Read Testimonials and Additional Information
Over the years we have collected numerous success stories, four books full in fact. Patients often enjoy browsing through these books while waiting in our reception area. It is always encouraging to hear the struggles that patients have had and their experiences with prolotherapy and other treatments in this office. To that end, we have put together a full page of testimonials, simply click here.
What is Prolotherapy
Prolotherapy is a unique, time-tested injection method used to treat chronic pain. It is defined by Webster’s Third New International Dictionary as “the rehabilitation of an incompetent structure, such as ligaments or tendons, by the induced proliferation of new cells.”
Persistent pain from previous injury, chronic overuse injury, or even when there is no known cause, often arises from damage to the soft tissues in the body. These soft tissues, which include ligaments, muscles, tendons and joint capsules, are also called
“connective tissues” because they connect to bones, thereby supporting the bony skeleton. Prolotherapy causes these connections to be repaired, rebuilt and strengthened. It is for this reason that prolotherapy has also been called ligament reconstructive therapy or stimulated ligament repair.
Soft tissue injuries can often become chronically painful. Normally, injured muscles, tendons, and ligaments go through a repair and healing process which takes about four to six weeks. But, what happens when the low back pain, neck pain, and headaches from a whiplash injury, just will not get better? Or, what about the athletic injury that causes nagging pain and prevents you from staying active, especially keeping you from the sport you enjoy the most? What about the pain where you cannot pinpoint a specific injury, but think it may be due to some repetitive tasks at work or from overdoing it while working around the home?
Standard Treatments for Chronic Pain
There are many types of treatment for the injuries and conditions mentioned previously. More often than not, those with chronic pain will try some or all of the following to treat their problem:
- Rest
- Ice, heat, ultrasound
- Anti-Inflammatory drugs, pain killers, muscle relaxors and other drugs
- Physical therapy, including home stretching and strengthening exercises
- Bracing, taping and orthotics
- Manual therapy such as massage, acupressure, myofascial release, craniosacral therapy and rolfing
- Chiropractic adjustments
- Acupuncture
- Electrotherapy such as TENS and muscle stimulation
- Cortisone shots into the joints or spine
- Pain clinics, which use many of these treatments as well as a psychologist to help people cope with their pain and manage it better
- Surgery, including arthroscopic, joint replacement, spinal fusion and other forms of surgery.
While some of these methods can be used to help certain conditions, in a significant number of cases
persistent pain and a disrupted daily life will occur. 
Some treatments may even mask the problem or slow the
recovery process. A doctor might tell you at some point that “you just have to live with it…there is nothing you can do about it” or that your only options are a lifetime of drugs or a major operation. That news is frustrating and discouraging!
Well, take heart! There is a reason why many problems don’t respond to treatment: the wrong treatment is being used. There is one treatment which can relieve pain and correct the problem ... permanently.
Prolotherapy Spells Relief
Although you may not have heard about prolotherapy until now, it has been used since the 1940’s and treatment results have been amazing. In one clinical study, 85-90% of patients received good to excellent results in pain relief and improved function. Just as important, pain medications can be greatly reduced or even eliminated. This is good news, because pain medications have potentially serious side effects and increase the cost of health care. But, the best part of all is that prolotherapy produces long-lasting relief...naturally. Most other types of treatment provide only temporary relief.
Prolotherapy is an alternative to surgery in many cases, thereby avoiding disfiguring scars and lengthy rehabilitation. George Hackett, M.D., a prolotherapy pioneer, proved that strengthening connective tissue relieves soft tissue pain. A research study in the respected medical journal, Lancet, demonstrated the effectiveness of prolotherapy, as did a recent double-blind study on knees.
Connective tissues (ligaments, tendons, muscles) heal very slowly when injured and often don’t fully heal due to a relatively poor blood supply or improper treatment. The attachment sites where ligaments anchor to bone are the weakest links. In addition, connective tissue cells called fibroblasts are deficient, as seen under microscope. This deficiency of fibroblasts leads to loose ligaments and weakened tissues. As a result, the normal supportive function of the ligaments which was present prior to injury is lost. Therefore, joint stability is reduced. Damaged ligaments are like loose hinges on a door, allowing bones in the joint to swing out of alignment causing pain, muscle spasms, and eventually arthritis, if left untreated.
