How Successful Is Prolotherapy?

Have you heard of prolotherapy? This remarkable form of regenerative medicine has already helped countless patients to find freedom from pain. Could it help you as well? Just how successful is prolotherapy? Is it just a form of alternative treatment that occasionally helps patients, or does it consistently produce results? Continue reading to learn valuable information about it.

What Is Prolotherapy?

Prolotherapy may also be called regenerative injection therapy or proliferation therapy. Essentially, it involves the use of an irritant (usually a form of sugar water), that a doctor carefully injects at the site of injured tissue. The injection does not cause any real harm, but it does let your body know that something is wrong, stimulating it to send growth factors to the damaged area. In a sense, prolotherapy kick starts your body’s natural capacity to heal itself.

Prolotherapy can be used to address a number of different ailments. For example, it is often a valuable way to treat osteoarthritis, low back pain, neck pain, sports injuries, tedinopathy, degenerative disc disease, and more.

The Success Rate of Prolotherapy

Most clinicians find that 80 – 90% of patients experience at least a 50% reduction in pain after a series of prolotherapy injections. Of course, results can vary. Some patients discover that their pain disappears altogether.

If you undergo prolotherapy, do not conclude it is not working if you do not experience immediate pain relief. In fact, at first, there might be a minor increase in discomfort as the prolotherapy solution causes irritation and inflammation at the injection site. That should dissipate within a few days, however. Most patients notice the real results of their treatment 3 – 4 weeks after their injections.

How Long Does Prolotherapy Last?

Exactly how long the results from prolotherapy last varies from person to person. On average, patients experience about one year of pain relief before they must return for further prolotherapy injections. In other cases, patients experience permanent — or nearly permanent — results.

How long your pain relief lasts depends largely on the cause of your original pain. If you have a chronic condition, you are more likely to need repeated prolotherapy sessions than if you receive injections for an acute injury.

Is Prolotherapy Right for You?

If you are struggling with persistent joint pain or other musculoskeletal problems, it is possible that prolotherapy could play a role in helping you enjoy greater comfort and improved mobility. A qualified prolotherapy provider can assess your situation and let you know whether you are a good candidate for the treatment.

Meet the Practice

The large team of physicians and other care providers at the Institute for Non-Surgical Orthopedics is proud to offer prolotherapy as one of our regenerative medicine options. To learn more about it and our other services, get in touch with our Fort Lauderdale office at 954-563-2707.