Do you suffer from sharp pain that radiates from your tailbone into surrounding areas? This may be a condition called sciatica.
Sciatica refers to radiating pain that starts in the lower back and spreads to the hips or legs. It stems from a pinched or compressed nerve in the lower portion of the spine. Sciatica is one of the most common medical complaints, affecting more than 3 million people per year in the United States.
While sciatica is a prevalent condition, it can be hard to find an effective way to treat it. Many people struggle to find a solution that resolves their symptoms and relieves their pain. This has led to many innovative treatment options that may be more effective than traditional pain relief.
Platelet-Rich Plasma for Sciatica Symptoms
One therapy option for sciatica may be Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) therapy. PRP is created by spinning blood in a centrifuge, separating its components, and combining the plasma with a high concentration of platelets.
These platelets are known to provide intense healing properties, which could resolve certain ailments. Medical professionals are now looking to PRP as a potential treatment for sciatica pain.
How does PRP therapy resolve sciatica? Platelet-rich plasma may be effective at helping manage sciatica pain by targeting the source of the problem.
A common cause of sciatica is degenerative disc disease. Weak and worn-down spinal discs are more likely to shift and pinch a nerve, leading to sciatica. Herniated discs, spinal stenosis, and spondylolisthesis are other common causes of sciatica pain.
PRP aims to treat sciatica by stabilizing the area and reducing some of the most prevalent symptoms. During a PRP treatment for sciatica, platelet-rich plasma is harvested from the patient’s own plasma. This PRP is then administered into the epidural space surrounding the spinal cord. The PRP offers healing properties that can ease some of the discomfort caused by sciatica.
Another option involves administering injections directly into the affected disc. When given this way, PRP can help pull together torn portions of a spinal disc and aid in repair. This process can be slower than the PRP therapy that’s used to heal other areas of the body. This happens because spinal discs don’t contain the number of blood vessels that other body parts do.
Ongoing Research
There’s still a great deal of research assessing how effective PRP is as a sciatica treatment. If you are struggling with sciatica symptoms, speak to your physician about platelet-rich plasma therapy as a potential solution.
This post was written by a medical professional at Stemedix Inc. At Stemedix we provide access to Regenerative Medicine for back pain, also known as stem cell therapy for degenerative disc disease. Regenerative medicine has the natural potential to help improve symptoms sometimes lost from the progression of many conditions.
