shot and this is what he had to say: “One PRP shot later, and my shoulder has never not hurt like this.”
How Does PRP Work for Shoulder Pain?
So, what is PRP and how does it work? It is a non-surgical orthopedic approach to reduce pain not only for shoulders, but knee pain and ankle pain too. Individuals who have had unsuccessful arthroscopic knee surgery would benefit from getting PRP to aid in pain relief. In fact, individuals who’ve had arthroscopic surgery and are still in pain, platelet rich plasma therapy is a natural biological process that uses your own blood to help the body heal itself. About two ounces of your blood is drawn and put into a special centrifuge. The PRP is then drawn off into a syringe and injected into the shoulder area.
After PRP is injected, natural healing occurs over the next 6-8 weeks. There is no down time, recovery period or rehabilitation. No costly or time-consuming therapies to drive back and forth to. My clinical experience in treating patients with persistent shoulder pain, that has not responded to more conservative therapies, have been excellent. PRP can truly provide lasting pain relief. Platelet rich plasma therapy is also known as regenerative medicine. Damage tissue is regenerated into health, stronger tissue by stem cells and other tissue building cells. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.
PRP is also well-accepted among major league sports. It is used as a preferential first-line treatments for professional athletes with shoulder and knee injuries. If you have shoulder pain that is bothering you, whether or not you have had surgery, you may be an excellent candidate for PRP therapy. Here in Sarasota, PRP therapy is available at Sarasota Neurology, by PRP Dr. Daniel Kassicieh. Contact Sarasota Neurology for a PRP consultation and start living pain free today!