27 Aug 2018
By webadmin@macmdaz.com

Ice or Heat for Lower Back Pain?

Chronic Pain Conditions, Therapies & Treatments, , ,
Ice or heat? Which do you use when treating lower back pain? Both can provide effective relief. Cold and heat therapies treat different aspects of lower back pain; and using them in tandem can be effective. Ice therapy can help minimize inflammation and swelling. And heat therapy can help stimulate blood flow to the area to encourage healing. Dr. Castillo usually recommends alternating ice and heat therapies, in 10 minute sessions per therapy.  Cold and heat therapy may both provide effective relief from your lower back pain—but how do you know which one to use?  Read on for helpful advice…
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23 Aug 2018
By webadmin@macmdaz.com

Concussion Care

Chronic Pain Conditions, Therapies & Treatments, , ,
A concussion is a brain injury caused by a blow to the head or a violent shaking of the head and body. While there's no specific cure for concussions doctors often recommend rest and restricting activities to allow the brain to recover. This means one should temporarily reduce sports, video games, TV, or too much socializing. Medications for headache pain, or odansetron or other anti-nausea medications can be used for symptoms.  And while there is no specific cure for concussions Dr. Castillo thinks treatments like Platelet Rich Plasma therapy and Stem Cell therapies may help treat concussions and help patients…
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21 Aug 2018
By webadmin@macmdaz.com

Blood Therapy used by Pro Athletes for Injuries

Chronic Pain Conditions, Chronic Pain News, Regenerative medicine, , , , ,
Platelet Rich Plasma is a therapy treatment that uses the patient's own blood to heal itself. Blood is taken from the patient and spun down to separate the different components: red blood cells, white blood cells and plasma. The plasma, is rich with platelets that are natural occurring healing components in the body. The Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) is then injected back into the body where the pain is located, helping to accelerate the healing time.The concentration of platelets is what accelerates the body's own healing process, utilizing the concentrated PRP. Platelet Rich Plasma Therapy is a minimally invasive procedure…
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20 Aug 2018
By webadmin@macmdaz.com

3D-printed Nerve Stem Cells

Chronic Pain News, Regenerative medicine, ,
Spinal cord injuries can have an effect on other functional areas of the body. Researchers have designed a device which could combine treatment techniques that could restore function to uninjured areas of the body. Combining neuronal stem cells and 3d printing to create an implantable device that would be able to grow new nerve cells re-establishing connection between damaged cells on either side of the injury.  3D Printed Cell Research from University of Minnesota Spinal injuries can be like downed power lines – even if everything on either side of the injury is perfectly functional, the break can effectively shut…
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16 Aug 2018
By webadmin@macmdaz.com

Why Women Get More Migraines

Chronic Pain Conditions, Chronic Pain News, Headaches, , , ,
Disproportionately women are affected by migraines, and it's long been thought due to hormone fluctuation during the menstrual cycle. Researchers believe the hormone oestrogen is could play a role in why more women experience migraines than men. Believing oestrogen effects the trigeminal nerve sensitising it to migraine triggers.   Hormones could be the Trigger cause of Migraines Women are disproportionately affected by migraines - and we may finally have an answer as to why that's the case. After conducting a thorough literature review, a team of researchers believes that oestrogen has a direct impact on migraine sensitivity in the brain.…
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16 Jul 2018
By webadmin@macmdaz.com

Regenerative Medicine can Reduce Need for Surgery


Regenerative medicine, , ,
Regenerative Medicine is a relatively new branch of medicine that seeks to promote healing and repair of native tissues that are damaged. Using various chemicals, growth factors, and cell transplants, the goal of the treatment is to heal a variety of organs within the body. Currently there are thousands of studies into regeneration and repair. These studies address a wide range of medical problems such as arthritis, tendon tears, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, ALS, Parkinson’s Disease, COPD, heart damage, and even cancer. The cornerstone of Regenerative Medicine is stem cell therapy. Stem cells are immature cells that can differentiate into any…
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25 Jun 2018
By webadmin@macmdaz.com

Stem Cell-Rich Prolotherapy and Platelet-Rich Plasma for Musculoskeletal Pain

Chronic Pain News, Regenerative medicine, Therapies & Treatments, , , ,
Many people have heard the term “platelet-rich plasma” in news stories in connection with athletic injuries, however, not all may realize that when platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is injected into and around a joint, it is actually a type of prolotherapy. In fact, PRP has been used as a formula in prolotherapy since around 2005. The approach has been shown to be effective not only for older injuries but also for recent ones, making it ideal for athletic injuries. It has also successfully been used in the treatment of osteoarthritis (OA) and helpful for cartilage repair. Not All Platelet-Rich Plasma Is…
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18 Jun 2018
By webadmin@macmdaz.com

Regenerative Bandage Accelerates Wound Healing

Chronic Pain News, Regenerative medicine, ,
A simple scrape or sore might not cause alarm for most people. But for diabetic patients, an untreated scratch can turn into an open wound that could potentially lead to a limb amputation or even death. A Northwestern University team has developed a new device, called a regenerative bandage, that quickly heals these painful, hard-to-treat sores without using drugs. During head-to-head tests, Northwestern's bandage healed diabetic wounds 33 percent faster than one of the most popular bandages currently on the market. "The novelty is that we identified a segment of a protein in skin that is important to wound healing,…
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29 May 2018
By webadmin@macmdaz.com

Neuroinflammation of Patients with Sciatica

Chronic Pain Conditions, Nerve Pain, ,
A study by Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) investigators has found, for the first time in humans, that patients with chronic sciatica - back pain that shoots down the leg - have evidence of inflammation in key areas of the nervous system. In their paper published in the May issue of the journal Pain, the research team reports finding that average levels of a marker of neuroinflammation were elevated in both the spinal cord and the nerve roots of patients with chronic sciatica. Additionally, the study showed an association between neuroinflammation and response to anti-inflammatory steroid injections, with levels of neuroinflammation differing…
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14 May 2018
By webadmin@macmdaz.com

TMS Protocol May Be Effective in CRPS

Chronic Pain News, Therapies & Treatments, ,
The use of a novel frequency pairing for transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) may effectively relieve upper and lower extremity pain associated with complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), according to a study published in Neuromodulation. The TMS protocol used in this study consisted of initial intermittent theta bursts (ie, burst of three 50-Hz pulses every 200 ms, 2 second-long trains repeated every 10 s, total of 600 pulses, delivered at 70% of the resting motor threshold [RMT]). This was followed by a 10-Hz stimulation (duration, 10 s; intertrain interval, 30 s; total pulses, 2000; delivered at 80% of RMT). Muscle activity was monitored throughout…
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