Prolotherapy New Jersey physician Dr. Hector Lopez is making new waves in minimally-invasive joint pain treatments.  This northeastern health and joint expert is giving new hope to patients with chronic joint pain who may have tried other treatments with no success, and his uniquely effective approach is earning him more and more attention from the orthopedic community.

What is Prolotherapy?
Prolotherapy (also called regenerative-restorative injection therapy, or RIT) is a treatment for various types of joint pain – including pain caused by injury, arthritis, carpal tunnel syndrome, torn ligaments and tendons, damaged cartilage, and back problems like herniated or degenerated discs.  Prolotherapy is also suited to the treatment of more generalized pain disorders like fibromyalgia.

The word “prolotherapy” owes its name to proliferation, which means “new growth” or “extended life.”  The treatment involves a series of gentle, mostly non-painful injections of a substance that promotes localized inflammation and the production of new tissue by the body.  The body effectively heals itself with help from injections.

What are the treatments like?
The procedure involves a simple injection at the site of pain.  Treatment frequencies may vary depending on the patient’s immune system and healing time, but most patients require four to six treatment sessions.  These sessions would take place about four to six weeks apart for a total treatment time of four to nine months.  Many patients start to feel a relief from pain after only one session.

Who can benefit from prolotherapy?
Prolotherapy is a very safe and minimally invasive procedure suitable for many patients who may not be eligible for more invasive procedures.  Individuals with low immune system function, nutritional deficiencies, or hormonal imbalances may not be good candidates for prolotherapy.

Prolotherapy offers a safe and comfortable alternative to surgical procedures or a lifetime of chronic pain.  For more information on prolotherapy NJ and other injection therapy treatment options, visit www.drhectorlopez.com/injectiontherapy.php.

June 23, 2011 (Hackensack, NJ) – A spine clinic Bergen County recognized as a leader in pain management and orthopedic treatments is now offering a revolutionary treatment for individuals with chronic joint problems using the patient’s own stem cells.  Performed at Spine & Joint Center by Dr. Damon Noto, the treatment utilizes adult stem cells harvested from the patient’s own fat cells (not controversial embryonic stem cells), which are then injected into the injured joint to help stimulate the regeneration of healthy tissue.

This stem cell therapy has made recent headlines in the baseball world, where it has helped injured New York Yankees pitcher Bartolo Colón make a full recovery from a serious shoulder injury and pitch his first full season since 2005.  The treatment required no artificial hormones, and 38-year-old Colón’s athletic performance since the treatment rivals that of players in their early twenties.

Stem cells are body cells with the potential to develop into any specialized type of cell.  By introducing the body’s own stem cells – harvested from body fat over the oblique muscles (the “love handles”) – the treatment helps the body recover by regenerating the damaged joint tissue.  The procedure is low-risk, minimally invasive, office-based, and can be completed in only 90 minutes.  The patient can leave the office that same day, and substantial recovery is typically seen within 6-8 weeks.  The treatment is very effective because it utilizes the body’s own natural regeneration materials to rebuild damage in areas that unavoidably receive less blood flow, thus receiving fewer stem cells.  By introducing stem cells at the site of injury, doctors can give the body a boost by delivering the patient’s own natural regenerative materials directly to the afflicted joint.

At Spine and Joint Center, Dr. Noto is one of the few doctors in the New York area who perform this procedure – and he’s seeing an extremely high success rate as well as an increase in patients interested in the procedure.  “This is something we couldn’t have offered before,” says Dr. Noto, “and now we have this as an option.  We used to have to replace things with hardware, but now we can stimulate the body to produce new tissue.”  Stem cell treatment offers new hope and a fast, full recovery to patients with orthopedic injuries and patients who have tried surgical procedures without success.

About Spine & Joint Center
Headed by Dr. Damon Noto, Spine & Joint Center offers comprehensive care for joint problems, back pain, and neck pain in Bergen County, New Jersey.  For more information on joint and back pain Bergen County treatment options, visit http://www.spineandjointcenter.com/.