Pain Management
Click on one of the topics below for more information
To learn more or to find out if one of these pain management services might be right for you, please call or email:
604-709-8522 / 1-877-709-8522 moc.citsongaidadanac@ofni
Therapeutic Injections
Your doctor may have recommended an injection to help reduce the pain you are experiencing, or to help pinpoint the source of your pain. A local anaesthetic is used to temporarily dull the pain in the area being treated and often a steroid is also used to help reduce inflammation or irritation of a nerve, tendon or ligament. In the case of osteoarthritis, your doctor may recommend hyaluronic acid / viscosupplementation.
At Canada Diagnostic Centres, we use image-guidance – meaning we use either Ultrasound or CT to help our radiologist ensure the most precise placement of the needle in order to maximize the success of the injection.
To ensure you are a good candidate for an injection at Canada Diagnostic, our radiologists will review your doctor’s referral and diagnostic imaging before we make an appointment with you.
Barbotage
Barbotage is a technique used to dissolve and remove calcium that can build up on tendons (calcific tendinitis). It’s a straight-forward procedure where our radiologist first locates the area to be treated using ultrasound, the skin is prepped, a local anaesthetic in injected, and then uslng ultrasound to guide the procedure, our radiologist will break up the calcium and remove it by syringe.
hcPRP – Highly-concentrated Platelet-Rich Plasma
When tendon problems don’t respond to traditional treatment (rest or modifying activities, physiotherapy and medications), an injection of your own blood plasma may stimulate healing of the tendon. PRP – or platelet-rich plasma – is being studied and used by sports medicine specialists around the world. hcPRP is a more highly-concentrated form of PRP and we think that the higher concentration of platelets, combined with precise placement using ultrasound or CT to guide the doctor, will result in accelerated healing of stubborn tendinopathies.
We also treat osteoarthritis with hcPRP – most of our patients get excellent results including reduced pain and swelling and increased range of motion.
What is hcPRP?
Normal blood is 95% red blood cells and 5% platelets. hcPRP is your own blood plasma with a high concentration of platelets–up to 45 times higher than your normal blood. These platelets contain growth factors that are important to tissue regeneration and repair.
hcPRP is created using a patented concentration technique which allows us to achieve a platelet concentration of 23-to-45 times baseline. Typical PRP treatments use a platelet concentration of 5-to-8 times that found in your normal blood.
What are the advantages of hcPRP at Canada Diagnostic Centres?
hcPRP at CDC
- Highly-concentrated 25 – 45 x baseline
- Uses autologous (patient’s own) thrombin
- Image-guided
Typical PRP
- Concentrated 4 – 8 x baseline
- Uses no thrombin or Bovine thrombin
- Often no image guidance
hcPRP at CDC Advantages
- Accelerated healing and return-to-play. Repeat injections unnecessary
- Thrombin activates the platelets. Using autologous thrombin means no chance of infection transmission or rejection
- Radiologist uses ultrasound or CT images to guide the placement of the needle = Accuracy of delivery
*hcPRP uses a proprietary 3-stage concentration technique, resulting in platelet concentrations of 25 – 45 times baseline
hcPRP was developed by Dr. Astley E. Smith B.Sc., M.Sc., DMD, Founder and President of Global Autografting Inc. and the Global Autografting Institute. Dr. Smith’s hcPRP concentration technique has patents pending in Canada, the United States and the European Union.
The injection of hcPRP is considered experimental or investigational. Most studies that have been done to date have been small-scale pilot studies using PRP concentrations of 5-8 times baseline but the results are promising. The scientific evidence for its benefits remains inconclusive.
To learn more or to find out if one of these services might be right for you, please call or email:
604-709-8522/1-877-709-8522
