What can prolotherapy help with?
Prolotherapy is an injection that may help musculoskeletal pain such as arthritis, low back pain, degenerative disc disease, tennis elbow, rotator cuff tears, meniscal tears, plantar fasciitis and neck or knee pain. A sugar or saline solution acts as an irritant that prompts the body’s healing response to strengthen injured ligaments and tendons. Most people return to normal activity right away.
Prolotherapy is an injection treatment that relieves pain by jumpstarting the body’s natural healing abilities. While not yet regulated by the FDA, this alternative treatment is used to help those suffering from musculoskeletal conditions affecting the bones, muscles, ligaments, tendons, and soft tissues.
Also known as proliferative therapy, prolotherapy is known as a non-surgical ligament and tendon reconstruction and regenerative joint injection, an orthopedic procedure that stimulates the body’s own healing process. It does this by repairing and strengthening joints and connective tissues that have been injured and cause pain.
When ligaments or tendons tear and stretch, the joints around them become destabilized, which causes pain. Prolotherapy seeks to solve the root cause of this instability, as it aims to repair the weakened sites while making new collagen tissue in the process. The goal is long-lasting joint stability and less pain.
Surgery is the traditional approach, but this may not be necessary in all cases.
Conditions Prolotherapy Can Help With
While prolotherapy can reduce pain caused by a number of musculoskeletal conditions, such as:
- Arthritis
- Fibromyalgia
- Lower back pain or mid-back pain
- Degenerative disc disease
- Tendinopathy
- Sacro-iliac joint instability or dysfunction
- Neck and knee pain
- Meniscal tears
- Wrist or hand pain
- Tennis elbow
- Osteoarthritis
- Rotator cuff tears
- TMJ
- Plantar fasciitis
Prolotherapy involves an injection of a sugar or saline substance into the sore joint or muscle, acting as an irritant. The body then recognizes the irritant and will send immune cells to the area to kick start the natural healing process, repairing damaged soft tissue in the joint or muscle such as blood vessels, muscle tissue or nerves.
The appointment takes just about a half hour from preparation to treatment to recovery time. It’s performed in a medical office, with a goal to relieve pain without the risk of surgery, general anesthesia, long hospital stays, or prolonged recovery periods. In fact, you can return to your normal activity or job immediately following the procedure.
You may experience a mild inflammation at the site as the fibers of the new ligaments and tendons begin to work. Also, you will need several treatments to build up tissues that will restore the site’s original strength.
Contact Michigan Center for Regenerative Medicine
If you suffer from musculoskeletal conditions and are interested to learn how prolotherapy can help ease your discomfort, call us at (248) 216-1008. We would be happy to discuss the process at your initial consultation. Schedule yours today with our pain management experts!
By Board-certified Doctor John Santa Ana, DO
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