Do you suffer from recurring back pain, joint pain, or other joint injuries that just don’t seem to heal? If this is you, and worse, if you are you take ongoing medications for it, then I want to show you something that could give you a world of relief.
It’s not a pharmaceutical drug, it’s not an expensive surgery, and it’s been used in the U.S. for more than 50 years now. Most importantly, in trained hands, this simple intervention it is both safe and extremely effective.
It’s called prolotherapy, and since I first wrote about it, I’ve discovered a few new benefits you need to know.
New cells, new joints
Prolotherapy is simply an injection technique to stimulate new cells to grow in chronically painful joints, ligaments and tendons (where they attach to bones). It is performed in the office using natural substances combined with numbing medicine. By injecting natural stimulants, some of which include sterile sugar water, you get a surge in growth factors at the site of the pain that stimulate new connective tissue to grow, which strengthens and helps re-align joints.
Most people have a very easy time with the procedure. It does cause increased stiffness and soreness for few days. But after just two to three injection sessions you should see benefit. After three to six treatments done three to six weeks apart, you should see the optimal benefits. The time in between allows you to grow new connective tissue, stabilize your joint and maximize pain relief. Some studies even indicate that cartilage be re-grown.
Here are the many types of pain and discomfort that can benefit from prolotherapy:
- Persistent back or neck pain
- Disk herniation, degenerative disc disease, or pinched nerves pain
- Sprains or tendonitis that doesn’t heal, especially if you are athletic. Examples include shoulder tendonitis, tennis elbow, golfers’ back, plantar fasciitis, or runners’ knee
- Degenerative arthritis of your shoulder, hand, hip, knee, ankle, or foot
- Headaches, TMJ arthralgia, reflex sympathetic dystrophy or even fibromyalgia
If this works so well, why isn’t it a well-known and mainstream therapy? First, the insurance corporations call it investigational (even though it’s been in the U.S. for more than 50 years, with many studies proving it is effects). Second, significant additional training is required to be proficient. Third, injecting sugar water does not generate income for any drug companies.
The American Pain Society recommends against prolotherapy for treating low back pain, and other authorities are simply waiting for larger, more-thorough studies before they endorse it. [1]
The American Association of Orthopedic Medicine offers certifications in prolotherapy.
Here’s a little more about how it works to heal tissues.
The wear and tear of osteoarthritis causes your joint space to be lost. Even when you have “bone on bone” arthritis and you are a candidate for knee replacement surgery, you can get improvement and avoid surgery. That’s because pain comes from the joint capsule and bone covering, which get healed with prolotherapy. When your joint is stabilized the irritation is dramatically reduced and new tissue forms.
In March of 2013 I personally met with a retired physician who had performed prolotherapy for many years in his practice. He claimed treatment successes in nearly 100 percent of patients. He made it clear that the reason why some studies show mixed results is due to inexperience of the practitioners.
You can learn more details of prolotherapy at www.prolonews.com. Also, you can find a physician who practices prolotherapy at http://www.getprolo.com/prolotherapy-doctor-locator/. Be sure you include exercise, nutrition, and any rehabilitation if needed with a physical therapist.
Prolozone
Prolozone® is similar to prolotherapy, but using oxygen-ozone. It was pioneered by Dr. Frank Shallenberger in Nevada, who claims it often corrects the disease, giving a person with chronic pain a 75% chance of becoming permanently pain free. It is even touted as a form of non-surgical ligament reconstruction.
Ozone helps rejuvenate weakened or damaged connective tissue around joints. The ozone is a highly reactive molecule, and when it is injected into a joint capsule it dramatically stimulates healing and new tissue growth.
The American Academy of Ozonotherapy offers certification in prolozone now. Be sure your physician uses an ozone generator that has a safety approval sticker (the sticker will come from groups like ETL, CSA, UL, or QAI.
I am told the Longevity Resources of Vancouver Canada (www.ozonegenerator.com) is the only company that has evidence they meet safety standards. You can learn more from the American Academy of Ozonotherapy at www.aaot.us.
To feeling good,
Michael Cutler, M.D.
Easy Health Options
[1] Prolotherapy: Solution to low back pain?
