Prolotherapy and Back Pain

Bilateral knee pain - low back pain
Rusty is a 56 year old medical professional and Navy Reserve officer who came to Caring Medical for complaints of bilateral knee pain and low back pain. His knee pain began 15 years ago, along with swelling of those joints. An MRI revealed chondromalacia patella. He had previously tried Physical therapy for one year with only minimal relief of pain, but a lot of money and time spent. He had difficulty going up stairs due to pain. His low back pain started 30 years ago while working in a factory and doing repetitive movements and heavy lifting. He states this affected his ability to do physical fitness requirements for the Navy Reserve.

Low and mid back pain
Lisa, a 49 year old female, came to Caring Medical suffering with low and mid back pain for about two years. She had tried chiropractic care and over the counter anti-inflammatories with only temporary relief. She also complained of eczema, gas and bloating, constipation, hot flashes, irregular periods, hair loss, PMS, history of endometriosis, and low libido. She was on no medications besides natural progesterone cream and some dietary supplements such as fish oils, digestive enzymes, and calcium.

Left low back and ischial tuberosity (sitz bone)
Sam Rizk is a 69 year-old man who came to Caring Medical in June of 2008 with complaints of left low back and ischial tuberosity (sitz bone) pain for the past six years. The pain was aggravated by running, so he had ceased running for three months prior to seeing us. Sam is an endurance runner who picked up running at the age of 53. He had tried chiropractic and physical therapy, but achieved only temporary relief of his pain. He had also tried Prolotherapy with another Prolotherapy doctor which also gave him temporary relief. When his pain returned with continued running, he decided to give Prolotherapy another try, and this time at Caring Medical.

Arachnoiditis
Arachnoiditis is typically diagnosed in someone who has undergone back surgery and still suffers severe back pain that radiates down the legs and often to the feet. The pain has a persistent burning, stinging, or aching quality. The diagnosis is occasionally made when similar symptoms are felt in the neck, arms, or the mid back with radiation into the chest. This pain is typically unresponsive to pain medications and muscle relaxants.

Ankylosing Spondylitis
It is an accepted fact in the medical literature that an individual who presents with four out of the following five symptoms, without having any trauma to the lower back, has an 80 percent chance of having the diagnosis of ankylosing spondylitis

Prolotherapy-Back Surgery-Spinal Fusion
The Role of Back Surgery
Prolotherapy After Back Surgery
Prolotherapy & Spinal Fusion
Failed Back Surgery Prolotherapy
Spinal Fusion and Foot Drop

Prolotherapy for Compression Fracture

Recently we received the following email: 
Dear Dr. Hauser,
My name is Karen. I have heard so many wonderful things about you and I am wondering if you could let me know if you could possible help me with my medical problem. I suffered a compression fracture of my T12 Vertebrae in February of this year from a snow tubing accident.

Facet Syndrome
Chronic low back pain is the most common complaint seen at pain clinics. Typically people with chronic low back pain show degenerative changes in their vertebrae on x-rays. When the pain is primarily located at a specific attachment of two vertebrae, which is the facet joint, the person is said to have facet syndrome.

Low Back Pain and Prolotherapy
The first step in determining ligament laxity or instability in the lower back is by physical examination. The examination involves maneuvering the patient into various stretched positions. If weak ligaments exist, the stressor maneuver will cause pain. Do this simple test at home:

Scoliosis and Prolotherapy
Scoliosis is a lateral curvature of the spine of 11 degrees or more. An estimated 500,000 adults in the United States have scoliosis. Scoliosis is usually discovered during adolescence and is called idiopathic scoliosis, a fancy term meaning the doctor has no idea what caused the scolios.

Degenerative Disc Disease Articles
Degenerative Disc Disease
Degenerative Disc Disease & the Athlete
SPINAL DISC PROBLEMS
Acute Lumbar Disc Herniation
ARTIFICIAL SPINAL DISK

Spinal Stenosis and Prolotherapy
People generally question us when we tell them that Prolotherapy can help relieve the pain of spinal stenosis, yet, the answer to their questions can be found in the following five facts.

Spinal Cord Stimulators
“Can I get Prolotherapy if I have a spinal cord stimulator?” This is a question I get asked once or twice a year.

MRIs, Herniated Discs, Prolotherapy
It is prudent for a patient to consider why he or she is getting an MRI. If a patient wants to get surgery then go ahead and get an MRI. There is almost no other reason to get one. MRI’s cannot tell a person what is causing their pain, it only confirms what is known by the history and physical examination.

Radiofrequency denervation
Radiofrequency denervation of nerves for low back pain is becoming more and more of an accepted treatment. In my experience very few people receive long term relief with this therapy. In addition, this therapy makes absolutely no sense to me.  Let's see if it makes sense to you.

BACK PAIN-WHAT'S THE DIAGNOSIS?
People are confused because doctors, most commonly orthopedic surgeons, give them diagnoses that they do not understand. In one study, 51 surgeons were asked to give the four most common diagnoses used for patients with low back pain and a total of 50 different terms were used.

Loose Ligaments and Back Pain
When back pain is due to loose ligaments, a very characteristic behavior of pain is observed. A patient with loose ligaments of the lumbar spine or pelvis will experience recurring dysfunctions at the intervertebral joint (degenerative disc and possible nerve compression), at the facet joints (locking in flexion or extension), and at the sacroiliac joints. In other words, the low back pain can be due to an unstable disc problem, facet joint locking, or sacroiliac dysfunction.

Women, Back Pain and Hormones
During pregnancy, a woman's body secretes a hormone called relaxin which causes ligaments to loosen in preperation for birth. Ligament laxity is normal during pregnancy.

Sacroiliac Pain
I never get tired of hearing from patients who have experienced alleviation of their chronic pain by receiving Prolotherapy. On a follow up with a particular patient, the patient told our staff he felt so much better that he wouldn't need to be coming back into the office anytime soon.

Tarlov Cysts
The key to deciding about treatment of these cysts is to be certain the cyst is the cause of the symptoms. Before deciding on intervention the symptoms should be serious enough that their treatment is indicated.

The problem with getting properly diagnosed: SI strain
I just saw a 35 year old man who had low back pain for the past 6 years. Physical therapy had failed to help him at all. When he saw an orthopedist he specifically showed the doctor the location of his pain (over the right sacroiliac joint), and described the clicking and popping sensation that he frequently experienced in the same area. The doctor told him "there is nothing there"!!!

Prolotherapy Spondylolisthesis
I am writing this letter to you a little late since you treated me in September 2006 for 'spondyloisthesis of L4/L5. Since treating me I have gone on to walk 2 - 4 miles nearly every day, swim, bike, spin bike and complete the 'Danskin' triathlon in August 2007. You have given me my life back since I did all these things before my back issues showed up.

SPINAL DISC PROBLEMS
Why I believe disc degeneration has very little to do with chronic low back pain

Diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis
Diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH) , also known as Forestier’s disease is characterized by spinal pain presumed to be caused by the extensive amount of calcification that occurs within the spinal ligaments in the condition.
 

Sacroiliac and Prolotherapy
Sacroiliac ligaments
Sacroiliac pain after two Prolotherapy sessions
Sacroiliac pain after six Prolotherapy treatments
Sacroiliac pain after Prolotherapy
Sacroiliac Pain for 20 years and Prolotherapy Treatments
Sacroiliac Pain after 2 and a half years of Prolotherapy Treatments
Prolotherapy Helps Sacroiliac
Prolotherapy and Muscle Wasting?

BACK PAIN BLOG