What is joint pain?
Your body has numerous areas where bones come together and form joints. Some of your joints are fixed in place by connective tissue, and others smoothly rub against each other because of their protective coating of cartilage. The most obvious joints in your body are your knees, elbows, and ankles. But you also have joints in areas like your spine and skull.
When you develop joint pain, it can be due to several reasons, including:
- Arthritis
- Gout
- Bursitis
- Tendinitis
Joint pain in your back usually occurs due to facet joint syndrome.
What is facet joint syndrome?
The facet joints in your spine connect your vertebrae. These unique joints help provide flexibility in your spine so you can move, bend, and twist. When you have facet joint syndrome, it means you have osteoarthritis in your spine. This degenerative joint condition develops when your cartilage starts wearing away, causing your bones to rub together painfully.
Facet joint syndrome can cause a variety of symptoms, such as:
- Discomfort when leaning back
- Difficulty getting up from a chair
- Challenges bending, turning, or straightening your spine
- Numbness, muscle weakness, or pain in parts of your body associated with the joint
You can experience facet joint syndrome anywhere in your spine.
How is joint pain treated?
At Pain Relief of Dayton, Dr. Buenaventura offers a wide range of non-narcotic pain management solutions, including:
- Anti-inflammatory medications
- Acupuncture
- Chiropractic adjustments and massage therapy
- Diagnostic and therapeutic injections, like nerve blocks
Dr. Buenaventura has also brought regenerative medicine to the Dayton area, a field of medicine that can be especially effective at managing joint pain caused by damage or degeneration.
What is regenerative medicine?
Regenerative medicine techniques focus on repairing damage within your body by activating your system’s healing response.
There are several different regenerative medicine therapies, and Dr. Buenaventura specializes in platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy and prolotherapy. While both of these techniques work to trigger the healing response in the area of your body with damage, PRP uses the healing agents found in your blood and prolotherapy uses a natural irritant to activate the process.
Dr. Buenaventura also offers intradiscal PRP therapy to treat painful conditions in your spine.
For help with your joint pain, call Pain Relief of Dayton or schedule an appointment online today.
