Spinal Stenosis – Options for Treatment

September 30, 2015/0 Comments/in Back Pain /by Matthew Thorson

Back pain can have many causes, some of which are difficult to identify. Spinal stenosis is a common cause of back pain in patients, but many people don’t know what it is or how to recognize its symptoms. This blog post will focus on the topic of spinal stenosis. Read on to learn more about the causes and symptoms of spinal stenosis, as well as some of the available methods for treatment.

Spinal Stenosis Causes & Symptoms

The narrowing of the spinal canal, which is the hallmark of spinal stenosis, can be due to congenital defects, but is most often a result of the body degrading as we age (as a result of aging). This narrowing can occur in the cervical (neck) or the lumbar (low back) regions of the spine. The location of the symptoms will indicate the spinal level affected by the stenosis.

As the spine narrows, the nerves in the spine become compressed. This can lead to a variety of negative symptoms. The symptoms of spinal stenosis are varied and can include any or all of the following:

Back pain
Weakness and numbness in the back, legs, or extremities
Bladder & bowel control issues

If left untreated, stenosis in the spine can lead to permanent damage to the spinal nerves, which can mean paralysis for the affected patient.

Spinal Stenosis Treatment Options

Treatment of spinal stenosis can be approached either surgically or non-surgically. Surgical intervention typically entails removing (reshaping?) portions of spinal discs and vertebrae in order to reduce narrowing in the spine and free up any impacted nerves. Most patients wait to have surgery until they have exhausted all their other non-surgical options for treating the stenosis. Conservative treatments that may be effective include pain medication, physical therapy, chiropractic, steroid injections, and more. PRP injections are another non-surgical treatment option for stenosis that uses a patient’s own blood cells to rejuvenate lost or damaged tissue.

If you are suffering from the signs and symptoms of spinal stenosis, contact a skilled back pain doctor to talk about your treatment options. Dr. Thorson has experience treating Minnesotans with back pain using a variety of methods. Call to set up your appointment with Dr. Thorson today!

Regenerative Anti-Aging Treatments Explained

September 28, 2015/0 Comments/in Regenerative Medicine /by Matthew Thorson

People have been trying to reverse the signs of aging for centuries. While there are numerous treatment options available, not all of them are created equal. This article will focus on the various regenerative therapies that can reverse the signs of aging.

Why the Body Ages

It’s a simple fact of life that over time, our bodies degrade. Our cells break down and aren’t able to rebuild, which leads to the development of wrinkles, deterioration of tissue, and more. Skin gets drier, thinner, and less elastic the older we get. Thankfully, there are a number of effective treatment options for combating the signs of aging.

Traditional Anti-Aging Treatments

There are countless anti-aging creams, lotions, medications, and miracle drugs on the market today. Most of these treatments provide temporary results at best. Creams and lotions can hide wrinkles for a short while, but most of the time wrinkles will return as the skin continues to deteriorate. Plastic surgery is another popular approach to reverse the signs of aging. While these procedures work, they result in surgical trauma and recovery time. Regenerative treatment methods are more effective and require less time and down-time than traditional treatments.

Regenerative Anti-Aging Treatments

Regenerative treatments use cells from the patient’s body to promote natural tissue regrowth and healing. Here are a few of the anti-aging treatments regenerative medicine has to offer:

Vampire Facial. This procedure involves injecting a sample of the patient’s own platelet rich plasma (PRP) into the face. These platelets help boost the body’s natural healing process, creating new collagen, and tissues. And the best part is, it’s all-natural! PRP is your body’s own stem cells.
Microneedling (aka collagen induction therapy). This treatment involves using tiny needles to create wounds in the facial skin. These wounds cause the body to naturally respond to the trauma by producing collagen and elastin – increasing skin volume and suppleness in the process.

If you have tried traditional anti-aging treatment methods with no luck (or even if this is your first foray) regenerative medicine may be a good fit for you. Contact Advanced Spine & Pain Clinics of Minnesota today to talk with our regenerative medicine professionals.

Hip Pain – Injuries, Conditions & Treatments

September 17, 2015/0 Comments/in Hip Pain /by Matthew Thorson

We often take our hips for granted. They provide balance and are essential to our ability to walk. Many people experience hip problems as they get older. In this article, we are going to talk about some common hip ailments and the various treatment options (both traditional and regenerative) currently available to patients with hip problems.

Hip Injuries & Conditions

Hip pain can develop over time or result from a single incident. Here are a few of the most common hip injuries and conditions:

Arthritis, Osteoarthritis, and Rheumatoid arthritis
Strains
Sprains
Hip dislocations
Hip Fractures

If you are experiencing pain in your hip, lower back, or legs, you could be suffering from one of the above hip conditions.

Traditional vs. Regenerative Therapies for Hip Injuries

Traditional treatments for hip conditions and injuries include physical therapy, pain medications, and surgery. These traditional options have varying rates of success. Hip replacement surgery is an effective option but requires a lot of surgical trauma that can be avoided with other options.

