Pain Relief: Regenerative Medicine for Osteoarthritis, Lower Back Pain, Sciatica, and Sports Injuries

Regenerative medicine has emerged as a significant alternative for pain treatment, focusing on biological and personalized methods that activate the body’s own repair mechanisms. Dr. Rubén Álvarez, a specialist in the Pain Unit at Quirónsalud Vitoria Hospital, emphasizes that these therapies help reduce or even avoid the use of medications, thereby promoting the overall health of the patient.

In this unit, regenerative medicine techniques are implemented that have proven effective in treating joint pain, sports injuries, and back pain that have not responded to conventional treatments. According to Dr. Álvarez, these methods are based on orthobiological products derived from the patient’s own blood or tissues. This process involves extracting a biological sample, which, after being centrifuged or treated with light, becomes a concentrate that is reapplied to the affected area to stimulate regeneration.

One of the most commonly used treatments is platelet-rich plasma (PRP), which contains growth factors essential for cellular repair and inflammation reduction. “These factors act as signals that promote the regeneration of damaged tissues without needing external medications,” Dr. Álvarez notes. This therapy has gained popularity among young athletes seeking less aggressive and more natural alternatives for their injuries.

Treatments with regenerative medicine typically require two to three sessions to achieve an effective activation of the regenerative process. Unlike conventional therapies that provide immediate relief, PRP sends a signal to the body to initiate its own recovery; thus, the results are gradual, although in some cases improvement can be evident quickly.

One of the main advantages of this therapy is its safety. Since it is an autologous product—meaning it comes from the patient’s own body—the risks of rejection and complications are significantly lower. Additionally, the procedure for obtaining PRP is quick and straightforward, allowing patients to access a treatment that combines efficacy and low risk in a context increasingly oriented toward non-invasive options for pain management.