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Caring Medical and Rehabilitation Services Oak Park IL 708-848-7789

PROLOTHERAPY AND TENDINOSIS
Ross Hauser, M.D.

Do you want to know the end result of a person treating their pain with rest, ice, bracing, immobility, anti-inflammatory medications and Steroid injections? Tendinosis, or at least some type of degeneration. It is amazing to me that very few people receive the diagnosis of tendinosis. Do you know why? It is because the body has tremendous regenerative capabilities. So while traditional medicine practices continue to inhibit the normal healing inflammatory reaction with ice, rest, anti-inflammatories, and cortisone shots, the body often still finds a way to rid itself of pain. But mark my words, if you continue to use anti-inflammatory medications, at some point your body will degenerate. Degeneration will occur because you are stopping the normal inflammatory reaction. It may not be tendinosis, but you will be left with a degenerated joint.

The final stage of tendon degeneration is called tendinosis. Tendinosis means tendon degeneration. We do not have such a term for ligament degeneration, but if you have been told you have chronic instability of a joint, most likely you have end stage ligament degeneration. Have you been told you have severe back, neck, shoulder, knee, hip, or ankle arthritis? Maybe you have been told you have “bone on bone” or you are close to getting it? If so then you have end stage joint degeneration. The mechanism by which all of these types of things occur is basically the same: traditional anti-inflammatory treatments.

Yes, anti-inflammatory medications and specific steroid or cortisone injections and its buddies, accelerate the degeneration of such structures as lligaments, tendons, and joints! The long term effect of these medications is tendon, ligament and joint degeneration. Tendon degeneration is called tendinosis. Some of the more common areas of tendinosis occur in the Achilles and elbow (extensor tendons). Under a microscope, tendinosis appears as lipoid or mucoid degeneration within the tendon with fibrinoid necrosis and discontinuity of tendon fibers. Microscopically, attempted healing is suggested by the presence of histiocytes and capillaries. Why again did the tendon not heal? Correct, because you kept icing the area, taking anti-inflammatory medications, and getting cortisone shots. The exercise you were doing during this time didn’t help like you thought it would.

What are you to do?
If you consult with an orthopedic surgeon, he/she will most likely recommend surgery.  The tendinosis is removed and tendon is then sutured back to its origin or insertion site. With good rehabilitation there is a chance that in six to nine months you might be exercising again. Wow! That’s a long time to be side-lined, you think. Yes, it surely is! But is there a better way?

For over fifteen years, I have been treating people with tendinosis with Prolotherapy. Step one is to have them stop taking anti-inflammatories and to take supplements to aid in healing. I also do things to put their physiology in an anabolic state (growth). I do blood hormone testing and may get the person on some hormones such as human growth hormone (HGH), DHEA, or Testosterone depending on the results. I may also use human growth hormone in the Prolotherapy solutions to aid in the repair of the degenerated tendon. Typically tendinosis is treated every two to three weeks for three to four visits. Often six visits are needed for the tendon to feel strong again and achieve full repair.

While a patient is undergoing Prolotherapy, he/she is still exercising, but the exercise must not be something that causes pain in the area. Movement is good for healing, as it increases blood flow to the area.

Prolotherapy is a great alternative treatment for tendinosis. However, I encourage you to first and foremost stop doing things that cause you to get tendinosis in the first place. If you have pain from a degenerative condition, taking NSAID’s or getting cortisone shots is a bad idea. Taking anti-inflammatory medications such as motrin or ibuprofen is a bad idea. Putting ice on an injury is a bad idea. All these treatments do is stop healing and increase the chances that your tendons, ligaments, and joints will become degenerated. The end stage of these conditions is called tendinosis (tendons), chronic instability (ligaments) and bone on bone phenomenon (joint).

I believe Prolotherapy is the best treatment for these conditions because it helps rebuild the degenerated tendons, ligaments, and joints. Prolotherapy stimulates the body to repair painful areas such as tendons, ligaments, and joints. Prolotherapy stimulates the normal inflammatory healing reactions. Thus, a condition of tendinosis is temporarily changed to a tendonitis, with the long term goal being a normal strengthened tendon. A person with the diagnosis of tendinosis should expect to get at least six sessions of Prolotherapy. As discussed above healing is maximized by proper diet, supplements, and gentle exercise. So if you have been told that you have tendinosis or degenerative arthritis, first stop doing things that accelerate the process, then take a trip to Oak Park, Illinois to your local Prolotherapy doctor.

Caring Medical and Rehabilitation Services
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Ross Hauser, M.D.
Dr. Hauser received his M.D. from the University of Illinois, Chicago; completed his residency at Loyola-Hines VA-Marianjoy Hospitals in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation; and received his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Dr. Hauser is the Medical Director and co-founder of the physician-run, comprehensive natural medicine clinic, Caring Medical & Rehabilitation Services in Oak Park, Illinois. Dr. Hauser is one of the leading experts in the treatment of chronic pain and sports injuries with Prolotherapy. He, along with his wife Marion, have written seven books on the topic of Prolotherapy, a comprehensive book on the natural medicine approach to cancer, as well as a myriad of articles and newsletters for the general public. Read more
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Read the book that has changed chronic pain management forever. Prolo Your Pain Away! details in common lay language the conditions that can be cured with Prolotherapy including arthritis, back pain, migraines, neck pain, fibromyalgia, spastic torticollis, osteoporosis fracture pain, whiplash, sports injuries, loose joints, TMJ, tendonitis, sciatica, herniated discs, and more!

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POWER OVER PAIN THE CARE OF THE PATIENT BEGINS WITH CARING © 1999-2008 Caring Medical and Rehabilitation Services, 715 Lake Street Suite 600 Oak Park, IL 60301 708-848-7789

The information on this website is presented as information only and not a self-help guide NOR AS SPECIFIC HEALTH RECOMMENDATIONS. Never alter or change your health management or begin any new health plans without first consulting your personal health care provider. Some statements on this site regarding the value of nutritional supplements have not been evaluated by the FDA.

As with any medical technique, Prolotherapy may not be effective for every individual and there are risks involved, these risks should be discussed with your physician. Results achieved with some may not be typical of all. Please consult a physician. Please read Prolotherapy Risks

There is no known cure for arthritis. Prolotherapy and nutritional supplements can help alleviate, reverse, or end arthritic pain by treating an underlying cause that contributes to degenerative disease, ligament laxity. Strengthening ligaments and other connective tissue can help prevent bone on bone arthritis from developing.

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