Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) and Prolotherapy – Non-surgical Treatments for Musculoskeletal Pain

If you have suffered from chronic joint pain or a sports injury to a ligament or tendon, PRP (Platelet Rich Plasma) and Prolotherapy, regenerative injection therapies that promote repair and self-healing naturally, may be a treatment option for you. There are different levels of joint dysfunction. There are also different levels of treatment. The right injection therapy can help you increase function, decrease pain and healing time, and get you back to living your best life faster. Injection therapies also help some people avoid orthopedic surgery! Regenerative injections can also be used to rejuvenate aging skin and regrow hair.

PRP – Platelet Rich Plasma

Platelet-rich plasma is an injection procedure that uses concentrates from your own blood, the platelet-rich portion of your plasma, to help your body heal and regenerate naturally. Platelets are very small cells in your blood that are involved in the clotting and healing process. When injected into the damaged area, PRP causes a mild inflammation that triggers a healing cascade. As the platelets organize in the treatment area, they release a number of enzymes to promote healing and tissue responses, including attracting stem cells and releasing growth factors to repair damaged tissue. As a result, new collagen and elastic fibers begin to develop. As the collagen matures, it begins to shrink, causing a tightening and strengthening of the tissue in the damaged area.

Prolotherapy

Prolotherapy is a safe and simple regenerative medicine injection treatment used to strengthen weak and damaged ligaments and tendons due to chronic injury or overuse. Many patients with stretched, torn, or injured ligament and joint attachments have difficulty returning to pre-injury level of functioning due to limited blood supply to these structures. Chronic anti-inflammatory/ NSAID use or overuse of steroid injections further impairs this process. Surgery can often produce scarring and a limited range of motion without addressing the root cause of dysfunction. The technique requires injection of Dextrose or Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), and methylcobalamin (Vitamin B12) precisely into the site of pain or injury, where the ligament or tendon attaches to the bone, joint capsule, trigger point, or inside joint.

Prolotherapy creates a mild, controlled inflammation that stimulates the body to lay down collagen with the formation of new tendon, ligament, and cartilage, resulting in a strengthening of the weakened structure. This injection process stimulates the body’s natural wound repair process. A typical treatment course is 3-6 series of injections, given every 3-4 weeks. Prolotherapy has been used for over 60 years with numerous case reports and an increasing number of controlled studies showing its effectiveness.

Physical Conditions that Can Benefit from Injection Therapies:

• Knee Injuries
• Shoulder Injuries
• Rotator Cuff Tears
• TMJ Dysfunction
• Tennis Elbow / Golfer’s Elbow
• Joint Instability
• Lower Back Pain
• Plantar Fasciitis
• Osteoarthritis
• Support for Hair Regrowth

The best way to find out if you are a good candidate for either PRP or prolotherapy is to receive a comprehensive evaluation to rule out other possible causes of your pain (through appropriate medical testing) and to provide you with an accurate diagnosis first before recommending the most effective treatment.

If you have any of the conditions mentioned above and are looking for a non-surgical treatment option to treat your condition, please give us a call today to schedule your appointment. 

References:

Bae G, Kim S, Lee S, Lee WY, Lim Y. Prolotherapy for the patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain: systematic review and meta-analysis . Anesth Pain Med (Seoul). 2021 Jan;16(1):81-95. doi: 10.17085/apm.20078. Epub 2020 Dec 16. PMID: 33348947; PMCID: PMC7861898.

Everts P, Onishi K, Jayaram P, Lana JF, Mautner K. Platelet-Rich Plasma: New Performance Understandings and Therapeutic Considerations in 2020. Int J Mol Sci. 2020 Oct 21;21(20):7794. doi: 10.3390/ijms21207794. PMID: 33096812; PMCID: PMC7589810.