All of the joints in the body are made up of a few key elements bones, muscles, and connective tissues like tendons, ligaments, cartilage, and fascia. Most physical therapies focus on the proper alignment of bones and the strength and flexibility of muscles. However, it is actually the connective tissue that holds the joint in proper alignment and allows for optimal pain free movement.
When the connective tissues that hold a joint together have been over-stretched or torn the bones become highly susceptible to slipping out of place. The joint then begins to wobble or in the worst case scenario completely dislocates. The wobbling or dislocation of a joint leads to degenerative damage to the joint and causes chronic pain. It also leads to muscle contractions and spasms as the muscles surrounding the joint attempt to hold the joint in place. In effect, the muscles begin taking over the job of the connective tissue.
Prolotherapy is a technique that stimulates the repair and re-growth of ligaments and tendons. Prolotherapy utilizes the therapeutic injection of dextrose (sugar) along with a local anaesthetic in order to induce local dehydration and thus stimulate the influx of immune cells. The immune cells recruit peripheral stem cells and fibroblasts that lay down new ligament and tendon tissue. This targeted form of acute inflammation is the mechanism that leads to the repair and re-growth of the connective tissue required for joint stability.
Prolotherapy has been shown to be effective at repairing almost any joint in the body. The most common conditions treated by prolotherapy include tension headaches, migraines, spinal degeneration, frozen shoulder, golfer’s elbow, tennis elbow, carpal tunnel syndrome, scoliosis, low back pain, hip degeneration, knee pain, ankle sprains, and plantar fasciitis to name a few. Prolotherapy has also been used to prevent or delay many orthopaedic surgeries like hip and knee joint replacements and spinal fusions.
Prolotherapy works very well in conjunction with chiropractic care, physiotherapy, acupuncture, massage therapy, and other soft tissue techniques. In most cases prolotherapy works best when the muscles and bones of the joint have been properly aligned prior to the procedure. This encourages the healthy re-growth of ligament and tendon tissue in the proper alignment.
In British Columbia, prolotherapy is performed almost exclusively by naturopathic physicians. In the United States, many medical doctors and osteopathic doctors also use prolotherapy in their practices. Prolotherapy is an out-patient procedure performed in the office. The course of treatment depends on the severity of the connective tissue injury and the body’s ability to heal. The healing response induced by prolotherapy starts immediately after the procedure and continues for several months. Therefore, the strength and stability of the joint should continue to improve over the course of months.
