Prolotherapy

What is prolotherapy?

Prolotherapy is a technique that involves injecting a substance into an injured joint, muscle, tendon, or ligament to stimulate normal cell proliferation and growth. There are three different types of prolotherapy, including:

Growth factor injection prolotherapy

This option involves injecting specific growth factors into an injured joint that target red blood cells, cartilage, muscles, or ligaments. Growth factor injection prolotherapy is used for arthritis, muscle strains, and ligament sprains.

Growth factor stimulation prolotherapy

Growth factor stimulation prolotherapy involves injecting substances that stimulate your body to produce naturally-occurring growth factors. It’s mostly used to stimulate the growth of red blood cells, skin cells, and connective tissue.

Inflammatory prolotherapy

Inflammatory prolotherapy involves injecting a mildly inflammatory substance into injured tissues to create an inflammatory reaction and immune response. The substance used is a dextrose solution that mildly irritates tissues and encourages the body to fight off inflammation by healing the irritated tissues.

The team determines which type of prolotherapy is best for you based on your consultation, exam, and any necessary imaging.

What conditions can prolotherapy help?

Since there are different types of prolotherapy that involve injection of a variety of growth-stimulating substances, prolotherapy can be used for a range of musculoskeletal conditions, including:

• Arthritis
• Muscle strains
• Ligament sprains
• Chronic muscle pain
• Back pain
• Joint pain
• Sports injuries

Prolotherapy can be considered a form of regenerative medicine and may be used by itself or in conjunction with other regenerative therapies, including platelet rich plasma (PRP) injections and stem cell therapy.

Does prolotherapy work?

Prolotherapy has been studied since the 1950s, and research shows that it can be beneficial for many musculoskeletal conditions. The goal of prolotherapy is to resolve the root issue of your joint pain, muscle pain, or musculoskeletal dysfunction in order to support the natural healing response of your body.

Compared to anti-inflammatory medications and steroid injections that only treat inflammation, prolotherapy offers the additional benefit of tissue growth and regeneration. If you’ve tried anti-inflammatory options without success, prolotherapy may be able to help you and prevent the need for a more invasive procedure, such as a joint replacement surgery.

To determine if you’re a candidate for prolotherapy, schedule a consultation online or call New Jersey Pain Management now.