More About Prolo TherapyFAQ’s About Prolo Therapy: What is Prolo Therapy? Prolotherapy involves the precision injection of an irritating solution that creates a localized inflammatory reaction where tendons and ligaments attach to bone (cartilage can also be treated). This causes the attachment areas to become much stronger, thereby reducing pain and improving joint function, allowing a return to pain-free activity. How long does it take to heal? Depending on one’s individual health, the healing and regeneration process typically may take anywhere from 4 to 6 weeks to a few months. This is a relatively short time period compared to a lifetime of pain and disability. As the tissue grows stronger, pain is resolved and function improves. How many Treatments does it take? This depends on the exact nature of the injury. Some people experience a quick resolution of symptoms after one or two treatments, but on average it requires 3 to 5 sessions separated by 3-week intervals. How does Prolo Therapy differ from cortisone injections? Injecting cortisone for any injury has fallen out of favor, mainly because cortisone was found to actually weaken and lead to further damage in the affected area. Prolo Therapy strengthens the damaged tissue and assists with healing. Who is an ideal candidate for Prolo Therapy? A person who has localized joint pain or who has recently suffered an injury will typically benefit from prolotherapy. Prolo Therapy works by activating the body’s healing mechanisms at the site of injection. Because of this, it is important for a person to be in good health so the body is able to begin the healing process. Prolo Therapy is not a quick fix; the body must be given time (weeks to months) to complete the healing process, therefore one must be patient and committed to allowing the healing to take place and for pain to resolve. Why haven’t I heard of Prolo Therapy? Prolo Therapy has been around since the 1940s when George S. Hackett, MD, pioneered it. It is not currently taught in medical schools, for a variety of reasons -mainly because medical education focuses primarily on symptom-based treatments such as drugs and surgery. Prolo Therapy is a form of preventive medicine and doctors must seek out continuing education opportunities to become proficient in it. There are roughly 400 doctors in the United States that practice prolotherapy. Interest in prolotherapy continues to grow rapidly; more and more doctors are learning this valuable technique because it is highly effective and is relatively low in cost in comparison to surgery. Dr. Barker is one of the few doctors Colorado that offers this service. Injury, Pain & Healing Standard medical care for the majority of sports injuries involves either cortisone injections or lots of NSAIDs (non-steroidal antiinflammatory drugs) such as ibuprofen and aspirin. The problem is that these methods only treat the symptoms (pain)…they do nothing to address the actual cause of the pain, which is often a weakened ligament or tendon. In fact, cortisone and NSAIDs are losing popularity because of their many side effects and lack of effectiveness at treating the injury; several medical organizations caution against their chronic use. In an ironic twist of medical treatment, the highly prescribed NSAIDs actually inhibit the repair and regeneration of cartilage! This does not make any sense to take a drug that actually contributes to further degeneration of the cartilage tissue! They are also notorious for causing bleeding in the gut and raising blood pressure. Pain is of course not caused by a deficiency of ibuprofen, yet this is the most often prescribed treatment for injuries. Proper healing occurs when the correct healing environment is provided for the body. This involves prolotherapy to stimulate joint repair, nutritional support to provide the body with the necessary raw materials to do its job, and hormone balancing to ensure proper functioning and support of all the bodily tissues. Return to Activity after Prolo Therapy Typically, one will be sore in the days after receiving prolo Therapy. This is because we have created spots of inflammation in the tissue that leads to a transient increase in pain. There are several ways of addressing this pain; gentle massage, ultrasound and natural pain relievers are all effective. If one is in considerable pain that prevents them from going about daily activities, stronger pain medications (not anti-inflammatories!) may be used. It is important to remember that we do not want you to take any anti-inflammatory medications; this will antagonize the healing process! Many people want to know when they can return to their activity; this depends on the severity of the injury and the extent of treatment. In general however, we do want people to get on their feet and get their body moving. As a rule, one should not exercise vigorously in the few days after receiving prolotherapy, but light exercise is encouraged as the patient feels ready. Follow-ups are recommended to ensure that proper healing is taking place, and to monitor the progression of recovery. Common Conditions Treated with Prolo Therapy*
