Why Masking Pain Isn’t the Same as Healing
If you’ve lived with back pain, joint pain, or chronic musculoskeletal discomfort, you’ve likely been offered the same progression of care: anti-inflammatory medications, pain pills, injections to “numb the problem,” and eventually surgery. While these approaches can reduce symptoms, they may not always address underlying contributors to pain — leaving patients stuck in a cycle of temporary relief without true healing.
At Ascent Healthcare, we take a natural-first, root-cause musculoskeletal pain care approach. That means identifying why pain exists in the first place — structural imbalance, tissue degeneration, disc compression, chronic inflammation, or poor healing capacity — and applying treatments designed to restore function, not just silence symptoms.
When underlying contributors are addressed, many patients experience improved function and reduced reliance on medication.
Root-Cause Care Improves Clinical Outcomes
Modern research increasingly supports regenerative and mechanical solutions for musculoskeletal conditions:
- Studies on platelet-rich plasma (PRP) show improved pain and function in knee osteoarthritis, tendon injuries, and joint degeneration compared to placebo or corticosteroid injections.
- Clinical trials demonstrate PRP’s ability to support the body’s natural repair signaling and collagen remodeling processes, and local healing response.
- Research on non-surgical spinal decompression shows reduction in disc pressure and symptom improvement in select patients with herniated or degenerative discs.
Rather than overriding pain signals, these approaches support biological processes involved in tissue repair — which is why results tend to last longer than symptom-masking interventions alone.
PRP: Using Your Body’s Biology to Heal
Platelet Rich Plasma is used to help modulate inflammation and support tissue recovery in certain musculoskeletal conditions. PRP is created from your own blood, concentrating platelets and growth factors involved in the body’s natural repair response.
When injected into damaged joints, ligaments, or tendons, PRP can:
- Support inflammatory balance
- Encourage collagen remodeling
- Promote functional improvement
- Reduce pain in selected patients
PRP has shown benefit in knee arthritis, shoulder injuries, tennis elbow, Achilles tendinopathy, and many other chronic pain conditions — offering a non-surgical option before considering joint replacement or invasive procedures.
Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression: Restoring Space and Function
Disc-related back pain and sciatica are often caused by compressed spinal discs and irritated nerves. Non-surgical spinal decompression gently and precisely stretches the spine and:
- May help reduce intradiscal pressure and improve symptoms in selected patients.
- Intended to improve spinal mechanics and relieve nerve irritation
- May help relieve nerve-related symptoms in selected patients
- Intended to support tissue health and circulation
This technology-guided therapy addresses the mechanical cause of many spine conditions — rather than relying on pain medication or repeated injections that don’t change the underlying disc environment.
Putting Patients First
A natural-first, root-cause approach means:
- No rushed visits
- No one-size-fits-all protocols
- No automatic progression to surgery or long-term medication
- Personalized care guided by structure, function, and healing potential
This model puts patients — not insurance algorithms — at the center of care, allowing time to understand the true source of pain and build a treatment plan designed for lasting improvement.
Take the Next Step Toward Real Healing
If you’re tired of temporary fixes and ready for a plan that targets the cause of your discomfort, using Natural-first root-cause musculoskeletal pain care, we’re here to help.
Call Ascent Healthcare today to schedule a consultation and discover whether PRP, non-surgical spinal decompression, or natural-first regenerative care is right for you.
📞 (865)-233-0569
📍 Ascent Healthcare – Maryville, Tennessee
Relief is possible — and healing is the goal.
Treatment decisions are individualized, and outcomes vary based on diagnosis and overall health status.
Written by Dr. Charles Bingham, DO
Reviewed by Dr. Samantha Bingham, DO
