Prolotherapy
Prolotherapy is a healing technique that is applied to unstable and injured joints, ligaments, and tendons to encourage the restoration of normal, healthy tissue. As such, prolotherapy can help people heal more quickly.
Prolotherapy, which is short for “proliferative therapy,” is a regenerative medicine injection technique where natural solutions (from a simple dextrose solution to more complex stem cells) are delivered to the injury site to restart and maximize the body’s own healing process.
It can be used to treat spinal instability, neck pain, low back pain, sacroiliac dysfunction, hip pain, osteoarthritis of the knee, TMJ, ligament, and tendon injuries. At The Kaplan Center, prolotherapy injections may be recommended depending upon the type of injury or condition.
What is a treatment like?
After answering any questions, the doctor will examine the area to be treated and may note a few anatomical “landmarks” on the skin surface with a pen.
The area is thoroughly cleaned so treatment can begin. A concentrated dextrose solution or another prolotherapy agent is then injected into the site. The healing response is triggered when the solution acts as an irritant, initiates an inflammatory reaction, and causes the injured tissue to release specific growth factors that attract tissue-healing cells to the area.
Although prolotherapy involves injections, sometimes to multiple areas, it is generally very well tolerated. Because the areas of the body that are being treated are already injured and sensitive, the injections typically cause some temporary pain and discomfort. Our highly trained doctors minimize the discomfort by using the smallest and thinnest needles possible and target the most effective areas with image guidance.
Since the body’s natural healing response can be a slow process, it may take two to four weeks before patients notice significant improvement. The results, however, are often long-lasting and may even be permanent in some cases.
As with any other medical treatment, prolotherapy does not work in all cases. But it can provide long-term pain relief in situations where multiple other therapies have been unsuccessful. When performed as part of a comprehensive treatment strategy that maximizes your healing potential by improving your overall health, prolotherapy can be the catalyst that helps to bring you out of pain and back into the game of life.
If you are interested in scheduling an appointment for a Prolotherapy treatment, or if you want to learn more about the procedure as it relates to your medical condition, please call our office to schedule an appointment today. Call 703-532-4892, ext. 2.
We are here for you, and we want to help.
Our goal is to return you to optimal health as soon as possible. To schedule an appointment please call: 703-532-4892 x2
References:
Dextrose Prolotherapy for Knee Osteo-arthritis: A Randomized Controlled Trial