Platelet-Rich Plasma for Degenerative Disc Disease

Degenerative disc disease (DDD) is a leading cause of back pain in the United States, a discomfort encountered by more than 80% of adults at some stage in their life. DDD manifests in various areas, ranging from chronic lower back pain caused by lumbar degeneration to neck pain associated with cervical degeneration. These afflictions are a major cause of disability, workplace absence, and a decline in quality of life. However, it is important to note that while the degeneration of discs refers to the physical breakdown and loss of disc height, flexibility, and hydration, pain can result from various factors, such as inflammation, nerve compression, or muscle spasms around the affected discs. In some cases, individuals may experience significant disc degeneration with little to no pain, while others may experience intense pain even with relatively mild degeneration. Despite the widespread prevalence of DDD, treatment options for managing pain remain limited. Traditional methods, such as rest, physical therapy, and corticosteroid injections, can offer relief from symptoms but do little to halt the progression of the disease.

In recent years, several clinical studies have investigated the efficacy of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections as a treatment for DDD. PRP offers a concentration of autologous proteins, growth factors, platelets and cytokines, making it an attractive option for tissue regeneration and repair. One study which focused on PRP’s role in treating intervertebral disc degeneration (IVD), a form of DDD that causes lower back pain, found that PRP has a great potential for stimulating cell proliferation and increasing metabolic activity of IVD cells (Akeda et al., 2019). The stimulation of the IVD cells using PRP was also shown to promote tissue repair and aid in intradiscal therapy for the treatment of lower back pain (Chang et al., 2020). Moreover, PRP injections for DDD were not only found to provide pain relief, but also offer a safe and feasible treatment option.

A systematic review of studies evaluating PRP injections for degenerative disc disease (DDD) found that intradiscal PRP injections led to statistically significant improvements in the Visual Analog Scale (VAS), with low rates of reinjection and complications (Hirase et al., 2020). While these findings are promising, it is important to recognize that PRP is still a relatively novel treatment for DDD, requiring further research to definitively establish its efficacy. Key questions remain, such as the optimal PRP dosage by volume per injection and the ideal number of injections required for comprehensive treatment.

Despite these uncertainties, current evidence suggests that PRP injections hold substantial potential as a treatment option for DDD. Beyond its powerful healing capabilities for patients, autologous PRP is practical, efficient, and easy to incorporate into a provider’s treatment protocols. Celling Biosciences’ PRP concentration systems, the ART PRP Plus and ART Two-Step, represent the gold standard in whole blood concentration. With limited sterile breaks and user-friendly functionality, these devices outperform competitors in producing highly concentrated, effective PRP. Contact Brad Becker ([email protected]) to find out more about the ART PRP Plus or ART Two-Step devices and how they can transform your practice.

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References:

Akeda, K., Yamada, J., Linn, E. T., Sudo, A., & Masuda, K. (2019). Platelet-rich plasma in the management of chronic low back pain: a critical review.?Journal of Pain Research,?12, 753–767. https://doi.org/10.2147/JPR.S153085

Chang Y, Yang M, Ke S, Zhang Y, Xu G, Li Z. Effect of Platelet-Rich Plasma on Intervertebral Disc Degeneration?In Vivo?and?In Vitro: A Critical Review. Oxid Med Cell Longev. 2020 Nov 21;2020:8893819. doi: 10.1155/2020/8893819.

Hirase T, Jack Ii RA, Sochacki KR, Harris JD, Weiner BK. Systemic Review: Is an Intradiscal Injection of Platelet-Rich Plasma for Lumbar Disc Degeneration Effective? Cureus. 2020 Jun 25;12(6):e8831. doi: 10.7759/cureus.8831.