I just got what my doctor is calling Prolotherapy for a torn meniscus, one shot of glucosamine. I am to return in a month. This does not sound like Prolotherapy to me, not from what I've read on this web site.

He told me Prolotherapy is a made-up word that means proliferate and it's anything an orthopedist can do for you short of surgery. Does this sound right? My knee is not better and it has been two weeks.

Dear Blogger,
Thanks for your comments. Prolotherapy has been around for many years and is an injection technique that was initially discovered by George Hackett, MD who was a pioneer in the field of pain management back in the 1950s.

He coined the word "Prolotherapy" because it means "to proliferate" or "to grow" which is what Prolotherapy does - it stimulates the body to repair ligament and/or cartilage tissue. This has been well-documented by numerous animal studies in earlier years, as well as human studies more recently. You can read more about these in the book Prolo Your Pain Away!
 

As with any medical procedure, there are different schools of thought related to how it is performed. Prolotherapy is performed by any type of medical doctor or osteopathic physician, and some physician assistants as well, not strictly orthopedists.

Prolotherapy is an in-office injection technique Prolotherapy injections, (Watch where do Prolotherapy injections go and do they hurt?) that typically in our experience, allows a pain/injured patient to avoid surgery, not just hold off until getting surgery. Prolotherapy, when done properly, can regrow injured tissue and eliminate pain, as well as clicking, and other movement issues.
 

We inject all of the areas where the ligaments attach to the bones, and in some cases, such as the knee, into the joint itself (in addition). We would give somewhere around 20 or more Prolotherapy injections for a typical Prolotherapy treatment of the knee, not just one injection. Some physicians find that the one-injection method works, but in our experience, we find that patients achieve success at eliminating their pain when the entire area is treated fully. We see patients typically every 4-6 weeks, for an average of 3-6 visits total.

Related to you not feeling better after 2 weeks - you do have to give Prolotherapy some time to work. Most of our patients experience at least 50-75% relief after the first treatment, but not all. It depends on the severity of the case and the patient's overall health and ability to heal. We also instruct our patients to avoid taking all anti-inflammatory medications, as this will negate the effects of the Prolotherapy.

(See A Retrospective Study Shows Prolotherapy is Effective in the Treatment of MRI-Documented Meniscal Tears)