Prolotherapy
Prolotherapy is an injection therapy used for joint pain, disorders of hypermobility, tendenopathies, and many other musculoskeletal conditions. Many people are familiar with corticosteroid injections which thin the tissues in the area they are used and suppress the immune system. Recent studies actually show that corticosteroid injections worsen conditions such as knee pain. However, prolotherapy actually works in a very different way. The solution injected causes increased blood flow and immune response in the area to stimulate healing and remodeling. While people often experience pain associated with old injuries, the inflammation is often not productive. Prolotherapy helps direct the blood and inflammation to where it needs to go. While one would think this would be quite painful, my patients tend to report alleviation from the pain very soon after the injections. It isn't a one shot wonder. For conditions such as joint, a typical prescription would be for prolotherapy injections once a month for 3 months.
Prolotherapy injections typically contain natural substances like dextrose, saline, and sarapin, in addition to a numbing agent like lidocaine. This treatment is unlike platelet-rich plasma injections, which require stem cells from the person undergoing treatment. It’s also unlike steroid and cortisone injections. Your doctor will make the injection to a very specific, targeted area in the injury site which triggers your body’s healing response. This leads to the growth of new, healthy ligaments or tendon fibers. As a result, you may experience reduced pain and stiffness and improved strength, function, and mobility of the joint.
Here is a study on prolotherapy:
Therapeutic effects of prolotherapy with intra-articular dextrose injection in patients with moderate knee osteoarthritis: a single-arm study with 6 months follow up.
Prolotherapy injections typically contain natural substances like dextrose, saline, and sarapin, in addition to a numbing agent like lidocaine. This treatment is unlike platelet-rich plasma injections, which require stem cells from the person undergoing treatment. It’s also unlike steroid and cortisone injections. Your doctor will make the injection to a very specific, targeted area in the injury site which triggers your body’s healing response. This leads to the growth of new, healthy ligaments or tendon fibers. As a result, you may experience reduced pain and stiffness and improved strength, function, and mobility of the joint.
Here is a study on prolotherapy:
Therapeutic effects of prolotherapy with intra-articular dextrose injection in patients with moderate knee osteoarthritis: a single-arm study with 6 months follow up.
Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP)
Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy uses a patient’s own platelets to accelerate the healing of injured tendons, ligaments, muscles and joints.
PRP injections are prepared by taking anywhere from one to a few tubes of your own blood and running it through a centrifuge to concentrate the platelets. These activated platelets are then injected directly into your injured or diseased body tissue. The platelets contain growth factors that can trigger cell proliferation, speed healing and stimulate tissue regeneration in the treated area.
PRP injections can be performed in tendons and ligaments all over the body. Sports injuries, any appropriate tendon injury that your physician feels would benefit from PRP can be treated, including tennis elbow, ACL tears, rotator cuff tears, plantar fasciitis, etc. may all be effectively treated with PRP. In addition, PRP has been reported to have an anti-inflammatory response when used for osteoarthritis.
PRP is also used in aesthetics, such as facial rejuvenation and hair growth. With facial rejuvenation, the PRP therapy stimulates collagen formation that can smooth out wrinkles and decrease acne scars or undesired lines, and improve texture and elasticity, resulting in younger, healthier looking skin.
PRP is also used for thinning hair or receding hairline. The growth factors in the PRP injection can stimulate hair follicles and push them into the growth phase. Research shows that PRP is an effective and ideal way to stimulate hair growth without the use of medications.
PRP injections are prepared by taking anywhere from one to a few tubes of your own blood and running it through a centrifuge to concentrate the platelets. These activated platelets are then injected directly into your injured or diseased body tissue. The platelets contain growth factors that can trigger cell proliferation, speed healing and stimulate tissue regeneration in the treated area.
PRP injections can be performed in tendons and ligaments all over the body. Sports injuries, any appropriate tendon injury that your physician feels would benefit from PRP can be treated, including tennis elbow, ACL tears, rotator cuff tears, plantar fasciitis, etc. may all be effectively treated with PRP. In addition, PRP has been reported to have an anti-inflammatory response when used for osteoarthritis.
PRP is also used in aesthetics, such as facial rejuvenation and hair growth. With facial rejuvenation, the PRP therapy stimulates collagen formation that can smooth out wrinkles and decrease acne scars or undesired lines, and improve texture and elasticity, resulting in younger, healthier looking skin.
PRP is also used for thinning hair or receding hairline. The growth factors in the PRP injection can stimulate hair follicles and push them into the growth phase. Research shows that PRP is an effective and ideal way to stimulate hair growth without the use of medications.
Schedule Your Appointment
Dr. Emily Gannaway is the physician at MediPro Holistic Health that offers Regenerative Injection Therapies. Schedule an appointment today to discuss your options.
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