What Conditions Can Prolotherapy Help Remedy and How to know if I’m a Candidate?
If you’re looking for alternative treatments for painful musculoskeletal injuries, it may be time to consider the benefits of prolotherapy.
At Precision Regenerative Medicine, Tammy Penhollow, DO, specializes in several types of regenerative medicine therapies, including prolotherapy. Dr. Penhollow offers in-office exams to identify the source of your pain and determine if you’re a candidate for this minimally invasive treatment.
The basics of prolotherapy
Prolotherapy involves repeated injections of a dextrose (sugar) solution into painful muscles or joints. The solution irritates the soft tissues in the injection site to stimulate your body’s natural healing processes to reduce inflammation.
Dr. Penhollow may recommend prolotherapy to relieve pain that originates in your musculoskeletal system, including your:
- Tendons
- Muscles
- Ligaments
After a complete physical exam and a review of your medical history, we can determine if this treatment is an option for you.
If you’re not a candidate for prolotherapy, Dr. Penhollow may suggest other regenerative medicine treatments, including platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy or bone marrow aspirate concentrate (BMAC) cell therapy.
When to consider prolotherapy
You may consider using prolotherapy as an alternative or complementary treatment for pain if medications and other therapies don’t provide the desired results.
We successfully use prolotherapy to treat persistent back pain, muscle pain, and joint pain that results from sports injuries or conditions like:
- Arthritis
- Whiplash
- Tendonitis
- Fibromyalgia
- Degenerative disc disease
Dr. Penhollow customizes a treatment plan based on your medical history and the severity of your pain. Typically, treatment involves a series of up to 15 injections per visit. You may need several sessions over 3-6 months to achieve your desired results.
Because treatment is minimally invasive, you won’t need to schedule downtime after your injections and can continue with your usual activities. You might need to avoid strenuous exercise and some physical activities until your pain resolves as your body heals.
Prolotherapy offers minimal risk for side effects. While you may have some discomfort and bruising at the injection site, these issues go away quickly without additional medical intervention.
Results that last
Because prolotherapy addresses the root cause of your pain and heals soft tissue damage, the benefits of prolotherapy may be long-lasting. As your body heals itself from the inside out, you should notice a reduction in your symptoms and an increase in the mobility of the treatment area.
Some people who use prolotherapy as a treatment strategy can avoid more invasive procedures, including surgery, while still finding reliable pain relief. You may also be able to reduce your reliance on pain relievers and anti-inflammatory medications.
As your pain decreases, you may find physical therapy easier to do to further support your healing and prevent new pain from developing.
If you’re interested in learning more about the benefits of prolotherapy, call Precision Regenerative Medicine in Scottsdale, Arizona, or book an appointment online today.