Prolotherapy is an excellent therapy that stimulates that body to heal the painful, damaged areas.
Prolotherapy stimulates the repair of injured, damaged structures. It involves the injection of a proliferant solution, which is all natural, (along with anesthetics to decrease the pain associated with the injections) at the exact site of an injury (ligaments, tendons, menisci, muscles, growth plates, joint capsule, and cartilage) so that the immune system is stimulated to repair the damaged area. Inflammation is the process by which the body heals itself.
Specifically, Prolotherapy causes proliferation of fibroblasts (where the term Prolotherapy comes from). Fibroblasts are the cells that produce the collagen which grows the ligaments and tendons. Fibroblast proliferation stimulates new, strong, collagen tissue which is what is needed to repair ligament/tendon sprains and other sports injuries.
ISN’T THE PAIN AN INDICATION OF TOO MUCH INFLAMMATION?
The body heals through an inflammatory reaction. The inflammation is what heals the damage to the ligaments & tendons which is caused by sports injury or trauma. Persistent pain in the athlete indicates that these tissues are still damaged. Persistent pain is not normal and should let the athlete know that there is persistent damage to these structures. The appropriate response for the athlete should be to obtain prolotherapy as opposed to the common response of taking anti-inflammatory medications. These medications have been shown to reduce the healing and cause further weakening of the damaged structures.
IF ANTI-INFLAMMATORIES AND CORTISONE WEAKEN TISSUE THEN WHY DOES THE PAIN GO AWAY?
The best way to explain this is to compare it to the check engine light in your car. When the light comes on it indicates a problem. You have 3 options when the light comes on:
- deal with the light being on and ignore the underlying problem
- fix the underlying problem and make the light turn off
- clip the wires going to the light making the light turn off but ignoring the underlying problem
Taking anti-inflammatory medications (including steroids) is similar to simply clipping the wires. The indicator goes away but the problem remains. These medications reduce the inflammation which does reduce the pain but it also reduces the chances of any healing! Remember, optimal performance requires tight ligaments & tendons. We can eliminate the pain but that does not mean that the structure is completely healed. This explains why athletes commonly damage the same structures over and over again. Taking these medications halts the healing process leaving a weakened structure making them more susceptible to repetitive injury. The best thing to do would be have these areas treated with Prolotherapy. Every athlete should have the goal of complete healing!
WHY DO DOCTORS RECOMMEND THESE MEDICATIONS IF I NEED THIS INFLAMMATION?
The principle of optimal healing is not ‘standard medicine.’ When I was an Athletic Trainer in collage, we had shirts that said “Just Ice It.” RICE is the treatment for nearly all musculoskeletal problems.
This is similar to the mercury toxicity issue. It is clear from the government standpoint that mercury is toxic to the human body as there are strict guidelines for mercuries use in industry and industry exposure. The Environmental Protection Agency has clear guidelines to how much exposure of mercury is ‘safe’ in the workplace and the environment, yet the government allowed and still allows dentists to put mercury directly into the mouths of Americans via amalgam fillings. For the American Dental Association and other ‘authoritative’ agencies to now ‘admit’ that mercury is a poison (which it clearly is) could cause anarchy and tremendous legal action.
You can imagine that there would be a huge backlash if the medical community suddenly reversed their position. What if they admitted that NSAIDs and steroids actually inhibited the healing process and were the primary cause of arthritis. Can you see the commercials from the lawyers?
Athletes should not tolerate the medical therapy! Please help us let every athlete know how to restore their ligaments/tendons and keep them in the game longer! Tell everyone you know about the benefits of Prolotherapy & PRP!
