What is Prolotherapy?

The word "Prolo" is short for proliferation, because the treatment causes a proliferation (growth) of new ligament tissues in the weakened area.

Ligaments help hold bones to bones in joints. Ligaments can become injured and not heal back to their original strength. Ligaments have many nerve endings and can cause pain at the point of damage.  Tendons are the tissue which connect muscles to bone and may also become injured causing pain.

Prolotherapy helps to stimulate the body to begin healing the areas in pain. This is done by the use of a solution, which are injected into the ligament or tendon. The result is inflammation in the local area which then stimulates the healing response and repair of tissue.

What Are In Prolotherapy Injections?
Ross Hauser, M.D.

...The basic mechanism of Prolotherapy is simple. A substance is injected, which leads to local inflammation. The localized inflammation triggers a wound-healing cascade, resulting in the deposition of new collagen. New collagen shrinks as it matures. The shrinking collagen tightens the ligament that was injected and makes it stronger. Prolotherapy has the potential of being 100 percent effective at eliminating sports injuries and chronic pain, but depends upon the technique of the individual Prolotherapist. The most important aspect is injecting enough of the solution into the injured and weakened area. If this is done, the likelihood of success is excellent.

How Long Will It Take To Complete a Course of Treatments?

The response to treatment varies from individual to individual, and depends upon one's healing ability. Some people may only need a few treatments while others may need 10 or more. The average number of treatments is 4-6 for an area treated.

Chronic Pain Help

Prolotherapy may help in areas where other methods have failed such as in the long-term use of drugs, cortisone treatments, and surgery.

When these fail to relieve the pain a full neurological examination may be necessary.  The examination may include x-rays or a myelogram to identify the sources of pain.

Conditions That Can Be Treated