Replacing Surgery with Regenexx: Novel Treatments for Hip Pain Relief

Why Does Hip Pain Occur?

Hip pain arises from various causes, including arthritis, injuries such as fractures, labral tears, and dislocations, as well as structural issues like osteoporosis and bursitis. Individuals prone to hip injuries include athletes in sports that involve frequent hip movement—such as dancers, golfers, and gymnasts—contact sport athletes, and those with osteoporosis. Traditionally, patients with unresolved hip pain from conservative measures like rest, ice, and physical therapy had only invasive orthopedic surgery as a treatment option. The hip, being a large weight-bearing joint, poses unique potential complications from surgery, including leg length discrepancies, blood clots, joint stiffening, bleeding, and infection.

Avoiding Orthopedic Hip Surgery with Regenerative Medicine

In recent years, new and less invasive treatments for hip injuries have emerged. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and bone marrow concentrate containing stem cells are recognized in the regenerative medicine community for their ability to enhance the body's own healing abilities in a targeted injury area. PRP, a solution of concentrated platelets—the cells in the blood that travel to an injury site and initiate tissue rehabilitation—has seen notable advancements. PRP by Regenexx is one such example that represents a higher standard of PRP, featuring a specialized process that yields a more pure solution with higher concentrations of healing platelets. During the PRP process, blood is drawn and processed to separate the platelets and plasma from other blood components. Regenexx  providers such as Dr. Matthew Kohler of Ospina Medical then uses imaging to precisely guide the PRP injection to the injury site, ensuring the optimal delivery of the healing serum. Patients typically begin seeing improvements in the few weeks following their procedure.

Another non-surgical option for hip pain  treatment is the same-day injection of bone marrow concentrate containing stem cells. These very young, non-differentiated cells that originate in our bone marrow have the potential to become any cell type within the body. This capability is harnessed for hip pain treatment by injecting the cells into the inflamed or injured area, allowing them to develop into the cells needed to construct healthier hip tissues and heal the injury. Since they are the patient's own cells, the risk of complications such as rejection or infection is very low. The cells are typically harvested from the bone marrow in the back of the hip bone, where they are most abundant. The Regenexx Same-Day procedure stands as the premier bone marrow concentrate treatment, offering a sophisticated approach to harnessing these regenerative cells for optimal hip pain relief.

Non-Surgical Success

Clinical research validates the effectiveness of PRP and bone marrow concentrate therapies as non-surgical options. A 2019 Weill Cornell Medicine study in the Journal of Pain Medicine revealed 67% of patients reported over a 50% reduction in hip pain three months after PRP treatments, with 58% sustaining this improvement after six months. Furthermore, a June 2023 narrative review in the Journal of Regenerative Medicine, examining six studies on outcomes of stem cell treatments, demonstrated that five of these studies showed statistically significant enhancements in pain and function, maintaining these results for an average of 14 months.

Research findings like the above underscore the potential of PRP and bone marrow concentrate treatments as groundbreaking alternatives for managing hip pain effectively. With a focus on harnessing the body's innate healing capabilities, these treatments offer a promising path to recovery without the need for surgery. If you are seeking solutions that align with the body's natural healing processes and wish to avoid the complexities of surgery, Ospina Medical may provide the innovative care you didn’t know you needed. If you’re ready to explore effective, minimally invasive treatments for your hip pain, contact Ospina Medical today to schedule a consultation with Dr. Matthew Kohler.

Written By: Dakota Boonstra

Edited By: Camden Rowe

Medically Reviewed By: Matthew Kohler, MD