BROOMFIELD, Colo., April 9, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — Dr. Christopher Centeno, founder of the Regenexx family of regenerative orthopedic procedures used to help patients avoid more invasive orthopedic surgery, announced today the positive results of a comparison between traditional steroid epidural injections and injections that use natural growth factors isolated from the patient's own blood.
Steroid epidurals have been questioned in the news lately because of incidents where tainted steroid medications were injected into patients. Additionally, new research shows massive bone loss in women who receive the shots. Despite this, steroid injections remain a mainstay of medical care for back pain and sciatica, with more than 8.9 million injections estimated in 2010 and 159 percent growth in these injections from 2000 to 2010.
As an alternative to steroid epidurals, the Regenexx PL-Disc procedure begins when the doctor takes a blood sample to isolate blood platelets. The natural growth factors from the blood platelets are then extracted and injected around the bulging disc and nerve.
The study compared 147 patients who underwent Regenexx PL-Disc procedure to 85 patients who had steroid epidural injections. The outcome data was collected by a registry and outcomes tracked at 3 months and 6 months. The data gathered were based on improvement in the Functional Rating Index (FRI) which measures things like pain as well as the ability to walk, sit, lift, bend, etc. At 3 months the data suggests that the steroid group had an average functional improvement of 2.3 whereas the Regenexx PL-Disc patients averaged a much better 9.7. At 6 months, the steroid group averaged 0.7 FRI improvement and the Regenexx PL-Disc patients averaged 7.5.
"The results fit with what we see – these injections can help back pain and sciatica patients without exposing them to toxic, high dose steroid medications," stated Christopher Centeno, M.D., the developer of the technique. "Since the tainted steroid medication scare and the studies showing bone loss in women, we try as much as possible to help patients avoid steroid epidural shots."
References:
For the contaminated epidural steroid information, see
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23076093
For the research study on bone loss in women, see
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23196966
For information about the Regenexx-PL-Disc procedure:
http://www.regenexx.com/the-regenexx-procedures/back-surgery-alternative/
For an infographic about the Regenexx-PL-Disc procedure:
http://www.regenexx.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Regenexx-PL-Infographic-Steroid-Epidurals-vs.-Regenexx-PL-Disc.pdf
About Regenexx
Headquartered in Colorado, Regenerative Sciences Inc. is an extension of the medical practice of the Centeno-Schultz clinic and is focused on the development of the Regenexx™ procedure, a breakthrough non-surgical option for people suffering from various orthopedic disorders. The physicians at Regenerative Sciences have developed a patent-pending procedure that uses a person's own stem cells and blood growth factors to help regenerate bone and cartilage. Regenerative Sciences believes in educating patients, providing choices, offering options and encouraging people to take an active role in their own treatment. More information can be found at http://www.regenexx.com.
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