Prolotherapy

Prolotherapy or regenerative injection therapy is a natural, non-surgical technique that stimulates the repair of injured or degenerated joints, ligaments and tendons. Because the connective tissues of ligaments and tendons generally have poor blood supply, incomplete healing is common after injury or chronic repetitive strain. Incomplete healing of connective tissue can often result in chronic pain, poor performance and disability.

The prolotherapy procedure involves injection of a proliferant substance into the affected ligaments or tendons, which leads to collagen production and restoration of strong, healthy connective tissue. As the tendons and ligaments repair, pain is alleviated and motion is restored. Whether a joint, ligament or tendon is causing you pain or limited movement, prolotherapy may be the right choice for you. Prolotherapy can help with osteoarthritis, knee injuries, tendonitis (tennis elbow, runner’s heel), hip dysfunction, bulging vertebral discs and sciatica, lumbar or cervical spine instability, bursitis, ACL Tears, rotator cuff injuries, chronic headaches and more.

Prolotherapy is an approved intervention by the American Academy of Orthopedic Medicine and is endorsed by the former Surgeon General of the United States, C. Everett Koop, M.D.

Prolotherapy, or Regnerative Injection Therapy, is a natural non-surgical method of assisting the body to heal injured or degenerated joints, ligaments and tendons. With prolotherapy, the injured areas are injected with a solution that stimulates the growth of healthy, strong tissues. Prolotherapy can help with osteoarthritis, knee injuries, tendinitis (tennis elbow), hip dysfunction, bulging discs and sciatica, lumbar or cervical spine instability, bursitis, ACL Tears, rotator cuff injuries and more.

Prolotherapy's modern model was founded in the 1950s by Drs. George Hackett and Gustav Hemwall, but the notion of irritating an injured area to stimulate the body to heal itself goes back to ancient Greece. Prolotherapy helps your body make new connective tissue, which strengthens lax or torn tendons and ligaments (ligaments are the tough tissues which connect bones to bones and tendons are the same kind of tissue which connect muscles to bones).

You might wonder why you still have pain in an injured area or why that area remains weak, even after a healing period of weeks, months or years. The answer lies in the fact that both ligaments and tendons have very poor circulation and it is this lack of blood supply which deprives them of the nutrients they need to heal properly. These weakened areas may have little or no blood flow, but they have lots of nerves. That’s why you may feel a significant amount of pain. When ligaments become relaxed and weak this may lead to increased cartilage degeneration and finally bone-on-bone friction, which may result in arthritis type pain. Additionally, nerves around the soft tissues become stretched and irritated, also producing pain.

The prolotherapy technique involves the injection of a proliferant (a mild irritant solution – dextrose, phenol, glycerin, etc.) that causes an inflammatory response which stimulates the healing process. A local anesthetic is used so there is minimal discomfort with the injections. This results in a stronger or larger tendon or ligament that can hold body structures in place more effectively. The weakened area heals, and the patient's pain is reduced or eliminated. Prolotherapy is an excellent alternative to cortisone injections, which long-term studies have shown can actually weaken tissue.

Most patients require about 6 to 10 prolotherapy treatments to restore function and relieve pain, but many find improvement after only one or two sessions. The treatments are usually given at two to three week intervals.

In addition to chronic (and in some cases acute) back and neck pain, shoulder, knee and other joint pain, tendonitis and bursitis, prolotherapy has been shown to be effective at eliminating the pain of such conditions as sports injuries, tendonitis, arthritis, sciatica, some headaches, degenerated joints, fibromyalgia, and more.

Prolotherapy is an approved method of treatment by the American Osteopathic Association and is endorsed by the former Surgeon General of the United States, C. Everett Koop, M.D.

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Prolotherapy