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What Is Prolotherapy? [Prolotherapy Cost, Prolotherapy Injections & Dangers]
Do prolotherapy injections work? We review prolotherapy cost, prolotherapy dangers, prolotherapy injections & if it is worth it!
Table of Contents
Prolotherapy Doctors Near Me:
You would have tried many conservative treatments, but your pain has not responded to any of them yet. Prolotherapy may be helpful when a chronic tendon or ligament pain has not been effective. There are different types of prolotherapy, and all of them aim to stimulate our tissue to repair itself. Research is ongoing, and its efficacy is yet to be explained. Read on to learn more about prolotherapy.
What is Prolotherapy?
Prolotherapy is an alternative treatment that involves a series of injections. These injections will introduce a sclerosing agent (which causes inflammation) to the affected tendons and ligaments. This sclerosing agent will cause temporary low-grade inflammation. Inflammation produces new connective tissue such as collagen that strengthens your ligaments and tendons, which are loosened. This results in pain relief. Prolotherapy is also known as proliferation treatment or regenerative injection therapy.
Does prolotherapy work?
Musculoskeletal pain broadly refers to pain affecting your bones, joints, ligaments, muscles, and tendons. Tendon and ligament pain is due to instability or laxity of the connective tissue around it, which can be a chronic problem. Various treatment options vary with the cause of your pain and the location. In the case of chronic tendon or ligament pain where your pain has not responded to conservative measures like physical therapy and prescribed exercises, prolotherapy can be helpful. The treatments usually consist of several sessions. Since it involves a relatively large area to be treated, it cannot be done completely in a single session.
Prolotherapy injections are most likely to benefit the pain in;
- Your knees
- Ankles
- Elbows
- Lower back at the sacroiliac joint
Although it works for ligament and tendon pain, it is not meant to be used in bony pain or nerve-related pains, and it is not used to treat arthritis or muscular pain.
Research has shown that prolotherapy provides significant improvement in pain and other symptoms while improving mobility and function. But, how exactly prolotherapy works has not been proven yet.
What are the prolotherapy side effects?
As long as your doctor is an expert in prolotherapy with training and experience, you need not worry as it is likely to be safe. But, since it involves injecting a substance into a joint, ligament, or tendon, there may be potential side effects. These include;
- Bleeding
- Pain and stiffness following the injection
- Risk of infection
- Allergic reactions to the substance being injected
- Swelling
- Bruising
Other rare side effects include nerve, tendon, ligament damage, spinal headache, and spinal cord injury.
Please discuss the benefits and risks of prolotherapy with your doctor before you decide to go ahead with it.
Dextrose Prolotherapy:
Dextrose prolotherapy involves injecting a sugar solution as a sclerosing agent into a joint or ligament, where injury or damage occurs.
Dextrose prolotherapy will help to;
- Reduce the pain and stiffness
- Improve the mobility or function of the joint
- Improve the strength of the ligament or tendon
Experts say that sclerosing agents like dextrose can stimulate new tissue growth and improve your body’s natural healing process. The irritant solution not only contains dextrose (D-Glucose) but also may contain combinations of zinc, manganese, human growth hormone, phenol, or glycine. A small amount of this irritant solution is injected into the painful and degenerated sites such as ligaments, tendon insertions, joints, and adjacent joint spaces.
Dextrose concentration ranges from 12.5% to 25%. Because dextrose is water-soluble and is a normal constituent of blood, it is considered an ideal proliferant. Therefore, it can be injected safely into multiple sites, even in large quantities.
How fast does prolotherapy work?
Now that you decide to go for prolotherapy injections, naturally, you may want to know how long it takes for prolotherapy to kick in. Well, if you want very quick results, you will be disheartened. Usually, it may take around 4-6 weeks to notice an improvement in your condition. Although some patients will experience pain relief and improvement in their symptoms, it needs repeat prolotherapy injections for the healing process to complete.
Prolotherapy healing stages:
There are three stages of healing and restoration induced by prolotherapy.
- Inflammation
- Proliferation
- Tissue remodeling
When injected, the cells at the injection site get dehydrated because dextrose is hypertonic. This leads to local tissue trauma. The injected proliferate will mimic your natural healing process. Tissue damage starts an inflammatory process that attracts inflammatory cells like granulocytes and macrophages. This will trigger the release of growth factors and collagen deposition. The cells will start increasing, and healing will be promoted.
The new connective tissue which was formed will be strengthened by tissue remodeling. With time joint stability will increase, and the pain will reduce while improving the function.
The mechanism of action behind prolotherapy is not completely understood. Although the US FDA has approved dextrose as an injection, it is not yet approved for prolotherapy. However, it is being used for many years by medical specialists for prolotherapy.
Frequently Asked Prolotherapy Questions:
How much does prolotherapy cost?