Small pain fibers in these damaged ligaments transmit pain signals to the brain when stretched. Through a subconcious reflex, the surrounding muscles go into a tight and painful spasm in an attempt to stabilize the joint. This may cause burning and tingling sensations to occur, as well as, an achy, numb or fatigued feeling. The individual will often notice painful “knots” in the affected muscles.
These muscles become tight and painful as they try to compensate for the weak and damaged underlying ligaments. The muscle spasms reduce blood flow, causing even more pain. Not only are these symptoms felt in the muscle, but they are often referred (transmitted) through nerve pathways into the legs and feet, arms and hands, and head (headaches). In other words, pain felt in the head and arms may come from the neck, and pain felt in the legs may come from the low back.
For example, weakness or injury to the ligaments in the neck may interfere with the sympathetic (automatic) nervous system, causing a group of symptoms called Barré-Liéou Syndrome. This syndrome consists of one or more of the following: dizziness, visual blurring, loss of balance, ringing in the ears, runny nose, salivation, trouble swallowing, hoarse voice, nausea, vomiting, nervousness and headaches. These symptoms are caused by instability in the neck and can be eliminated by prolotherapy.
Medications and other forms of passive treatment such as ultrasound, ice, heat, massage, acupuncture and manipulation may give only temporary benefit because the primary problem, the loose and damaged ligaments, is not being addressed. Stretching and strengthening exercises can provide some relief from chronic pain, but this is often only temporary as well. When these exercises have failed to increase the support sufficiently to diminish pain and improve function, the chronic pain cycle begins. Prolotherapy should be started as soon as possible, before the problem becomes wide-spread.
How Does Prolotherapy Work?
Prolotherapy works based on a very simple principle: injecting the prolotherapy solution at the sites of pain and weakness stimulates the body’s own healing mechanism to repair and rebuild injured tissue into a stronger, more supportive, less painful tissue than it was before.
The most basic prolotherapy solution contains a naturally-occurring sugar (dextrose, derived from corn) combined with an anesthetic (lidocaine). Other common natural substances can also be used effectively. When the injured tissues are injected with small amounts of the prolotherapy solution, a reaction begins, starting a three-stage healing process.
The prolotherapy solution initiates the first stage (Inflammation). Stages two (Fibroblastic) and three (Maturation) follow automatically as part of the body’s natural healing process.
INFLAMMATION
In stage one, the body sends in special cells which help to clean up the debris, much like a cleanup crew at a construction site. These cells respond as if another injury has occurred resulting in a controlled inflammation and increased blood flow. Most people are taught that inflammation is bad and don’t realize that without inflammation no healing will occur. This process takes about a week.
FIBROBLASTIC
In stage two, the body begins the process of repair and healing. This is accomplished by the addition of tissue repair cells called fibroblasts which are lacking in the injured tissue. Fibroblasts increase in number at the sites of injection, and over the course of four to six weeks secrete a substance called collagen, a very strong, inelastic protein which is found naturally in the body. The new collagen is normal, healthy tissue and makes the ligaments thicker, denser and stronger. This provides more support to your joints, primarily where the ligaments anchor or attach to bone. The strength of the injected ligaments can increase up to 40% above normal. Stability is increased causing pain and muscle spasm to decrease.
MATURATION
In stage three, the newly formed tissue continues to mature for two years. Improvement, therefore, may continue for up to three years after the last treatment. But, if during the three stages of the healing process, anti-inflammatory drugs, ice, compression and/or immobilization are used to reduce pain and inflammation, complete and normal healing will be inhibited.
