Overview:
Have you recently experienced a sudden soft tissue or tendon injury and are looking for a drug-free method of treatment? A prolotherapy injection session with us might be just what you need for overall wellness. Here’s what you should know about prolotherapy for regenerative medicine.
What is Prolotherapy?
Prolotherapy is a regenerative medicine practice that uses a series of drug-free injections to promote the healing of injured soft tissues, joints, ligaments, and tendons by stimulating cell growth and the body’s innate healing process. It is sometimes also known as regenerative injection therapy. Prolotherapy injections can be performed by trained physicians or osteopathic doctors.
Prolotherapy injections are made up of vitamin B12, local anesthetic, and dextrose. The injection, which is an irritant, causes inflammation to the affected area, enabling an increase in blood flow. This increase in blood flow to the injured site brings with it white blood cells and platelets, which are responsible for clotting and promoting the body’s self-healing response.
What Are the Benefits of Prolotherapy?
There are multiple benefits to using prolotherapy injections to treat chronic pain or musculoskeletal injuries. Prolotherapy has been shown to benefit patients with:
- osteoarthritis, especially in the knees
- Soft tissue injuries
- Chronic pain due to musculoskeletal injuries
- Lower back pain
- Tennis elbow and other ligament sprains
- As a non-narcotic method of pain management, prolotherapy is quite safe and effective at targeting a specific injury area.
What to Expect During a Prolotherapy Session
If you’ve never had a prolotherapy injection session, you might be wondering what to expect during your first appointment. A trained physician or osteopathic doctor will begin by asking you a comprehensive set of questions to determine your health status, including current injuries, pain levels, and overall well-being.
From there, your doctor will conduct a physical exam to determine your mobility and assess any painful areas. You may receive up to 15 shots per session, depending on your symptoms. While some patients report feeling relief after just one session, most prolotherapy treatment plans will typically require up to six sessions over the course of three to six months, depending on the severity of the case.