While acute pain is a normal sensation triggered in the nervous system to alert you to possible injury and the need to take care of yourself, chronic pain is different in that it persists for weeks, months, or even years. The pain may have been originated by an injury, serious infection, or there may be an ongoing cause of pain such as arthritis. Some people may suffer chronic pain in the absence of any past injury or evidence of body damage. Common chronic pain complaints include headache, low back pain, cancer pain, arthritis pain, neurogenic pain (pain resulting from damage to the peripheral nerves or to the central nervous system itself), and psychogenic pain (pain not due to past disease or injury or any visible sign of damage inside or outside the nervous system).                  

Chronic Pain disorders are not well understood by the medical community, and have therefore historically been poorly diagnosed. Complex Regional Pain Syndrome  also known as Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy, is defined as chronic pain experienced without identified major nerve damage. The prevalence of this condition is unknown, but is believed to range from 500,000 to 6 million cases in the at any given time.                   

Currently treatment options are limited to palliative care with acupuncture, analgesics and narcotics. In addition, psychotherapy, relaxation practices and behavior modification may be employed to treat chronic pain. These treatments provide temporary relief, but do not address the underlying causes. Many doctors are unwilling to prescribe powerful pain medications due to the risk of addiction and abuse, leaving many who suffer from chronic pain to live with this debilitating condition. In addition, due to the poor diagnosis and understanding of these conditions, individuals suffering from chronic pain have often been treated as though their condition is psychosomatic, thus receiving little or no effective treatment.          

HOW STEM CELL THERAPY HELPS 

Since our international clinics began offering stem cell therapy, patients have often reported experiencing the amelioration of pain, seemingly unrelated to the remediation of the condition. Until now, it was unclear as to the underlying cause of this effect. Based upon the new findings showing small fiber nerve damage to be at the root of chronic pain, we can offer treatment specifically targeting chronic pain conditions. Our stem cell therapy targets and regenerates the damaged nerve cells, reducing or eliminating chronic pain in these patients. Several of our patients have experienced significant pain remediation through this therapy.