Here are 3 expensive services that will cost you money, aren’t covered by insurance and will not significantly improve your back pain.
- Platelet rich plasma: Platelet rich plasma (PRP) is a liquid that is derived from your own blood. The blood is placed in a centrifuge, allowing platelets to be separated from the blood. The resultant platelet solution is referred to as PRP. PRP has proven to be a promising treatment for tendinitis of the ankle and elbow. However, there is no proof that it is effective in the treatment of back or neck pain.
- Sham stem cell therapy: Real stem cell therapy is tightly regulated by the FDA and is currently not available outside of a scientific clinical trial. Some doctors charge a lot of money to provide what they call “stem cell” therapy. They may be concentrating your own bone marrow (obtained by a needle), they may be emulsifying your own fat (obtained by lipo-suction) or they may be giving you a substance obtained from amniotic fluid or fetal cord blood. None of these contains any appreciable concentration of actual stem cells.
- Spinal decompression: This involves the use of a sophisticated looking machine that places traction on your spine. It is claimed that this traction will suck your disc herniation back into the disc relieving your pain. Usually you are charged in advance for a series of visits. Spinal decompression is expensive and has not been validated by any sound and quality scientific studies. Studies showing benefit do not withstand the scrutiny of evidence based medicine and statistical analysis.
