What to do before your
regenerative injection session(s)
So you've found out that you are a candidate for a Regenerative Injection Therapy procedure, have selected this as a therapy to help your body heal, and now want to know what you can do to optimize this therapy's efficacy. First off, thank you and congratulations on being so progressive and making your health a #1 priority.
There are three main areas of health that, when addressed and improved, will substantially work with you to support the RIT and your body's healing process.
1. Hydration. Sounds simple, but how much water do you actually drink each day? And keep in mind, for every cup of coffee and every glass of beer, wine or other alcohol- those are subtract from your daily total. If you are not routinely averaging 64-82 oz of water daily, you may be existing in a constant state of mild dehydration, which is directly drying up and causing a quicker rate of degeneration of joints, ligaments, not to mention the rest of your body as a whole.
This is particularly important if you are getting PRP, as we can't extract the proper amount of blood for the procedure if you're dried up and not making enough blood supply.
2. Activity. What exercise do you perform on a daily or weekly basis? And no, I'm not talking about that perpetual, "I'm really meaning to (get back into)..." I mean what you actually do. The road to degenerative joint disease is paved with the best of intentions.
Regular, balanced, proper strengthening through one's healthy joint ranges of motion is absolutely vital, both in regard to procedure prep and also in optimizing joint injection rehab. Get your body on the road to healing fast with exercise that is right for you. Don't know what's right for you? Get a functional fitness trainer on board; you won't be sorry (Megan is one particularly fabulous one I know here, but there are many others in the area).
3. Lessening the inflammatory load. What if I told you that the cumulative sum of all the inflammatory processes that happen in your body really do weigh you down just the same as carrying an actual load on your back? The effects are the same: dragging lack of energy, bloated swelling and weight gain, achy joints and aging well beyond your time.
What to do about this? Well the #1 place to start is taking a close look at what inflammation-promoting foods, activities and environment are a part of your daily existence.
What foods are inflammation-promoting? Well, it's probably no surprise that sugar, processed foods, wheat, dairy and alcohol top the list. So what is there left to eat? Pretty much all foods as nature intended. Grass-fed meats, pastured eggs, nuts, seeds, avocado, coconut (milk, oil), olive oil, all other natural nuts and seeds (and their oils) and all vegetables and fruits are on the good list.
If you'd like to adopt this style of eating (and I do recommend it for best results), even if only temporarily for the month before and after your RIT sessions but are struggling with knowing what to eat, check out this great resource page, offering whole meal plans and many, many recipes to get you started.
There are many other possible anti-inflammatory supplements out there, some good, some bogus. Depending on your health status and needs, recommendations must be tailored to fit you, so discuss these during your appointments.
There are three main areas of health that, when addressed and improved, will substantially work with you to support the RIT and your body's healing process.
1. Hydration. Sounds simple, but how much water do you actually drink each day? And keep in mind, for every cup of coffee and every glass of beer, wine or other alcohol- those are subtract from your daily total. If you are not routinely averaging 64-82 oz of water daily, you may be existing in a constant state of mild dehydration, which is directly drying up and causing a quicker rate of degeneration of joints, ligaments, not to mention the rest of your body as a whole.
This is particularly important if you are getting PRP, as we can't extract the proper amount of blood for the procedure if you're dried up and not making enough blood supply.
2. Activity. What exercise do you perform on a daily or weekly basis? And no, I'm not talking about that perpetual, "I'm really meaning to (get back into)..." I mean what you actually do. The road to degenerative joint disease is paved with the best of intentions.
Regular, balanced, proper strengthening through one's healthy joint ranges of motion is absolutely vital, both in regard to procedure prep and also in optimizing joint injection rehab. Get your body on the road to healing fast with exercise that is right for you. Don't know what's right for you? Get a functional fitness trainer on board; you won't be sorry (Megan is one particularly fabulous one I know here, but there are many others in the area).
3. Lessening the inflammatory load. What if I told you that the cumulative sum of all the inflammatory processes that happen in your body really do weigh you down just the same as carrying an actual load on your back? The effects are the same: dragging lack of energy, bloated swelling and weight gain, achy joints and aging well beyond your time.
What to do about this? Well the #1 place to start is taking a close look at what inflammation-promoting foods, activities and environment are a part of your daily existence.
What foods are inflammation-promoting? Well, it's probably no surprise that sugar, processed foods, wheat, dairy and alcohol top the list. So what is there left to eat? Pretty much all foods as nature intended. Grass-fed meats, pastured eggs, nuts, seeds, avocado, coconut (milk, oil), olive oil, all other natural nuts and seeds (and their oils) and all vegetables and fruits are on the good list.
If you'd like to adopt this style of eating (and I do recommend it for best results), even if only temporarily for the month before and after your RIT sessions but are struggling with knowing what to eat, check out this great resource page, offering whole meal plans and many, many recipes to get you started.
There are many other possible anti-inflammatory supplements out there, some good, some bogus. Depending on your health status and needs, recommendations must be tailored to fit you, so discuss these during your appointments.
What to do after your
regenerative injection session(s)
Pain. We might as well address this first. This is usually the first, and often only question I am asked.
Well, let me be a bit of a pain myself and say that pain isn't the worst thing in the world, and maybe our goal should not be immediate and total eradication of all perception of pain.
