You've probably never heard of your facet joints, but they're vital to your health, mobility, and comfort. They are the places where the individual vertebrae that make up your spine touch. Every time you move, bend, twist, sit, or lie, these joints have to flex. They are in nearly constant motion as your body shifts from moment to moment. As a result, these joints are at a high risk to wear out and/or develop bone spurs as you get older. This can cause osteoarthritis, limited mobility, and back pain that ranges from annoying to debilitating.
In the past, there was no sure cure for facet joint problems because of the complexity and delicacy of the spinal area. At best, there were temporary solutions, such as drugs, cortisone shots, or chiropractic manipulation, that could only alleviate the pain without removing the cause. For serious cases, there was surgery and bone fusion, which was difficult and could lead to further loss of mobility or worse pain. However, advancements in science and regenerative medicine have made it possible to treat facet joint arthritis -- without surgery. The Institute of Regenerative & Molecular Orthopaedics has developed a stem cell treatment that can end the pain of worn-out facet joints, and even regenerate the damage.
The Institute's treatment involves injections of stem cells taken from the patient's own bone marrow. These stem cells work to repair the damage to the bone structure. The stem cell treatment is followed by further injections of platelet rich plasma, which supports and directs the stem cells in their repair work. The pain caused by this procedure is minimal, since a local anesthetic is used for the injections, and it is much less dangerous than spinal surgery. You should be feeling less pain only a few weeks after the treatment. In most cases, repair by stem cells and platelet rich plasma is completed only two to three months after the initial injection.
If you suffer from back pain and inflexibility caused by damaged facet joints, don't assume you just have to live with it. Not without first investigating what stem cells and regenerative medicine can do for you.