Chronic pain is a growing epidemic in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 20% of American adults (over 50 million people) suffer from chronic pain. Not only is chronic pain debilitating and disruptive to a person’s health and overall quality of life, but it’s also expensive. From the cost of medications and doctor’s office visits to lost wages, studies have found that the costs associated with chronic pain cost the American economy over $600 billion every year.
If you’re one of the millions of Americans living with pain, we can help you take control of your health and improve your quality of life. At Genesis Integrative Medicine, our providers — Stephanie Schuster, APRN, and Nathan Conroy, DC — offer a range of rehabilitative services and regenerative medicine therapy at our Geneva, Illinois, office.
What is regenerative medicine?
Certain cell types, such as mesenchymal stem cells, have the ability to differentiate into different types of cells, which means they can grow to become bone, muscle, and cartilage. Mesenchymal cells are found throughout the human body, including the umbilical cord, bone marrow, and fat tissue. Regenerative medicine focuses on using this type of tissue to create therapies and treatments based on the body’s capacity for healing itself.
Connective tissue like cartilage, which plays a critical role in healthy joints, doesn’t regenerate on its own when it’s lost, and can be very difficult to replace. When an injury or illness like osteoarthritis eats away at the cartilage in your knees, wrists, shoulders, or other parts of the body, it can cause excruciating pain and a lack of mobility, and eventually result in permanent joint damage.
When this happens, conventional treatments like surgery can only go so far to preserve joint function and minimize pain. Without cartilage and healthy connective tissue, your bones and joints just can’t work how they’re supposed to.
How can regenerative medicine treatments help manage pain?
Depending on the location, cause, and severity of your symptoms, mesenchymal stem cell therapy may be available to help treat your injury. The treatment consists of a series of injections applied directly to the area of injury, so you don’t have to worry about incisions, hospital stays, or any downtime after the treatment. The goal is to help stimulate healthy tissue growth over time.
Our practitioners will perform a comprehensive evaluation and design a treatment plan based on your symptoms and specific needs. Most people require a series of shots over a period of weeks or months and can expect gradual results over time. Regenerative medicine is typically used in conjunction with your conventional treatments, such as physical therapy.
Pain doesn’t have to keep you from the activities you love or ruin your quality of life. For more information about nonsurgical, minimally invasive pain management treatments with regenerative medicine, contact us at Genesis Integrative Medicine today by calling our Geneva office at 630-283-6563, or use our convenient online booking tool to schedule an appointment today.