|
Prolotherapy
and Pseudogout
Robert Filice, M.D. Former staff physician
Generally
Prolotherapy
is performed on patients suffering pain from chronic degenerative arthritis
or injury to
tendons
or
ligaments.
Since Prolo works by restarting
inflammatory and
reparative processes in the treated areas, one might rightly ask how Prolo
could be helpful for conditions that are basically inflammatory in nature
such as
Rheumatoid Arthritis, gout, and pseudogout.
One answer is that the
inflammatory process damages joint structures, and when applied in the
non-inflammatory stage of these diseases can be quite helpful. The other
answer is based directly on our experience in the clinic. Although it is
supposedly an inflammatory joint condition, pseudogout rarely present with
inflamed joints that are red, hot, and swollen. Instead, what we see is
presentation with knee, wrist, or ankle pain in a joint that is NOT red and
hot. Orthodox physicians treat pseudogout with typical
anti-inflammatory
reimens: drugs, sometimes
steroids, and removal of fluid from inside swollen
affected joints. The cause has been determined to be accumulation of
crystals of calcium pyrophosphate in the joint and joint structures. It is
the separate and distinct uric acid derivative sodium urate that
crystallizes in the joints of patients with true gout and causes the
extremely painful and inflamed joints (especially the big toe)
characteristic of that disease. Gout and pseudogout can be diagnosed and
differentiated from each other by microscopic examination of the crystals
present within aspirated joint fluid specimens. Pseudogout when left
untreated will eventually cause degenerative changes in the affected joint
similar to those we see in most patients for whom Prolotherapy is the best
indicated treatment.
Clinical practice and
experience is a crucial foundation for the excellent practice of medicine,
and provides a necessary counterbalance check on the researchers. If you
only read books, and only believed the ivory tower academic “authorities”
you’d come away with the idea that pseudogout is inflammatory, and that the
last thing you want to do is to re-inflame it by taking Prolotherapy. On the
contrary, we have seen consistently outstanding results in pseudogout
patients whether they were being treated between or during the
characteristic relapses. Usually we see patients present with knee pain, and
that pain resolves completely with 3 or 4 Prolotherapy sessions. Here is a
recent case history.
J came
into Caring Medical with the diagnosis of Pseudogout. He was on Indocin for
it. On physical exam he had crepitation (crunching sounds) in his knees
with movement but the knee was not red or inflamed. He had significant
medial joint line tenderness. He was told he was a good
Prolotherapy
candidate but he needed to stop the Indocin and take Tylenol instead. He
received Prolotherapy on the first visit, and on his second visit he said:
"I was amazed how much better my knee felt right away." He was 30%
improved after one Prolotherapy treatment. He went on to have 3 more visits
and total resolution of his pain. On the last visit I noticed that his
knee crepitation was less."
You owe it to yourself
to receive an evaluation for treatment by a
Prolotherapist if you have known
pseudogout, or experience undiagnosed intermittent attacks of severe pain in
the knee, ankles, or wrists. Since this disease may have some important
metabolic correlations, most cases of pseudogout will also do well to have a
comprehensive natural medicine evaluation for disorders that may disturb
calcium metabolism.
|
Prolotherapy
Our
Prolotherapy Books - 
POWER
OVER PAIN