|
PROLOTHERAPY AND CHRONIC
PAIN
It is not a secret that
chronic musculoskeletal pain is the number one cause of chronic disability in
North America. Nor is it a secret that chronic
back pain is the leading cause of
disability in Americans under the age of 45. What is a secret is that this
rampaging epidemic of pain can conceivably be eliminated in 80-90% of sufferers.
Prolotherapy, a treatment that relies on the body's own
healing process to eliminate pain, is not among the traditionally accepted modes
of pain therapy.
The conventional and prevailing model of pain management relies
on
anti-inflammatory drugs and
cortisone injections, a course of therapies that
has provided little in the way of comfort for
chronic pain sufferers and whose
long term use has been warned against by many medical organizations. In fact,
many traditional pain specialists are discouraging the chronic use of drugs, as
they may be detrimental to the patient by adding to depression, increasing pain,
and producing other side effects such as gastrointestinal bleeding and ulcers.
The current vogue among traditional pain therapists is to
recommend a combination of aspirin or ibuprofen, bed rest, and small amounts of
muscle relaxants over a short time. To that, some clinicians add massage,
manipulative or
physical therapy. These treatments provide some relief, but do
not cure the underlying problem.
If these therapies prove ineffective and pain persists, a
full neurological examination may be necessary, including an x-ray of the spinal
cord called a myelogram, to check for ruptured discs or other sources of
pressure on the spinal cord or nerves. If damage is found, surgery may be
recommended, although surgery is not a guarantee of pain alleviation. Even with
such poor results, modern medicine continues to search for drugs, devices and
surgical procedures to eliminate chronic pain.
Why Does Prolotherapy Work?
Developed in the 1940's by
Dr. George Hackett, Prolotherapy
stimulates the body to repair painful areas. Its effectiveness is wide-ranging
and includes pain associated with: the back, the
neck, all joints throughout the
body, arthritis,
migraines,
fibromyalgia,
sciatica,
herniated
discs, and
TMJ.
Most neck, back and other musculoskeletal pain is due to weakness of
ligaments
and
tendons. Since ligaments and tendons are the
connective tissue
that hold
our muscles to bone, and bone to bone, both must be taut and strong.
Back pain results when weak ligaments and tendons cause the
spine to become "unstable." Vertebrae begin to slip, move and rotate
from their proper position, causing pressure on the nerves. Limited results in
pain alleviation may be achieved with cortisone and other anti-inflammatory
agents but these do not address the cause of the pain. Temporary pain
suppression is not a cure for the underlying problem: ligament and tendon
weakness. Advocates of the technique say Prolotherapy is the long-term solution
to chronic pain because it strengthens the ligaments and tendons so they can
move the vertebrae back into their proper places.
Prolotherapy involves the
injection of an
"irritant" solution (something as simple as a sugar or salt solution,
cod liver oil or corn extract) into the area where the ligaments have either
been weakened or damaged through
injury. The injection is given at the point where the ligament connects to the
bone. With this injection, the
Prolotherapist
causes the body to heal itself
through the process of
inflammation.
When an irritant is introduced, at the site of injury, the
immune system is summoned to the area. The body begins a healing process exactly
where the painful area is located. New fibrous tissue is laid, repairing and
strengthening the ligaments so that they can pull the vertebrae back where they
belong and alleviate pain.
Prolotherapy treatment sessions are generally given every four to six weeks to
allow time for the growth of the new connective tissue. Patients usually require
four to six treatment sessions for complete recovery, some
experience more immediate results.
Harold Wilkinson, M.D. professor and former chairman of the
Division of Neurosurgery at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center,
performed a 16 year Prolotherapy study culminating in 1995. In his report, Dr.
Wilkinson states that it was noteworthy that "a sizeable portion of people
with unresolved chronic pain had more than a years pain relief with only one
Prolotherapy injection." While these results were obtained with a single
injection, most Prolotherapy sessions involve multiple injections given in each
session.
Standard medical and surgical procedures cannot match
Prolotherapys 80-90% effectiveness in eliminating chronic pain, nor can standard
medicine match the relative low cost of treatment. Prolotherapy treatments can
range from $100-200, where a typical surgical procedure may cost up to ten times
that amount!
Why is Prolotherapy unknown?
The position taken by the American Association of Orthopaedic
Medicine (AAOM), says that the teaching of Prolotherapy is suppressed in medical
schools and residency training programs because there are organizations who have
a vested interest in continuing traditional treatment methods (surgery and drug
therapies).
Prolotherapy has been shown to be equally effective at eliminating the pain of
such conditions as arthritis, migraines, tension
headaches,
sports injuries,
fibromyalgia, loose joints, TMJ Syndrome, tendinitis, sciatica,
herniated discs and degenerated joints.
There are currently only about 300 physicians who practice
Prolotherapy in the United States. With the recent rise in popularity, however,
this number is expected to multiply greatly within the next few years.
Another Prolotherapy Endorsement
"Ten years ago I was skeptical regarding
Prolotherapy...I had heard the testimonials and I had spoken to senior
physicians. I thought it was professional mass confusion until I developed my
own experience. I was
surprised about positive and lasting results on selected patients. In my
practice today, I routinely utilize Prolotherapy for management of mechanical
lower back pain discomfort and various sports-related injuries.
Prolotherapy is the only methodology I have ever utilized with limited risk yet
potential for significant benefit. As a practitioner of Prolotherapy I encourage
athletes and chronic pain patients with chronic soft tissue injuries to consider
Prolotherapy. Prolotherapy is a secret that needs to be discovered."
Lloyd R.
Saberski, M.D. Former Medical Director,
Yale University School
of Medicine
Center for Pain Management.
RELATED ARTICLES
Questions and
Answers
What
is Prolotherapy?
Do
Prolotherapy Injections Hurt That Much?
Not All
Prolotherapists Are Created Equal
Are You An Ideal
Candidate For Prolotherapy?
Prolotherapy:
How Many Treatments...How Often?
What is in a Prolotherapy
Injection?
Prolotherapy and Chronic Pain
Prolotherapy
and Surgery
Soreness
After Prolotherapy
|
Our
Prolotherapy Books - 
POWER
OVER PAIN