Prolotherapy Introduction

The Down Low on Prolo

Prolotherapy literally means “proliferative therapy” and it is a form of therapy that is rooted in regenerative medicine. Regenerative medicine is simply the ability to induce your own body and pathways to regenerate and proliferate the tissue targeted. In terms of prolotherapy we are aiming to rebuild ligaments and structures in the joint and outside the joint to reduce or eliminate joint pain.

Why do prolotherapy and where does it fit into your health journey? Prolotherapy is a way for people to treat their chronic knee, hip, shoulder, or any other joint pain. It is an option for those people who have exhausted massage, chiropractic, and acupuncture and also for those who do not want to get cortisone shots (And a brief soap box moment… cortisone shots are great at eliminating pain, but that relief is temporary, and they are devastating to the joint and tissue. Doctors will recommend to not get more then three because it actually breaks down tissue and disintegrate the cartilage. You do not need three injections to experience those effects.). It is also the best place to start if you are thinking of getting PRP (plasma rich protein) or stem cell injections.

Now to get down into more of the nitty gritty of how prolo works. In prolo there are two different mechanisms that we are inducing. First is with the actual needle. We are creating micro trauma to the area which increases blood flow essentially re injuring the area. There is very limited blood flow to ligaments, that’s why they heal so slow, so with the injection we are essentially re injuring the area in a controlled environment so that your body can have another go at healing the area. Secondly the solution injected creates its own effect. In prolo we use a dextrose solution which is just a fancy way of saying “sugar water”. Dextrose has a very calming effect to the nervous system and binds to p53 pain receptors helping to restart the pain gait.

Prolotherapy is an amazing tool that we have when looking at pain but with everything it has limitations. To optimize prolo treatments it is essential that you are well conditioned prior or are well motivated to get there. Our skeleton and joints are held together by ligaments and muscles and your body needs them to be moved and used in order to be strong enough to support your joints. There are also many other systemic factors that can affect joint pain and the effectiveness of treatment such as hormones, autoimmune diseases, and inflammation. So if you are thinking that prolo might be a good fit for you go grab my 5 home tips to decrease inflammation and pain and give me a call! :)