Northeast Pain
Management
1365 Broadway
Bangor, ME 04401
Ph: (207) 942-6226
Fax: (207) 992-2756

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About NEPM
Using Ultrasound
Knee Pain
Back Pain

Ultrasound (US) has been typically used to evaluate structures in the body ranging from blood vessels to nerves to organs to babies!

Across the world US is now being used to evaluate musculoskeletal and nerve problems.  NPM has a sophisticated and up to date ultrasound machine that is being used for just this purpose.

US is used to:

• visualize muscles, tendons, ligaments and nerves that are in need of treatment
• diagnose and treat specific muscles strains and ligamentous tears
• identify and treat entrapped nerves

Generally, an hour or so is needed to evaluate and treat a new problem using ultrasound. The treatment is done right in the office and is billed to your insurance.

Typical, problems treated include:

Platelet Rich Plasma

Platelet rich plasma (PRP) grafts are being utilized in musculoskeletal medicine with increasing frequency and effectiveness. Soft tissue injuries treated with PRP include tendonitis, muscle strain, ligamentous sprains and joint capsular laxity. PRP has also been used to treat intra-articular injuries.

PRP is obtained by withdrawing a sample of the patient’s own blood and spinning it down with specialized equipment to obtain a platelet rich concentrate. Extensive scientific literature shows that platelets contain a spectrum of growth factors that favorably enhance the body’s own healing capacity. These factors include fibroblast, epidermal, vascular and connective tissue growth factors--all essential for a healthy reaction to injury and all capable of enhancing the bodies healing reaction to an injury. Therefore PRP is frequently used when the patient has not had an adequate response to soft tissue injury.

PRP is injected under ultrasound or fluoroscopic guidance to the precise area of injury. This is an office-based procedure done without sedation. The patient goes home with a band-aid over the treatment area. The injection of PRP may have to be repeated a second or third time over a 2-month period.

Risks of PRP are minimal. The injection itself is targeted as noted above and complications are very rare.

28 human studies have been carried out on PRP as of a review published in Feb 2008. Conditions studied which responded favorably to PRP include, for example, persistent epicondylitis, plantar fascitiis, rotator cuffs tears, persistent muscle tears and Achilles tendon rupture. PRP has also been used favorably as an adjunct to healing after ACL repair and knee replacement.

PRP grafts provide effective, safe, cost effective treatment for patients with a deficit of connective tissue synthesis in relationship to an injury or degenerative condition. They allow an earlier return to activity than would otherwise be expected. PRP grafts may be the only viable treatment option for a select group of patients with degenerative myofascial tissue injuries who have failed adequate conservative therapy.

PRP is also now being used extensively in sports medicine to restore function in a highly effective and speedy manner. Well-known athletes such as Hines Ward of the Pittsburgh Steelers have been mentioned in the press following successful PRP treatment.

Unfortunately, this is a new therapy and most insurance companies do not cover it. Therefore, in most cases, patients will be charged at NPM for the cost of this service.

A Promising Treatment for Athletes, in Blood: Click to read about PRP in the New York Times