How many prolo injections are required?

The duration of treatment is dependent on the extent and location of injury, as well as the age, immune status, and nutritional reserves of the patient. Generally, athletes with good nutritional reserves heal the fastest, largely because they have greater circulation and muscle tone to assist the healing response. In these people, pain can be relieved and function restored in as little as 6 weeks.

Sedentary men and women with poor diets, high stress lifestyles, and dysfunctional immune systems (autoimmune syndromes and inflammatory diseases such as colitis and fibromyalgia) are slow to regenerate their connective tissues. These patients should be identified during the initial workup and appropriate steps taken to address these underlying conditions. Nutritional support with dietary changes and supplementation, as well as a metered exercise program will speed the rate of repair.

Aging joints are slower to heal. This is because circulation is compromised with older patients, and the joint capsule connective tissues desiccate over time. In elderly patients, shoulder injuries, such as rotator cuff syndromes, are especially slow to heal because circulation is compromised and the joint capsule is dried out. Typically they can take 4 to 12 months to restore function and relieve pain, with prolotherapy sessions every 1 to 4 weeks. Depending on the region being treated, each prolotherapy session can require from 1 to 10 needle insertions, with up to 6 injections of proliferant per insertion.