DEEP DIVE · CHAPTER 15
Regenerative Medicine over Band Aids
Steroid or Regenerative?
A steroid injection buys time at a cost to the joint; a regenerative injection such as platelet-rich plasma is a seed that only grows in a repaired field. This Deep Dive gives the evidence behind Chapter 15 of The Pained Brain, with the negative PRP trials laid out before the positive ones.
49 pages · 135 references, every one verified · written by Dr. Gurpreet Singh Padda, MD, MBA, MHP, and Dr. KrisJay Fucanan, MD
CHAPTER 15 ON VIDEO
The Goal Was Never to Manage Your Pain Forever
Dr. Padda walks through this chapter on video. All twenty-two are on the The Pained Brain playlist on the Padda Institute channel.
The receipts behind Chapter 15
Four steroid shots in twenty months, each one shorter than the last. In Chapter 15 I lay out what a steroid injection buys and what it costs the joint, give you the negative platelet-rich plasma trials before the positive ones, and show why a regenerative injection is a seed that only grows in a repaired field.
The book makes the argument. This Deep Dive shows the evidence, claim by claim: the study, who was in it, the number and where it sits in the paper, what it does not show — and the questions to bring to your own physician. It is written to be handed to your doctor.
Enter your name, email and mobile number. The PDF arrives by email within a few minutes, and the other twenty-one Deep Dives arrive one a week, in order.
Frequently asked questions
Why do steroid shots stop working?
A steroid injection buys time, and Chapter 15 shows what that time costs the joint. The chapter follows a patient who had four steroid shots in twenty months, each one wearing off sooner than the last. Relief that keeps getting shorter is the sign of a Band-Aid: the shot covers the problem while the joint underneath keeps paying for it.
When is PRP not recommended?
Chapter 15 describes a regenerative injection such as platelet-rich plasma as a seed that only grows in a repaired field. Placed into a joint whose surroundings have not been repaired, it has little to grow in. So before a regenerative injection, the better question for your physician is what has been done to repair the field it will grow in.
Does PRP actually work?
The trials point in both directions, and this Deep Dive shows both: the negative platelet-rich plasma trials come first, then the positive ones. For each claim you get the study, who was in it, the number and where it sits in the paper, and what it does not show. It runs 49 pages with 135 verified references and is written to be handed to your doctor.