Modern Arthritis Pain Management in Los Angeles

Taking that first step out of bed feels like your joints are locked, or your hands are heavy with a dull ache or swelling that makes bending or gripping harder than it should be. These are only a few of the symptoms that nearly 19% of adults living with arthritis experience.

Arthritis is joint inflammation or joint degeneration that can cause pain, stiffness, swelling, and reduced range of motion, and it often requires a personalized treatment plan with expert pain management specialists. 

Read on to learn about non-surgical arthritis treatments and joint pain relief options that target both discomfort and function, and where to find the best pain management doctor in Los Angeles for lasting relief from arthritis pain. 

Arthritis: Types and Symptoms

Arthritis is an umbrella term that can include several different medical conditions that cause pain and affect mobility: 

• Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of arthritis and is often tied to joint wear and tear over time. The pain tends to flare with activities like stairs or long walks. With osteoarthritis, the joint can feel sore and stiff, or sound creaky as the day progresses. 
• Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an inflammatory autoimmune disease where the immune system attacks the joints. With this condition, joints often look swollen, feel warm to the touch, and ache even when you are not using them. 

With either type of arthritis, people often search for the same symptom list: 

• Joint pain with activity
• Morning stiffness
• Swelling of joints
• Warmth over the joints
• Reduced mobility

These symptoms and flare patterns all point to the same conclusion. However, if morning stiffness lasts longer than about 30 minutes, it may indicate inflammatory arthritis such as RA, whereas shorter stiffness is often associated with OA.

Four Non-Surgical Treatments for Arthritis Pain Relief

Arthritis pain can stem from multiple sources, which is why over-the-counter, one-size-fits-all approaches fall short. The personalized treatment options below focus on today’s most common clinic-based procedures to reduce discomfort and help you return to everyday activities:

1. Platelet-Rich-Plasma (PRP) for Arthritis 

Many people with arthritis look for options that don’t involve surgery or long recoveries. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) involves a simple blood draw, then spinning the blood in a centrifuge to concentrate your platelets in a small volume of plasma. These platelets carry healing proteins that help guide tissue regeneration. The concentrated platelet-rich plasma is injected into the painful joint to support a calmer, more stable environment over time. 

PRP helps with osteoarthritis by reducing pain and stiffness, particularly in knee osteoarthritis. In many cases, PRP makes the most sense for people with mild to moderate arthritis, where there is still enough joint structure to work with. 

2. Growth Factor Injections and Regenerative Treatments 

If your joint pain feels like a deep, throbbing pressure that flares after a short walk, regenerative therapy, like growth factors, can help. This treatment involves naturally signaling molecules your body uses to coordinate tissue repair, much like instructions that tell cells when to reduce inflammation and start rebuilding. 

For this treatment, a growth factor–rich preparation is injected into or around the painful joint to support cartilage and soft tissues that are irritated or breaking down. This is similar to PRP treatments, since PRP is derived from your own blood and contains platelets that release signaling proteins that may help reduce inflammation and support healing within the joint. 

The difference is that PRP is a platelet-focused concentration, while growth factor treatment uses your own or other biologic solutions, or a combination thereof, to send repair signals to affected tissues. 

3. Radiofrequency Ablation for Arthritis Pain

Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is often considered when arthritis pain keeps nagging even after conservative treatments like activity changes, physical therapy, and other non-invasive treatments have not brought enough relief, and the pain starts to disrupt your daily life. 

During treatment, a thin needle is inserted into the small nerves that carry pain signals from an irritated joint, then controlled heat is applied at the needle tip to quiet those signals so your brain receives less of the alarm signals from the joint. 

This treatment is commonly used for spine-related arthritic pain, including pain linked to facet joints, although it is also used for other joints, such as the knee, depending on anatomy and technique. Relief often lasts longer than a standard injection for some patients, but it varies by the targeted joint and the severity of your arthritis. RFA treatments are typically repeated over time because pain can recur as nerves regenerate. 

4. Sympathetic Nerve Blocks 

A sympathetic nerve block for chronic arthritis pain is an injection that targets these nerve pathways to interrupt the extra pain signals. This can make symptoms more manageable and help you move without bracing for every step. This treatment is often considered for joint pain when symptoms are complex, long-lasting, or disproportionate to imaging findings, and when standard joint-focused therapies have not been effective. 

Where to Find the Best Pain Management Doctor in Los Angeles for Arthritis 

Arthritis pain has a way of stealing away easy parts of your life, like getting out of the car without bracing or walking the grocery aisles without that deep, hot throb in your knee. At Remedy Health, Dr. Bajaj and his team of pain management experts focus on regenerative pain management that treats joint pain at its root cause. 

Our state-of-the-art clinic in Marina del Rey offers regenerative therapy options, including PRP and growth factor injections, along with precision-guided joint injections, radiofrequency ablation, and sympathetic blocks for the most personalized and effective treatment plans possible. 

Ready to see the best pain management doctor in Los Angeles to build a practical plan for lasting arthritis pain relief?