What do we mean when we talk about regenerative therapies for pain and how can they help in injury recovery?
UNDERSTANDING LOAD
When things go wrong in joints, tendons or muscles, whether from a sudden injury or slow progressive wear and tear, clinicians often talk about two factors; load and repair.
Load is often framed as what has caused the problem – the sudden load of an acute injury or the repetitive load of wear and tear.
In this context, the load doesn’t just mean weight, it can also refer to lots of repetitions (like running a long distance) or moderate, but completely new, work for the muscle.
Whatever type of ‘load’, it’s often described solely as the bad guy. The cause of the injury; overcoming the good guy. Load is perceived as causing an injury and limiting your body’s ability to repair and heal.
By thinking of load as a negative, we might attempt to unload the injury entirely in order to heal.
While this might work for some acute severe injuries in the very early days, it can actually be counterproductive to reducing pain and returning to function for ongoing musculoskeletal (MSK) pains.
Progressive reloading is what promotes healing in recovery from bone fractures, osteopenias, tendinopathies, neural tension, myofascial pain, etc.
It reduces pain sensitivity and done properly can promote range of movement.
Your body is a machine designed to adapt to movement and load. Cells wake up to load; chondrocytes of articular cartilage, fibroblasts of connective tissue, and tenocytes of tendons all sense and respond to load by newly healing their relative tissues. Excessive unloading can actually diminish our ability to heal.
REGENERATIVE THERAPIES AND INJURY REPAIR
Medicine has traditionally been too focussed on unloading, say an arthritic knee, which will not stimulate the repair of struggling cartilage, rather than focusing on helping the other part of the equation; actively inducing healing and re-empowering movement.
Regenerative therapies such as Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) offered at CMG, promote the body’s natural healing response to load, producing a positive cycle to recover from non-progressing injuries.
Regenerative therapies can help with a range of injuries and pain and can lead to less pain, and optimal repair, allowing you to progressively increase the load, and return to those activities you enjoy.
CMG offers private musculoskeletal and injury support including regenerative therapies.
Find out more about our range of MSK services at CMG by calling 01872 392087 or on our website.
