Prolotherapy

Healthy healing of painful, injured joints.

What is Prolotherapy?

A nonsurgical regenerative joint injection therapy that stimulates the body’s healing process to permanently strengthen and repair joints. We begin with a small local anesthetic, followed by an injection of a safe, natural solution directly to the painful joint, ligament, muscles or tendon that creates lasting healing.

What Conditions Does It Treat?

Most acute and chronic joint pain conditions such as whiplash, chronic headaches, arthritis, rotator cuff injuries and tears, labral tears, meniscal tears, low back and neck pain, sciatica, degenerative joint and degenerative disc disease, sprained ankles or wrists, carpal tunnel syndrome, golfer’s and tennis elbow, unstable joints, and connective tissue disorders such as Ehler’s Danlos Syndrome.

How Does It Work?

The natural, simple solution injected into the joint or painful area stimulates tissue growth to reinforce joints, reduce pain, and help heal damaged issues, without drugs or surgery.

Frequently-Asked Questions

What is the prolotherapy solution made of?

Prolotherapy injections can contain any number of natural substances that help stimulate a healing response. Traditional formulas may include dextrose, saline, Sarapin, P2G, and pumice. They are usually combined with local anesthetic agents like procaine and lidocaine to help reduce the pain of the injection. Recently, more advanced forms of Prolotherapy have emerged, including formulas with Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) and adult stem cells. All of our formulas are tailored to meet the specific needs of patients based on their individual diagnoses and treatment.

Is it painful?

Pain during the injection will vary based on the area being treated as well as the solution being used. We have a great deal of experience in administering these injections and do our best to mitigate as much of the discomfort as possible. We often use certain medications administered prior to the injection or Nitrous oxide (laughing gas) during the injections to improve comfort.

What should I expect after treatment?

It is common to have mild tissue swelling and a temporary increase in pain and stiffness. This typically passes quickly. Occasionally we will prescribe certain prescription or natural anti-inflammatory medications to help with any post-injection soreness.

How often do I need injections before my joints are healed?

Because cellular remodeling and repair can be slow, prolotherapy procedures are usually performed as a series. It often takes several treatments over several months to help guide the body into a gradual buildup of healthy, strong tissues that can fully support a damaged or degenerating joint.

What adverse reactions do patients have?

The only adverse reaction reported is transient pain and localized swelling after injections, with overall adverse reactions being very low. The other risk factor with any interventional procedure is infection, which we minimize by using sterile aseptic techniques.

Nguyen, C., & Rannou, F. (2017). The safety of intra-articular injections for the treatment of knee osteoarthritis: a critical narrative review. Expert Opinion on Drug Safety, 16(8), 897–902.doi:10.1080/14740338.2017.1344211

Can I use Ibuprofen or other NSAIDS with treatment?

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatories like Ibuprofen are often discouraged prior to and during prolotherapy treatments. Research has shown that there can be up to 80% reduction in new cartilage growth. NSAIDS also have been shown to accelerate the articular cartilage breakdown in osteoarthritis. Most physicians who prescribe NSAIDs for joint health do not realize that long-term use of these medications has a negative effect and dramatically increases the risk for total joint replacement.

The Acceleration of Articular Cartilage Degeneration in Osteoarthritis by Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs. Ross A. Hauser, MD. Journal of Prolotherapy. 2010;(2)1:305-322.

The effect of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs on human articular cartilage glycosaminoglycan synthesis. J. T. DINGLE. Journal of OsteoArthritis Research Society International (1999) 7, 313–314

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