A single prolotherapy injection may cost about $300 to $1000, depending on the treated area, and it is much cheaper than a PRP injection. Prices may vary significantly depending on the location, the doctor’s expertise providing the treatment, and the facilities available.
Prolotherapy VS PRP?
Prolotherapy involves the injection of a substance that encourages regrowth of tissue, just like PRP injections. However, there is a difference in the injected substance. PRP therapy involves injecting your blood (platelet-rich plasma) back into your body, and PRP is made by spinning your blood to separate platelets from other blood cells. Prolotherapy injects an irritant solution (sclerosing agent) made up of dextrose (identical to glucose chemically) or other substances like saline.
Both PRP therapy and prolotherapy may need a series of injections for best results.
Prolotherapy VS Cortisone?
Although both cortisone and prolotherapy are injections, they are not the same treatment, and their effects are dramatically different.
Prolotherapy will strengthen your muscles and ligament tissue, and it will also strengthen and rebuild your tendons and ligaments as it stimulates tissue regrowth and the body’s natural healing process. Cortisone does not strengthen or rebuild your tissues.
Cortisone may lead to progressive and harmful changes in your joints, and it can worsen arthritis in the long run. Prolotherapy does not harm your joints, and Cortisone can suppress your immune system, and Prolotherapy does no such thing.
Prolotherapy involves stimulating tissue growth in the injected area. There is no temporary relief of pain like following corticosteroid injection, and Cortisone relieves your pain because of its anti-inflammatory action.
Prolotherapy for Achilles tendinopathy
The Achilles tendon is the strongest and the largest in our body. But Achilles tendon injuries are one of the commonest sports injuries related to foot and ankle problems. Achilles tendinitis occurs by overuse injury of the Achilles tendon, and it results from inflammation of the tendon, which is commonly seen in runners.
In Achilles tendinopathy, there is a degeneration of the collagen protein that forms the tendon. Although symptoms are similar, Achilles tendinopathy is a different condition.
If you have an injury to your Achilles tendon or tendinopathy, what are your options? The condition can be either acute or chronic, and prolotherapy will be an alternative non-surgical option that has been effective in many individuals with similar problems.
Prolotherapy is a regenerative injection technique. This treatment stimulates the repair of both injured and degenerated tissue. Therefore, prolotherapy works for both Achilles tendinopathy and tendon injuries. When prolotherapy injection is given around the degenerated Achilles tendon or the tear, it creates new, healthy regenerated tissue. The body’s natural healing process is mimicked. With time athletes and runners can go back to their activities.
Prolotherapy Dangers?
What are the prolotherapy dangers?
The dangers of prolotherapy are the dangers of any injection. There could be bruising at the site, and there is a small chance of infection.
Generally, prolotherapy is inner is a benign substance that stimulates inflammation in the area, but it should not cause a medicine-like reaction in a way that steroids would.
The benefits of prolotherapy are that tendons and ligaments can be injected, and without cortisone or steroids, this tendon or ligament should not atrophy or get weaker.
Conclusion
Alternative and complementary medicine is increasingly becoming popular among health care consumers. Therefore, prolotherapy has become a good option to feel better and stay active, no matter how old you are.
Prolotherapy near me:
At the Prime foot and ankle specialists of Michigan. We offer prolotherapy injections.
We consider them to be a relatively safe alternative to steroids, and they can be effective in stimulating chronic tissue to regenerate.
At our clinic, we try to utilize treatments such as laser therapy or shockwave therapy initially for these types of problems. We recommend trying safer, non-penetrating, or noninvasive therapies like this first. If these treatments do not work, we can pursue prolotherapy, as we consider it relatively safe beyond the normal risks associated with a needle injection.
Prolotherapy injections near me:
At the prime foot and ankle specialists, we do offer prolotherapy injections. We initially tried to provide a biomechanical evaluation, shockwave therapy, and laser therapy at no obligation at our office.
If you are considering prolotherapy injection, you can get seen by a board-certified podiatrist first for a biomechanical evaluation for a musculoskeletal problem and try our safe and effective treatment options before needle injections. We believe we have great results, and the risk and cost are relatively low in comparison.
Prolotherapy side effects:
The side effects of prolotherapy include the common side effects of the injection. Penetrating the skin can result in a small wound, irritation, or even an injection to the site.
The patient could have to bruise for a day or 2.
Some reports show that prolotherapy can cause more pain initially, and the effects might be subjective and not always great.
Depending on how the problem presents, we can generally predict how effective it will be. It depends more on the patient and the problem rather than this treatment itself.
Does insurance cover prolotherapy?
In general, the substance of the injection is not covered, but dextrose solution is generally low cost. Injections are covered if it is believed that they are medically necessary. In our experience, injections such as prolotherapy and steroid injections are generally covered by insurance if there is a medical necessity. There is no charge on the dextrose solution in some cases, as insurance might not cover this completely. Consider coming and seeing a podiatrist for a no-obligation consultation for prolotherapy injection.
