What is Prolotherapy?

Prolotherapy is a form of injection therapy. Injections are placed into injured ligaments. The tissue of the injured ligaments (fibroblasts) responds through a process called inflammation. From inflammation, re-growth occurs of the tissue responsible for the strength of the ligaments. The molecular substance created is called collagen. Prolotherapy provokes re-growth of collagen. This strengthens the ligaments and improves their elasticity. This improvement in elasticity and strength leads to better function. When the ligaments regulating the bones, particularly in the axial skeleton are treated with prolotherapy (skull, spine, and pelvis), function is improved. This improvement in function leads to reduction in pain. Most people with chronic back pain, most people with whiplash injuries, most people with chronic knee injuries, hip injuries, and injuries of other parts of the skeletal ligamentous system have pain. This pain is improved with prolotherapy. Prolotherapy is the best form of treatment for chronic pain when suitably diagnosed as due to ligament dysfunction. For such a diagnosis you need to consult a physician who is an expert in orthopedic medicine.

PLATELET RICH PLASMA BEATS CORTISONE

gosens and Sluimer in a prospective, randomized controlled trial of 100 patients with tennis elbow found PRP beat cortisone in terms of improvement in pain and function at 24 weeks. This excellent study (Level 1 evidence) for the first time confirms platelet rich plasma performs better than the "gold standard" of treatment for patients with tennis elbow that don't respond to simple treatments.

When Is Prolotherapy Useful?

Prolotherapy is useful when ligaments are injured. Injured ligaments are a common phenomenon. They result from direct injuries such as blows, falls, whiplash injuries, or twisting and rising with an awkward movement. "My back went out" is a typical instance. This involves a combination of a mechanical dysfunction of the pelvis and loose ligaments. Prolotherapy is useful to correct the weakness in the ligaments which is the underlying cause, although often not the provoking incident for injuries, pain and dysfunction.

1. What is Prolotherapy?

Prolotherapy is a little known but highly effective method of treating chronic ligament and tendon weakness. In Prolotherapy, the weakened areas are injected with a proliferant solution that directly stimulates the growth of healthy, strong tissues. The healing process can be expected to take about six weeks after the initial treatment. As the tendons and ligaments grow stronger and more capable of doing their tasks, the pain is alleviated.

2. I’ve heard of cortisone injections; is this the same thing?

We do not use cortisone with any of our patients. Long term studies have shown that cortisone injections actually weaken tissue, Prolotherapy solutions, called proliferants, cause the ligaments and tendons to be strengthened.

3. Will this treatment work for migraines?

Migraine headaches are often caused by ligament injuries to the neck. This same injury can also be the cause of other symptoms including pain reaching almost any part of the head and neck, visual blurring, dizziness, ringing in the ears, loss of balance, and other symptoms. A physiatrist can accurately determine whether these symptoms are caused by ligament injury and other factors. Migraines caused by ligament injury can be effectively treated with Prolotherapy.

4. What about "sciata" pain?

The most common cause of pain radiating down the legs is not "sciatica" or sciatic nerve injury, but a weakness or injury to the ligaments that support the pelvic joint. This radiating or "referred" pain can be effectively treated by Prolotherapy.

5. How many treatments will I need?

The number of treatments varies with each patient. Many of our patients have reported partial or complete relief of pain after only one session. Patients with a healthy immune system generally require fewer treatments. The average person requires 4 to 6 treatment sessions given at 4 to 6 week intervals.

6. Is Prolotherapy safe?

Prolotherapy is an extremely safe procedure. The risks are far less than taking aspirin or motrin for a lifetime to temporarily alleviate chronic pain. There is, of course, at least a slight risk involved in any medical procedure. In Prolotherapy, the risks and side effects will vary depending on the area being treated, and the doctor will discuss these possibilities fully with the patients during the pre-treatment consultation

Do Prolotherapy Injections Hurt That Much?

As the saying goes with body builders, it also goes with Prolotherapy, "no pain, no gain." Shots are shots. "Do they hurt?" every new patient asks, as sweat begins to form on the patient's forehead and palms as the needle approaches its target. All doctors were probably taught the appropriate answer to this question in medical school. "It hurts a little." Does anything the doctor sticks you with really hurt just a little?

Some people have many Prolotherapy injections and do not flinch, while others receive a few shots and have a rough time.

The amount of pain experienced during the Prolotherapy treatment is insignificant compared to the pain the chronic pain patient experiences every day. Many say after the Prolotherapy treatment, "It wasn't that bad."

Are You An Ideal Candidate For Prolotherapy?

Prolotherapy stimulates the body to repair the painful area. For the patient who has localized areas of pain or the person who has had a recent injury from an accident, Prolotherapy is a very effective treatment to strengthen those specific areas and eliminate the pain. Realize, however, that Prolotherapy starts the growth of new healthy, strong tissue. Your body--your own immune system--grows the tissue. For the person who has terrible digestion, chronic fatigue, irritable bladder; and a host of other chronic nutritional, hormonal, allergic problems, these deficiencies and illnesses should be corrected so the body will be able to respond to Prolotherapy.

The ideal Prolotherapy candidate has the following:

1. Pain originating from a ligament or tendon
2. Strong immune system
3. Willingness to improve and receive follow-up visits
4. Healthy diet
5. Positive mental outlook

For Arthritis and Fibromyalgia

Most people who suffer from arthritis and Fibromyalgia have a portion of their pain or all of their pain from ligament and tendon injury. Most muscle spasms occur because the underlying ligaments are weakened and the muscles spasm to stabilize the joints, as occurs in Fibromyalgia. The same can be said for arthritis except the body is stabilizing the joints in this condition by overgrowing bone. This overgrowth of bone is called arthritis.

Prolotherapy allows the stabilizing of joints by causing a strengthening of ligaments, thereby eliminating the muscle spasms of Fibromyalgia and the need for the body to overgrow bones occurs in arthritis.