PROLOTHERAPY AND PROLOZONE

A non- surgical approach to joint pain

Millions of people suffer both acute and chronic pain as a result of injuries or degenerative changes to the spine and joints of the body. When these injuries become chronic, the ligaments (the structural “rubber bands” which hold bones to bones in joints) become injured and weak. The ligaments lose strength and endurance and, because of poor blood supply, fail to heal completely. Because these ligaments have many nerve endings, the damage to these ligaments may cause chronic pain. When trauma and/ or inflammation occur there are excessive amounts of lactic acid which also cause pain
Traditional modalities used to treat these afflictions include rest, non-steroidal and steroidal medications, injections and surgery. The results of these treatments have been so limited that millions continue to suffer from back pain, degenerative and herniated discs, carpal tunnel syndrome, TMJ, sciatica, heel spurs, tennis elbow, rotator cuff tears and virtually all sports injuries.

So, what is prolotherapy and how does it help? Prolotherapy is an injection technique that stimulates your natural healing process by stimulating growth of cells and tissue. It increases oxygen, nutrients and growth factor to the affected areas and helps facilitate healing. In ancient times, Hippocrates was known to treat a dislocated shoulder by sticking a hot poker into the joint resulting in healing. The “controlled irritation” was the mechanism of healing to stimulate the body to repair itself. In the 1920’s prolotherapy was discovered by George S. Hackett MD and over the course of time, developed into a viable treatment modality for suffering patients.

Prolotherapy is a modern version of Hippocrate’s theory. Derived from the Latin ”prolo” which means to proliferate , regenerate or rebuild, the goal is the introduction of a mild irritating solution which will result in a localized inflammation. The resultant increased blood flow will bring nutrients, fibroblasts, osteoblasts and chondroblasts to facilitate the repair process. Adding Ozone (Prolozone therapy) to the mix supplies the oxidative stimulus to bring cells back into a positive state of energy production and eliminate lactic acidosis, a major cause of pain.

The injections are administered weekly and each treatment results in the increased deposit of tissue into the affected area. The joints continue to become stronger and more stabilized. The frequency and number of injections is individualized for each patient based on the area and type of dysfunction or damage. Research has shown this modality is capable of increasing the strength and structure of ligaments and tendons 30-40% above normal.

The key points to know about prolotherapy include:

• There is no surgery.
• It stimulates the body’s natural healing ability
• It is a conservative treatment that does not weaken the body part.
• There is no down time
• It relieves pain, function is regained and the results are permanent.
• There are no significant side effects.

In general patients notice a marked improvement after a few series of injections. Prolotherapy must be done by a physician who has been trained in Prolotherapy and Prolozone technique.

In conjunction with proper diet and Omega-3 supplementation, Prolozone therapy brings together ancient thinking and modern technology. The result is a more cost effective, less toxic and more efficacious modality in the treatment of many chronic, debilitating problems.