Prolotherapy

The ideal canidate for Prolotherapy will have:

• One that has pain originating from a ligament, tendon or nerve.
• Strong immune system
• Willingness to improve and receive follow-up visits
• Healthy diet
• Positive mental outlook

It is important to contact us and schedule a consultation to learn about how Prolotherapy can work for you.

The concept of creating irritation or injury in order to stimulate healing dates back to Roman times where hot needles were inserted into the shoulders of injured gladiators.

In the US, Prolotherapy originated in the 1950s by American surgeon Dr. George Hackett who used a sclerosing agent in weakened or elongated ligaments to make them stronger. Hackett reasoned that if weak ligaments were the cause of most joint and ligament pain, strengthening them would resolve the pain. He was quite successful, publishing 16 articles and a textbook on his procedure, and claiming an overall 80% success rate. In 1955, Dr. Gustav Hemwall became acquainted with George Hackett at a medical meeting and started practicing prolotherapy shortly thereafter. Dr. Hemwall is regarded as a pioneer of Prolotherapy, and taught the treatment to numerous physicians until his passing in 1998.

Prolotherapy solutions generally contain dextrose (a sugar) and lidocaine (an anesthetic).

Dextrose is injected into and around injured tissue which stimulates the body’s natural healing response.   The result is repair and growth of new ligament and tendon fibers that strengthen lax, weakened, or elongated tissue to restore strength and function.

Most patients tolerate the procedure well with local anesthesia (lidocaine). Because the treatment induces a mild inflammatory reaction as part of the healing process, you may experience some stiffness or soreness for 3-5 days following the injection.

While each case is unique and treated on an individual basis, most patients respond to 3-4 treatments depending on how long the injury has been present as well as the degree of the damage. (treatments are typically every 4 weeks and not 2-3 weeks)

Some patients prefer to go home and rest after treatment while others continue work or other activities immediately after treatment. Strenuous workouts or sports may need to be stopped or modified for two or three weeks after injections to give the repaired tissue a chance to mature.

Prolotherapy is considered safe when administered by a properly trained physician. Injections are done under sterile conditions to minimize the risk of infection. Risks of Prolotherapy are similar to conventional joint injections. Possible adverse effects include local swelling, bruising and transient pain.

Unlike steroid (cortisone) injections which provide temporary pain relief by inhibiting inflammation, Prolotherapy induces a mild inflammatory response to stimulate healing. Because Prolotherapy works to repair weak and painful joint areas, it is a long-term solution rather than a temporary measure such as drugs or Cortisone.

Prolotherapy is effective in treating pain syndromes associated with lax, weakened, or elongated tendons and ligaments in a variety of areas including the neck, back, knee, shoulder, hip, elbow, wrist, hand, foot, and ankle.

No. Prolotherapy is not covered by insurance companies at this time.

Someone who receives Prolotherapy does so with the hope of achieving complete pain relief.  Most people are very happy that they received Prolotherapy. There are occasional patients that do not respond to Prolotherapy though. It could be because they have other medical issues that impair the body’s ability to heal, nutrition or hormones are not optimized or the need for “stronger” types of proliferant to maximize healing. At MD 2.0, we will assess your pain from all aspects to attempt to achieve the healthy, pain-free return to function that you seek.