<h2>What is Behind Joint Pain?</h2>
Simply put, joint pain is due to weakness. Most of the joint pain we experience, whether from pain located in the neck, back, hip or knee, is due to weakness. More specifically, the weakness is coming from an injury of the ligaments and tendons, which will then cause the joint to become unstable. A joint is literally only as strong as its weakest ligament. Why is that? Because once one of the ligaments becomes injured and weak, the whole joint then moves abnormally. It would be like having a loose nut on a bicycle handle bar. You know that when that bar has a loose nut, the bar will eventually turn to the right or turn to the left or even drop down. Then it becomes difficult to steer since everything is now off kilter. A weakened ligament makes a joint off kilter too. And the joint left in this condition will wear away and cause more and more damage, only worsening the cycle of abnormal movement and joint destruction.
<h6>Pain-Free Joint Motion Requires Strong and Healthy Joint Structures</h6>
Most of the joint tissue structures that become worn in this destructive pattern are structures with a poor blood supply which unfortunately compromises the healing ability of the joint once it sustains an injury. These structures include cartilage, discs, labrum, ligaments, meniscus and tendons. When muscles are injured, they don’t have this difficulty in healing, because they fortunately have a great blood supply and can repair easily. Muscles, bone, and all of these other joint structures work together to stabilize the joint. In order for the joint to function correctly, all of the structures need to be strong and healthy.
<h6>Ligaments Are Key to Maintaining Joint Health and Integrity</h6>
Ligaments are an integral part of proper functioning of the joint, but they are also unfortunately, one of the most common causes of musculoskeletal pain. The ligaments are a sensory organ, meaning they are full of free nerve endings. When they are injured, they generate pain. When the ligament is injured, the joint harmony between ligaments, muscles and bony structures is disrupted, interfering with mobility and joint stability. The integrity of the joint is disrupted, and abnormal forces are conveyed throughout the joint, causing damage to other structures in and around the joint. When the ligaments are left untreated, the body will try to stabilize the joint by causing chronic muscle spasms, joint swelling and eventually bone spur formation and degenerative arthritis. <em><strong>And there you have the cycle of chronic joint pain.</strong></em>
<h6>Ligament Injury May Lead to Other Painful Joint Conditions</h6>
The cycle of joint pain which begins with ligament injury will continue, because joint instability instigated by injured ligaments also has the potential to lead to a number of other painful conditions. Ligament injury to the knee, for example, may give rise to jumper’s knee, osteochondral defects, iliotibial band syndrome, chondromalacia patella, osteoarthritis, bone spurs and more.
Painful joint conditions, such as these, are often treated with medications to temporarily reduce the pain and inflammation. But what happens when you turn off the pain signal, while the joint is still injured, and without addressing the underlying source of injury, such as the ligament injury? The individual or athlete who continues to work, play and remain active on an injured joint, will cause further damage!
<h6>How Can An Injured Joint Be Repaired?</h6>
Regenerative Orthopedics stimulates blood flow to the joint structures, enhances healing, and repairs the joint. Regenerative Orthopedics is a regenerative technique used to stimulate repair of injured joint tissue and relieve joint pain. It works by stimulating ligaments and tendons to proliferate at the injection site and promotes the three stages of healing: inflammation, proliferation and remodeling.

Regenerative Orthopedic treatments trigger healing via inflammation. After the solutions are injected at the injury site, a cellular reaction takes place in which various cells including fibroblasts, endothelial cells and myofibroblasts form new blood vessels and ultimately lay down collagen which enhances tissue repair and strength.The collagenous connective tissue produced, is new tissue identical to the collagen fabric of normal connective tissue, resulting in ligament attachments that are stronger.

Additionally, blood flow is stimulated by movement and exercise. Since there is basically no downtime with Regenerative Orthopedics, exercise and movement are encouraged. Motion causes an increase of blood flow to the affected joint, providing the damaged ligament tissue with the nutrients and metabolites necessary for tissue repair and healing.

A ligament is not completely healed until all of the signs and symptoms of ligament injury are gone (which include pain, tenderness, crepitus, inhibited or excessive motion), and the individual has restored function.
Regenerative Orthopedics treats joint pain at its source, including all of the difficult to heal joint structures. Ligaments, and other involved joint structures are comprehensively treated with this therapy, which results in a healed and strengthened joint, and resolves joint pain.