Pain is a signal, our body's way of communicating. For perhaps a long time, your body's signals have been betraying you, screaming about pain when there doesn't seem to be any need. But please, bear with me.
Most RIT sessions, particularly prolotherapy and PRP, involve the strategic use of inflammatory processes. Yes, during these sessions, I am actually specifically causing local inflammation. But with the noblest of intentions- by doing this we are gaining the much sought-after effect of re-initiating the healing cascade and allowing the body to re-heal new or old injuries.
So this inflammation often causes redness, swelling and pain at the injection site. Not the best feeling in the world, but 100% to be expected. Instead of trying to kill this sensation, let's instead address this like a natural process (which it is), and instead try to work with it to promote a quicker and more efficient healing response.
1. Alternating hydrotherapy. This easy and free home remedy has been used for generations (at least) to promote a healthy continuous flow of the blood stream, lymph system and immune response. And all those three are very closely connected to RIT, healing and you.
The gist of it is using a hot water bath or hot, wet towel application, followed by an ice water bath or cold, wet towel application. The hot lasts 2-3 min, the cold lasts 30-60 sec and you alternate 3 times to make one full session, always ending on the cold. Check out this page for full details on this therapy and its science and research.
2. Self hypnotherapy. This might sound unusual, but if you think about it, all pain sensations are just electric signals bouncing around in our brains, so if you work on stopping some of those paths, and providing alternate signal pathways, you can 'hack' the pain perception system using using your mind. But you don't have to take my word for it, here is some current research on the positive effects of hypnotherapy and chronic pain. Here is one self-hypnotherapy video.
3. Keep hydrated, keep mobile as you tolerate it, and keep your overall inflammatory load low. Sound familiar? Yes, keep up with the pre-treatment prep for best post-procedure results!
4. Recuperate. This time is all about you healing you. So sleep as much as you know you should and keep those stressors at bay. High stress levels, along with so many other damaging effects, directly drains our immune system and healing process. So for the most robust healing force you can muster, take great care of yourself. You won't regret it!
Well, let me be a bit of a pain myself and say that pain isn't the worst thing in the world, and maybe our goal should not be immediate and total eradication of all perception of pain.
Pain is a signal, our body's way of communicating. For perhaps a long time, your body's signals have been betraying you, screaming about pain when there doesn't seem to be any need. But please, bear with me.
Most RIT sessions, particularly prolotherapy and PRP, involve the strategic use of inflammatory processes. Yes, during these sessions, I am actually specifically causing local inflammation. But with the noblest of intentions- by doing this we are gaining the much sought-after effect of re-initiating the healing cascade and allowing the body to re-heal new or old injuries.
So this inflammation often causes redness, swelling and pain at the injection site. Not the best feeling in the world, but 100% to be expected. Instead of trying to kill this sensation, let's instead address this like a natural process (which it is), and instead try to work with it to promote a quicker and more efficient healing response.
1. Alternating hydrotherapy. This easy and free home remedy has been used for generations (at least) to promote a healthy continuous flow of the blood stream, lymph system and immune response. And all those three are very closely connected to RIT, healing and you.
The gist of it is using a hot water bath or hot, wet towel application, followed by an ice water bath or cold, wet towel application. The hot lasts 2-3 min, the cold lasts 30-60 sec and you alternate 3 times to make one full session, always ending on the cold. Check out this page for full details on this therapy and its science and research.
2. Self hypnotherapy. This might sound unusual, but if you think about it, all pain sensations are just electric signals bouncing around in our brains, so if you work on stopping some of those paths, and providing alternate signal pathways, you can 'hack' the pain perception system using using your mind. But you don't have to take my word for it, here is some current research on the positive effects of hypnotherapy and chronic pain. Here is one self-hypnotherapy video.
3. Keep hydrated, keep mobile as you tolerate it, and keep your overall inflammatory load low. Sound familiar? Yes, keep up with the pre-treatment prep for best post-procedure results!
4. Recuperate. This time is all about you healing you. So sleep as much as you know you should and keep those stressors at bay. High stress levels, along with so many other damaging effects, directly drains our immune system and healing process. So for the most robust healing force you can muster, take great care of yourself. You won't regret it!
Knowing when you need a tune-up
In the RIT world, there are series, and there are tune-ups. With prolotherapy often 3-6 sessions are done in a row, anywhere from 1 to 3 weeks apart. With PRP the session number is often less, more like 1-3 sessions, and the time between is lengthened, commonly 3-6 weeks apart.
Tune-ups, however, are just as they sound. After a set of sessions, and being satisfied with the results, depending on your health status, factors affecting your health and the condition that was treated by RIT sometimes tune-ups become necessary. With an average degenerative joint disease, function is restored and pain is diminished, but a year down the road a repeat (same number of sessions or commonly less) is felt to be necessary to get back to that tip-top shape experienced just after the RIT session.
Tune-ups, however, are just as they sound. After a set of sessions, and being satisfied with the results, depending on your health status, factors affecting your health and the condition that was treated by RIT sometimes tune-ups become necessary. With an average degenerative joint disease, function is restored and pain is diminished, but a year down the road a repeat (same number of sessions or commonly less) is felt to be necessary to get back to that tip-top shape experienced just after the RIT session.