*This is not an inclusive list; call the clinic to find out if prolo Therapy is a solution for you Historical Research:
Modern Research Abstracts: “Randomized prospective double-blind placebo-controlled study of dextrose prolotherapy for knee osteoarthritis with or without ACL laxity” CONCLUSION: Prolotherapy injection with 10% dextrose resulted in clinically and statistically significant improvements in knee osteoarthritis. Preliminary blinded radiographic readings (1-year films, with 3-year total follow-up period planned) demonstrated improvement in several measures of osteoarthritis severity. ACL laxity, when present in these osteoarthritic patients, improved. Reeves KD, Hassanein KM. Altern Ther Health Med 2000 Mar;6(2):68-74, 77-80 “Long-term effects of dextrose prolotherapy for anterior cruciate ligament laxity”. CONCLUSION: In patients with symptomatic anterior cruciate ligament laxity, intermittent dextrose injection resulted in clinically and statistically significant improvement in ACL laxity, pain, swelling, and knee range of motion. Reeves KD, Hassanein KM. Altern Ther Health Med. 2003 May-Jun;9(3):58-62. “Randomized, prospective, placebo-controlled double-blind study of dextrose prolotherapy for osteoarthritic thumb and finger (DIP, PIP, and trapeziometacarpal) joints: evidence of clinical efficacy” CONCLUSION: Dextrose prolotherapy was clinically effective and safe in the treatment of pain with joint movement and range limitation in osteoarthritic finger joints. Reeves KD, Hassanein KM. J Altern Complement Med 2000 Aug;6(4):311-20
CONCLUSION: Prolotherapy describes a variety of treatment approaches rather than a specific protocol. Results from clinical studies published to date indicate that it may be effective at reducing spinal pain. Great variation was found in the injection and treatment protocols used in these studies that preclude definite conclusions. Future research should focus on those solutions and protocols that are most commonly used in clinical practice and have been used in trials reporting effectiveness to help determine which patients, if any, are most likely to benefit from this treatment. Dagenais S, Haldeman S, Wooley JR. Spine J. 2005 May-Jun;5(3):310-28.
CONCLUSION: Prolotherapy describes a variety of treatment approaches rather than a specific protocol. Results from clinical studies published to date indicate that it may be effective at reducing spinal pain. Great variation was found in the injection and treatment protocols used in these studies that preclude definite conclusions. Future research should focus on those solutions and protocols that are most commonly used in clinical practice and have been used in trials reporting effectiveness to help determine which patients, if any, are most likely to benefit from this treatment. Dagenais S, Haldeman S, Wooley JR. Spine J. 2005 May-Jun;5(3):310-28.
CONCLUSIONS: Dextrose prolotherapy showed marked efficacy for chronic groin pain in this group of elite rugby and soccer athletes. Topol GA, Reeves KD, Hassanein KM. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2005 Apr;86(4):697-702.
CONCLUSIONS: In chronic nonspecific low-back pain, significant and sustained reductions in pain and disability occur with ligament injections, irrespective of the solution injected or the concurrent use of exercises. Spine. 2004 Jan 1;29(1):9-16
“Injection therapy for enthesopathies causing axial spine pain and the "failed back syndrome": a single blinded, randomized and cross-over study.” RESULTS: By clinical assessment patients obtained excellent to good relief of pain and tenderness after 80% of prolotherapy injections, but only 47% after anesthetics alone. By questionnaire, 66% reported excellent to good relief after prolotherapy vs. 34% after anesthetics alone. Patients reported improvement in work capacity and social functioning following both types of injections, but a greater reduction in focal pain intensity following prolotherapy injections. In the crossover portion of the study, patients reported that prolotherapy injections following initial anesthetic-only injections provided much better relief than that achieved after their anesthetic-only injections, and that anesthetic-only injections following initial prolotherapy injections failed to provide relief as good as that achieved after their prolotherapy. Subsequent to this study, only four of 35 patients required additional spine surgery, but 29 of the 35 patients requested additional injections. CONCLUSIONS: Injection therapy of painful enthesopathies can provide significant relief of axial pain and tenderness combined with functional improvement, even in "failed back syndrome" patients. Phenol-glycerol prolotherapy provides better and longer lasting relief than injection with anesthetics alone. However, most patients described good to excellent relief, felt that the injections had been beneficial, and requested additional injections for recurrent or residual focal pain. Wilkinson HA. Pain Physician. 2005 Apr;8(2):167-73.
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