So, in essence, prolotherapy strengthens ligaments and decreases pain by stimulating the body’s own repair and healing mechanism to go into action. This solution does not contain cortisone, which is known to decrease inflammation, which will slow or stop the healing process. Acute pain may be relieved with cortisone, but repeated use causes a weakening of the tissues and chronic pain develops. With prolotherapy, however, there is no masking of pain, tissues heal naturally and become stronger, without the formation of scar tissue. It is for this reason that prolotherapy gives long-lasting relief for months to years. Several treatments spaced apart by about four weeks are usually required to get the full benefit from prolotherapy.
When a house is built, as each support is added, the structure becomes more solid, giving more strength to the house. The same is true for joints. As each treatment creates new tissue to strengthen the ligaments, more strength and support is added to the joint structure. No treatment other than prolotherapy is able to increase the strength and stability of joints.
What About the Procedure Itself?
Prolotherapy is a very safe procedure when performed by a well-trained and highly-skilled physician who has an in-depth knowledge of anatomy and experience using this injection technique. The use of needles involves risks, but complications from prolotherapy are rare. The solutions commonly used have been shown to be safe and, as stated previously, do not contain cortisone.
The most common side effects, aside from some discomfort during the injections, are temporary soreness, stiffness, and occasional bruising after the injections. Although injection discomfort cannot be eliminated, it is well-tolerated in most cases. If necessary, it can be reduced by the use of prescription oral medications for pain control and sedation taken prior to the treatment. Most patients prefer not to be sedated because it makes them feel groggy for a few hours and because a driver is required to and from the appointment. Topical anesthetic cream to numb the skin can also be applied to reduce needle discomfort. The actual treatment may last from a minute, if there is only one site of tenderness such as the elbow, to ten minutes, if larger regions such as the back and neck are being treated together.
Depending on the area treated and the number of injections, which is usually just a few for small areas or many for larger areas, one may return to usual activities the next day or two. The soreness following the injections is normal and gradually lessens over several days, as will any bruising that may occur.
Approved, prescribed drugs or plain Tylenol may be taken for this discomfort. However, no anti-inflammatory drugs may be taken during the treatment period because these will interfere with the healing process that prolotherapy initiates. A goal of prolotherapy is to get the patient off all pain medications. Natural supplements may be recommended to speed recovery and encourage healing.
Can Prolotherapy Cure Everything?
Prolotherapy does not produce healing overnight. It cannot “cure” every condition, nor always eliminate 100% of one’s pain. There are some areas that the Prolotherapist cannot safely reach with a needle. However, most patients completing prolotherapy treatment (usually four to ten sessions) will receive at least 50% relief of their pain. Some even report complete resolution. These results are excellent, considering that chronic pain is exceedingly difficult to treat.
When complementary treatments such as muscle therapy, physical therapy, electrotherapy, oral supplements, and exercise, are combined with prolotherapy, results are often enhanced. It is also important to know that prolotherapy only strengthens tissues. No structures are weakened or damaged and no scar tissue is formed.
A good history and a thorough examination are necessary to select the best candidates for prolotherapy. The motivation to want to get better and complete the necessary treatments is vital. Patience and time are important to reap the full benefit from prolotherapy. Chronic pain problems do not occur overnight and they do not heal that way either. If the pain affects one’s life on a daily basis, then prolotherapy may be indicated.
Individuals who have unhealthy lifestyles, such as smoking or excessive drinking, who are unfit or obese, or who have underlying diseases or stress, may not heal as well, decreasing the effectiveness of treatment. It also should be noted that people who regularly take narcotic painkillers receive less benefit from prolotherapy because these drugs suppress the body’s immune system. Tolerance, physical dependence and addiction are consequences of habitual narcotic use. Weaning off narcotics greatly improves the results of prolotherapy.
In Summary
Prolotherapy is an effective treatment for a multitude of conditions. There is no other treatment that replaces prolotherapy for strengthening weakened ligaments. It works by stimulating the body’s own healing process at the sites of injection. 
Healing occurs slowly but surely... and naturally. Multiple treatments are usually necessary to achieve maximum joint stability and long-lasting relief from pain. The goals of prolotherapy are to decrease pain and to improve a person’s overall ability to function at work, at home, and during usual activities.