PROLOTHERAPY
Prolotherapy is a safe, non-surgical treatment for chronic pain
using targeted injections to stimulate healing. Webster's dictionary defines
Prolotherapy as "the rehabilitation of an incompetent structure, such as ligaments
or tendons, by the induced proliferation of new cells."
Pain from auto accidents, athletic injuries, and overuse often arises from
injuries to the soft tissues in the body. These soft tissues, including ligaments,
muscles, tendons and joint capsules, are called "connective tissues" because
they connect to bones, thereby supporting the bony skeleton. Prolotherapy
causes these connections to be repaired, rebuilt and strengthened. Prolotherapy
has also been called ligament reconstructive therapy or stimulated ligament
repair.
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Conditions treated with Prolotherapy
- Neck and back pain
- Whiplash injury
- Chronic neck pain
- Tension and migraine headaches
- Low back pain
- Sciatica
- Herniated or degenerative disc
- Sacroiliac joint disorders
- Elbow pain, including tennis and golfer's elbow
- Arthritis or pain in hands, knees, ankles or feet
- ACL injuries
- Meniscal injuries
- MCl/LCL injuries
- Shoulder pain
- Dislocated shoulder
- Rotator cuff tears
- Tendonitis
- Chronic or recurring ankle sprains
- Plantar fasciitis
- Achilles tendonitis
The above represent soft tissue injuries, which can often be chronically painful. Normally, injured muscles, tendons, and ligaments go through a repair and healing process, which takes usually about four to six weeks. But, what if the low back pain, neck pain, and headaches from a whiplash injury just does not get better? Or, you may have an athletic injury that causes nagging pain and prevents you from staying active, keeping you from the activities and sport you enjoy? What about pain where you cannot recall a specific injury, but think it may be due to repetitive tasks at work, or from overdoing it while working around the house. Doctors often give anti-inflammatories and medications to treat these injuries, but they can often slow or even stop the healing process.
Prolotherapy has been used to treat pain and injuries for over 60 years and the results are truly amazing. In studies of patients with pain, up to 85-90% of patients experienced good-to-excellent results in both pain relief and improved function. We are finding similar statistics in our practice. In addition, the use of pain medications can be greatly reduced or eliminated. This is important because pain medications can be costly and can (with chronic use) have potentially serious side effects.
Best of all, prolotherapy produces long-lasting relief by stimulating your body's natural healing response. Most other treatments provide only temporary relief. Prolotherapy is in many cases an alternative to surgery, helping you avoid dysfunctional scar tissue and lengthy rehabilitation. Prolotherapy works on a simple principle: injecting the prolotherapy solution at the sites of pain and weakness stimulates the body's own healing mechanism to repair and rebuild injured tissue into a stronger, more supportive, less painful tissue than it was before treatment.
Prolotherapy FAQ
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. As the tendons and ligaments grow stronger and more capable of doing their tasks, the pain is alleviated.
I've heard of cortisone injections; is this the same thing?
We do not use cortisone with any of our patients. Prolotherapy solutions, called proliferants, cause the ligaments and tendons to be strengthened and to regrow as if they were new and never injured. Long term studies have shown that cortisone injections actually weaken tissue.
What is in the Prolotherapy solution?
The basic Prolotherapy solution contains a naturally occurring sugar (dextrose) combined with an anesthetic (lidocaine). Other common, natural substances can also be used. This solution does not contain cortisone, which can slow or stop the healing process and lead to weakened and more painful joints in the long term. Acute pain may be relieved with cortisone, but repeated use causes a weakening of the tissues and chronic pain develops.
How does Prolotherapy compare with other treatments for my problem?
Medications and other forms of passive treatment such as ultrasound, ice, heat, massage, acupuncture and manipulation may give only minor lasting benefits because the primary cause, loose and injured ligaments, is not being addressed. Stretching and strengthening exercises usually provide some relief from chronic pain, but this is often only temporary. When these exercises fail to increase the support sufficiently to diminish pain and improve function, the chronic pain cycle resumes. Prolotherapy should be initiated as soon as possible, before the problem progresses and becomes more widespread.
Is Prolotherapy painful?
The injection is considered mildly painful, and there is typically a "flare" of soreness for 1-2 days afterwards. A mild pain medication, such as Ultram or Tylenol, is usually sufficient to control the discomfort. Your doctor can prescribe stronger medication if needed.
Is Prolotherapy safe?
Using the current solutions and techniques, there have been no reported significant side effects of this treatment in over 35 years. There is occasionally some bruising, and very rarely, a nerve may be injured, usually transiently.
How can I test myself to see if Prolotherapy could help me?
The signature finding is pain that you can put a finger on. This may be at the top of the neck or base of the skull for headache pain, the top of the shoulder, the inner or outer elbow, the sides of the knee, or the groove between the inner edge of your hip bone and your tailbone (the sacroiliac joint), or other common areas where these tissue injuries occur. If you can point precisely to your source of pain, there is a very good chance that Prolotherapy will resolve or at least greatly improve it.
How many visits are necessary, and how frequent are they scheduled?
Most conditions are treated with 4-8 visits, but may take more. The timing of visits varies from weekly to every 4-6 weeks or more. Rarely, 10-15 visits may be required.
Is Prolotherapy expensive?
Compared to many treatments that are much less permanent and carry greater risk, it is very cost-effective. A typical treatment varies in cost, depending on the number of body regions and time involved. The total cost of a course of treatment can easily be less than the cost of an MRI scan and a series of X-Rays.
Are there any activity restrictions during the treatment period?
Most practitioners recommend careful resumption of activity as tolerated. This can include normal exercise routines, walking, sports, and other activities. Physical therapy, massage, chiropractic and other treatment usually does not need to be stopped and may in fact assist the process.
Does this treatment work for migraines?
Migraines caused by ligament injury can be treated effectively with Prolotherapy. Migraine headaches are often caused by ligament injuries to the neck. The 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 rehabilitation specialist can accurately determine whether these symptoms are caused by ligament injury and other factors.
What about "sciatica" 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.
How many treatments will I need?
The number of treatments varies for each patient. Many of our patients have reported complete or partial pain relief after just one session. Patients with a healthy immune system usually require fewer treatments. The average person requires 4 to 6 treatment sessions given at 4 to 6 week intervals.
Will my insurance cover Prolotherapy?
That depends on your policy and coverage. Most insurance companies will cover part of the Prolotherapy treatment. Medicare will not cover Prolotherapy.
