Home / Orthopedic Blog / Don’t Ignore the Signs. Your Future Will Thank You.

By: Our Medical Team | January 3, 2025

Dedicating oneself to better health and wellness practices is a common refrain as the new year commences. In temperate climates like the Scottsdale, Arizona, the urge to get outside and take part in the activities you love is almost irresistible, even when minor aches, pains and twinges have you giving the patio lounger a second look. But those of us who live for physical activity or simply playing with the kids over the weekend are apt to ignore such minor nuisances. May we kindly suggest: Don’t.

That discomfort is trying to tell you something. Yes, the cause can be quite minor, nothing a good period of rest won’t fix. But it can also signal a more profound issue that, if left untreated, will leave you wishing you’d heeded its warning. Everyone is vulnerable to injury. Best to address it early than risk further damage and delayed recovery.

A physician well-versed in musculoskeletal injuries can help you identify the root cause of the discomfort and tailor a treatment program that nips injury in the bud using noninvasive procedures that treat back, muscle, nerve and joint conditions and help you regain maximum range of motion — functionality you may not even be aware is compromised, especially if you’ve been compensating for discomfort for some time.

There are a number of orthobiologic, non-surgical treatments proven to address conditions such as neck and low back pain, sciatica, degenerative discs, tendinitis and osteoarthritis by reducing swelling and inflammation — a leading cause of pain — stimulating the growth of healthy new tissue and speed healing. Innovative regenerative therapies can provide lasting relief of symptoms and improve joint function. These include:

• Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) that accelerates the body’s healing processes and may lead to a more complete recovery as their intrinsic natural growth hormones and proteins signal tissue to increase rebuilding. PRP provides an alternative to steroid injections and can resolve soft tissue injuries such as tennis elbow or tendinitis in the knees (ahem, pickleballers).
• Biologic therapy using precisely delivered, highly concentrated nutrients and proteins that work at the cellular level to reduce inflammation, initiative the repair of affected cells and stimulate tissue regeneration. Safe and nontoxic, biologic therapy is a natural alternative to steroids, narcotics or surgery.
• The Discseel® Procedure is a state-of-the-art treatment that uses the biologic Fibrin to permanently heal damaged spinal discs without surgery. It’s been proven to significantly reduce pain and improve function in 82% of patients. The procedure is beneficial to golfers, horseback riders, racquet sport aficionados and others who continually place a great amount of stress on lumbar discs, as well as those with degenerative disc disease.

In addition to healing therapies, the latest advancements in regenerative therapy can also help prevent injury and maintain optimal health. Regenerative IV wellness therapies infuse mixtures of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fluids directly into the bloodstream to bolster immune function, elevate energy levels,  enhance hydration, shorten recovery times and reduce muscle soreness. Elite IV wellness also assists in anti-aging efforts via hydrating formulas enriched with peptides, vitamins and minerals that improve skin elasticity and counteract the damaging effects of stress.

Ultimately, the goal of regenerative therapy is to enable optimal health and, for those experiencing pain or limited joint function, to help you return to the life you love. A physician well-versed in natural orthobiologics as well as traditional treatments can support an informed decision about the right way to approach treatment — treatment that’s tailored to your needs and goals.

When aches and pains are beginning to limit your ability to enjoy an active lifestyle, we encourage you to think about the treatments available to you beyond surgery. While surgery may, in the end, be the right route to healing, exploring alternatives beforehand may help you regain optimal health without it. Be proactive about addressing discomfort and be open-minded about investigating noninvasive treatments. Under the guidance of experts in interventional physical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R), the route to a pain-free life may well run through a professional, state-of-the-art outpatient clinic, not a surgical center.