Who Has Pain?
Noel Peterson, N.D.
What do all of these patients have in common? Nathan, a 12 yr. old boy gymnast with a torn ligament in his left knee; Jewell, a retired public relations executive with degenerative arthritis of both knees; Jayme, a 46 yr. old dancer with debilitating pain, degenerative arthritis and swelling in both knees; Amy, a computer software executive with degenerative hip disease; Boni, a 55 yr. old woman with chronic tennis elbow; Randy, a 49 yr. old lawyer with a hypermobile neck; Joel, a big concrete worker with degeneration of both knees and a history of 2 unsuccessful surgeries; Manda, a 52 yr. old woman with chronic neck pain and stiffness from osteoarthritis; and Mary, a former marathoner with a 18 yr. history of daily pain in her sacroiliac joints. All were taken off of pain medication and were given significant or total relief by a series of prolotherapy injections.
What is Prolotherapy?
Prolotherapy is defined in Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary as “The rehabilitation of an incompetent structure such as a ligament or tendon, by the induced proliferation of new cells.” It was developed over fifty years ago as a natural non-surgical method of assisting the body in healing injured tendons and ligaments. Prolotherapy helps your body make new cells, which strengthen lax or torn tendons and ligaments (Ligaments are the tough tissues which connect bones to bones, and tendons are the tough tissue which connect muscles to bones). Prolotherapy can also stimulate your body to regenerate worn cartilage surfaces, such as in osteoarthritis and degenerative arthritis.
Prolotherapy technique consists of using a fine needle to inject a proliferative solution (usually a combination of dextrose, glucosamine sulfate and procaine) into incompetent tendons, ligaments, and joints for the purpose of stimulating new growth and repair, thereby promoting joint stability and reduction of pain. When injected into the torn tendon or ligament, the dextrose and procaine solution induces a physiologic reaction that stimulates the healing processes to resume, and induces the migration of fibroblasts (the body’s repair cells) to the site of injection. Fibroblasts lay down new connective tissue and in so doing, enlarging and strengthening the damaged tendons, ligaments, and cartilage.
Do Prolotherapy injections hurt?
Prolotherapy injections are performed with a lot of care and a little local anesthetic. The pain of treatment is minor and only temporary when compared to the chronic pain of tendon and ligament injuries. Some temporary local swelling and pain following injections is common.
What kinds of injuries respond to Prolotherapy?
Soft tissue injuries (strains, sprains and bruises of muscles, tendons, fascia, and ligaments) are the most common injuries encountered in sports, auto, household, and work accidents. These injuries produce chronic pain in the hands, elbows, shoulders, hips, knees, and feet, as well as neck, ribs, back, and sacrum. Most of these minor injuries heal on their own, but more serious injuries can go on to chronic pain and dysfunction, and the chronic use of pain and anti-inflammatory drugs. Over time, the anti-inflammatory drugs used in these cases will actually inhibit the repair of these damaged cells and contribute to the worsening of the injury.
What about conditions such as arthritis?
There are many forms of arthritis, the most common being osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis is the gradual degeneration of joint surfaces, caused by overuse and under repair. Over time, this wear-and-tear of cartilage progresses to the point that the cartilage is worn thin and pain and swelling results. Degenerative joint disease can progress to the point where the patient needs a total hip or knee replacement. Prolotherapy has been proven to reverse the degeneration of joints when the condition is treated early enough.
How did these patients respond?
Nathan, our young gymnast, was able to get rid of his knee brace and now performs gymnastics and his other sports without pain. Jewell was able to just about throw away her cane, and only uses it for stairs now. Jayme can perform deep knee bends and get back to a standing position without having to use her hands to help her up, and has no more knee pain. Her knees no longer swell when stair climbing. Amy’s hips are fine now, and her surgeon’s prediction of eventual hip replacement seems like a bad dream. Boni’s golf and tennis games are back in full swing. Randy has normal movement in his neck and for the first time in years and no longer “goes out” and into spasm. Joel can get in and out of his truck without his knees popping out, and is hiking up and down hills with no problems. Manda’s neck now has full range of motion without pain. For the first time in 18 years, Mary is off of both prescription and OTC pain and sleeps medications, can exercise pain free, and now sleeps soundly without the constant tossing and turning to relieve her soreness.
It is amazing what the right therapy can accomplish. For more on prolotherapy and the nutritional management of Osteoarthritis, visit our website www. MyCTM.org