Regenerative therapies for hip pain are relatively new by comparison, but show great success rates and incredible promise. PRP therapy is one such regenerative medicine therapy that provides pain relief and allows patients to avoid hip replacement surgery. The procedure is quite simple and painless – a physician draws a sample of your own blood, separates the platelets and plasma in a centrifuge, and then reinjects platelet-rich plasma into the hip area. These platelets immediately go to work rebuilding damaged tissue, and continue doing so as time goes on. This is a completely natural and effective therapy for hip injuries and conditions.

Hip Pain Management in Minnesota

If you have suffered a hip injury or are living with a painful hip condition, don’t suffer through life dealing with your pain. Take a proactive step and contact a regenerative medicine specialist to talk about how PRP can help reduce your hip pain. Dr. Thorson has successfully treated many patients with hip pain using PRP therapy. Make your appointment with Dr. Thorson today.

Common Knee Injuries Sustained by Football Players

September 16, 2015/0 Comments/in Knee Injury /by Matthew Thorson

American football is one of, if not the, most popular sports in the country. While it’s a fantastic game, injuries are unfortunately common in football. Considering the high intensity and full impact nature of the sport, this is not surprising. Football injuries range from concussions and traumatic brain injuries, to ankle sprains and fractures. In this article, we are going to discuss the common types of knee injuries that a football player can sustain on the field. We will also talk about some treatment options for these injuries, including PRP injections and regenerative medicine.

Knee Injuries & Football

Football is a full contact sport. Even with all the padding and protective gear that players wear during play, injuries are quite common. Here are some of the most common knee injuries that people sustain playing football:

ACL & MCL tears
Meniscus tear
Knee Fracture
Tendon Tears

These injuries can happen to any player – amateurs and professionals alike. To diagnose an injury, a physician will perform a physical exam and will likely order imaging tests (x-ray, MRI, CT scan) to confirm a diagnosis before recommending treatment approaches.

Regenerative Medicine for Minnesota Football Players

Effectively treating football knee injuries requires a multi-faceted approach. First, an accurate diagnosis of the specific knee injury must be made. Only then can you move forward to treating the injury. After a diagnosis has been made, the physician will discuss your options for treatment and offer a recommendation based on your unique set of circumstances. Treatment options may include physical therapy, pain injections, or surgery to repair the knee injury. These methods all have varying levels of success. PRP injections offer an alternative to surgery that provides long-term results. Compared to steroid injections that wear off over time, PRP injections help rebuild damaged tissue in the knee and reduce pain.

If you or your child has sustained a knee injury while playing football, contact Dr. Thorson to make an appointment and see how PRP therapy can help you.

PRP Therapy for Rotator Cuff Tears

September 3, 2015/0 Comments/in PRP /by Matthew Thorson

Rotator cuff tears are common shoulder injuries that can be quite painful and make daily tasks difficult. Identifying and treating these tears when the happen is essential to maintaining a good quality of life. This article will focus on rotator cuff tears and injuries. We will discuss the anatomy of the shoulder, the causes of a rotator cuff tear, and how PRP therapy and regenerative medicine can help treat shoulder injuries.

What is a Rotator Cuff?

Your rotator cuff is a group of muscles that connect your arms to your shoulders. They also facilitate arm movements like lifting and rotating. Tearing these muscles can lead to a lot of pain and decreased mobility.

Rotator cuff tears are divided into two categories: acute tears, and degenerative tears. Acute rotator cuff tears are the result of a single injury, while degenerative tears develop over time as the tendon wears down. Here are some of the most common injuries and factors that can lead to a rotator cuff tear:

Slip & Fall accidents
Sports injuries
Car accidents
Improper lifting techniques
Reduced blood supply to the area
Repetitive stress
Bone Spurs

Certain activities (like playing high impact sports) can increase a person’s risk of a rotator cuff tear. But many of these injuries are caused by normal wear and tear on the tendons over time. No matter what causes a rotator cuff tear, there are options for treatment.

Treat Options for Shoulder Injuries

Rotator cuff tears can get worse over time if left untreated, so it’s important to address the injury right away. Treating a rotator cuff tear first requires a full examination, and possibly imaging tests like MRI scans. Once a physician accurately diagnoses the condition, you can work with your doctor to develop a treatment strategy. Treatment options range from pain medications, to steroid injections, to surgery.

PRP therapy can be just as effective as these traditional methods, and allows the patient to avoid surgery. PRP injections work by drawing a sample of the patient’s own blood, and then re-injecting portions of it into the shoulder near the site of the rotator cuff tear. The platelets in the patient’s blood go to work repairing the damaged tissue and reducing pain in the process.

PRP Therapy in Minneapolis

Shoulder injuries like a rotator cuff tear can really disrupt a person’s everyday life. The shoulder pain, coupled with the inability to lift your arm can make even the most mundane tasks difficult. Don’t just deal with the pain – seek medical help. Regenerative medicine therapies like PRP injections can provide significant pain relief while repairing your damaged rotator cuff tendons. Best of all, there is no surgery involved in this procedure. To see if PRP injections can help heal your rotator cuff injury and reduce your shoulder pain, call Advanced Spine & Pain Clinics of Minnesota to make an appointment with Dr. Matthew Thorson today.