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FREQUENTLY
ASKED QUESTIONS
ARE
YOU AN IDEAL CANDIDATE FOR
Prolotherapy?
Prolotherapy stimulates the body to repair the painful area. For the
patient who has localized areas of pain or the person who has had a
recent injury from an accident, Prolotherapy is a very effective
treatment to strengthen those specific areas and eliminate the pain.
Realize, however, that Prolotherapy starts the growth of new healthy,
strong tissue. Your body--your own immune system--grows the tissue. For
the person who has a host of other chronic
nutritional, hormonal, allergic
problems, these deficiencies and illnesses should be corrected so the
body will be able to respond to Prolotherapy.
The
ideal Prolotherapy candidate has the following:
1.
Pain originating from a
ligament
or
tendon
2. Strong immune system
3. Willingness to improve and receive follow-up visits
4. Healthy diet
5. Positive mental outlook
When
Prolotherapy Does Not Work
The most common reasons why a person may not attain improvement with
Prolotherapy are the following:
1.
Depressed immune system
2. Nutritional deficiencies
3. Hormonal deficiencies
4. Other factors causing the pain that are not being addressed
5. Correct area being treated but repair not yet complete
6. Wrong area being treated
This
last fact is often overlooked. A good example of this relates to
patients with lower back pain. Typically what is needed for back pain is
for the patients to receive Prolotherapy to the lower back at the
sacroiliac joints. In a small percentage of the people, the sacroiliac
joint remains weakened because the pelvic joint in the front (pubic symphysis) also needs to be treated. The
sacroiliac ligaments, in this
instance, will only maintain the strength that is attained with Prolotherapy if the
pubic symphysis is also treated.
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WHY
PROLOTHERAPY RESULTS MAY NOT BE SEEN IMMEDIATELY
Prolotherapy in its ability to cure
chronic pain is
completely dependent on the
Prolotherapist treating completely the
injured structures. This means that all the injured structures are
treated with a strong enough solution to heal the area in a reasonable
peroid of time. We find that most people are cured of their pain with
three to six Prolotherapy sessions. If by the sixth Prolotherapy session
a person has not had significant improvement, we search for another
cause of their pain like infection or allergy. People who are receiving
30 or 40 Prolotherapy sessions to cure their chronic pain are paying a
lot of money that they wouldn't have to pay if they went to a physician
who utilizes stronger
Prolotherapy solutions then they are receiving
and/or did more shots per visit.
In general with the Hackett/Hemwall/Hauser technique of Prolotherapy, a
good rule of thumb in regard to the number of
Prolotherapy injections per area is 10
to 20 for an extremity (knee, ankle,
shoulder) and anywhere from 30 to
60 for the
neck, back, or
thoracic spine.
Another reason a person gets inadequate Prolotherapy is that there was
inadequate
inflammation with the Prolotherapy treatment. Remember the
body only heals by inflammation. In some people stronger Prolotherapy
solutions are needed to get an adequate inflammatory reaction after the
treatment. Until a person gets the injured structures completely treated
with Prolotherapy with a strong enough solution, the person has not
failed Prolotherapy. It is important that after a Prolotherapy session,
that a person feels stiff for at least one to two days. If the stiffness
after the treatment only lasts a few hours, then the immune reaction to
the treatment most likely will not be enough to regenerate the
connective tissue needed for healing. In such a situation there are two
options. Figure out why the person has a poor immune response by doing
metabolic, nutritional, and hormonal testing, or use a stronger
Prolotherapy solution. Physicians who have a lot of experience doing
Prolotherapy may have ten different solutions they use depending on the
individual case.
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Why
am I Sore After Prolotherapy?
A patient is generally sore for a couple of days after Prolotherapy.
This is because the injections have to go through some muscles to get to
the ligaments and tendons. To help the muscle soreness resolve itself
sooner,
massage therapy and moist heat applied to the area is
recommended. Natural products to encourage soft tissue healing are recommended. Gentle
manipulation techniques, such as myofascial release,
strain-counter-strain, or activator gun treatments, are helpful. Other
modalities that improve circulation and assist the healing from
Prolotherapy include acupuncture, Rolfing, electrical stimulation,
magnets, infrared heat, and ultrasound.
For
those who are more sensitive to pain, medications such as Tylenol and
Ultram, which are not
anti-inflammatory
medications, are permissible.
Occasionally a muscle relaxant is needed. It is very important to avoid
anti- inflammatory medications, as these may decrease the effectiveness
of Prolotherapy.
Narcotic medications, such as Vicodin, Tylenol with
Codeine, and Darvocet should also be avoided because they depress the
immune system. Of course, this is not helpful because the immune system
is critical for healing after Prolotherapy.
Exercising
is permitted as soon as the patient feels ready. Generally, light
exercise can begin two days after Prolotherapy. The general rule is if a
certain activity or exercise hurts significantly, switch to a different
one. A small amount of pain is expected while recovering from an injury,
but not significant pain. If the patient receives one Prolotherapy
treatment and feels fine, follow-up is still recommended to allow the
physician to assess the area for complete healing. If it is still
significantly tender, further treatments are needed because the area is
still injured. Once the tenderness is gone, the patient is cured. |
Prolotherapy
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