Does prolotherapy work?
In our opinion, prolotherapy can be an effective treatment option for chronic damage to the Achilles tendon or problem, but it is not a first-line treatment. Prolotherapy can be used on the ankle for plantar fasciitis and insertional Achilles tendinitis.
We have other treatment options such as biomechanical evaluations, orthotics, shockwave therapy, and laser therapy that we can safely try on the first consultation rather than penetrated with an injection causing pain.
Prolotherapy reviews:
The reviews on prolotherapy can sometimes state that they do not have the specific results people are looking for. In general, we consider prolotherapy to be a fairly safe injection that is lower cost and generally covered; it is worth trying in certain insertional tendinosis, plantar fasciitis, and other foot and ankle conditions. We do not think that it is the single most infective injection that we utilize, and there are other great alternatives that we use, such as shockwave therapy and laser therapy.
In our opinion, the single best treatment for foot and ankle conditions is a great evaluation by a podiatrist as well as a biomechanical exam. To find my your problem is happening in the first place, this gets to its root. In contrast, injections have difficulty in doing so in some cases.
Did prolotherapy make me worse?
Sometimes be here that probe therapy made someone worse. Usually, this can happen not because the substance is injected but due to the penetration of the skin; this can cause bruising and can cause some pain and tenderness. On the other hand, this is usually because prolotherapy may not be strong enough to correct the original problem, but it simply aggravates and makes it worse.
Prolotherapy recovery time?
Prolotherapy recovery time can be a few days if the injection can cause some pain. In our experience, prolotherapy is generally a pretty safe option, but he can have the same side effects that any other injection can. The prolotherapy dextrose solution is generally benign and should not cause any type of medical reaction except for site irritation.
Prolotherapy doctors in Michigan?
If you have foot and ankle pain such as plantar fasciitis or insertional Achilles tendinitis, considering seeing us as you are prolotherapy doctors in Michigan. We have extensive experience in prolotherapy injections and can help with these chronic conditions.
Consider seeing us for a no-obligation consultation to research whether prolotherapy injections are right for your foot and ankle conditions. We also offer safe alternative treatments such as shockwave therapy and laser therapy.
We offer in-office x-rays and ultrasound for her foot and ankle conditions to get the diagnosis and treatment going on the first appointment.
How fast does prolotherapy work?
The research does vary on prolotherapy injections for the foot and ankle. More research needs to be done, but in some cases, we see the results fairly quickly within a few days. Generally, we combined these injections with orthotic therapy, offloading and proper biomechanical examination. It is hard to perform prolotherapy injection alone, as this will likely not completely solve the problem.
Prolotherapy risks & side effects?
The most common prolotherapy risks and side effects are the same ones associated with any injection. The needle penetrates the skin and can cause bruising, irritation, unresolved pain, and potentially an infection. Infection is extremely rare, but it is possible. On the other hand, the more likely outcome is that prolotherapy does not solve the initial problem but combines it with the bruise and soreness. In some cases, patients can consider this a bigger problem, and they believe that the prolotherapy injection made the first. Still, in general, the dextrose solution should be benign and not because of the significant adverse risk or an adverse side effect.
How does prolotherapy work?
In general, prolotherapy works by irritating the site of chronic inflammation. Especially insertional Achilles tendinitis or plantar fasciitis. This would stimulate the body to create an immune response to an area he has essentially given up on because it has been going on for such a long time. This can stimulate new blood vessel growth and good reaction inside these chronic issues.
In our opinion, this can also be re-created by laser therapy and shockwave therapy, which benefit from not penetrating the skin. If you want to consider shockwave therapy and laser therapy, see our podiatrist at our locations in Michigan, and we would love to help.
Prolotherapy effectiveness?
What is the prolotherapy effectiveness for the foot and ankle? In general, prolotherapy can have a chance to stimulate chronically inflamed tissue such as ankle pain, insertional Achilles tendon but the insertional Achilles tendinitis, plantar fasciitis. This can lead to continued improvement of foot and ankle conditions. We like to try alternative treatments such as shockwave therapy and laser light therapy. These benefit from not penetrating the skin and generally have a lower side effect profile. Is prolotherapy effective? Generally, it has a medium level of effectiveness if combined with the proper diagnosis.
Prolotherapy price?
We sometimes to the question what is prolotherapy price and is prolotherapy covered by insurance? In general, the dextrose solution is very low cost, and we did not charge patients for the dextrose solution. But on the other hand, injection therapy is generally a covered benefit if warranted and decided to be medically necessary. We recommend coming to our clinic to see if this is likely necessary for you and a good option. In general, prolotherapy has the benefit of being low cost compared to PRP injection or stem cell injection.
Is prolotherapy dangerous?
In general, prolotherapy is not dangerous. It can cause pain and bruising and potentially an infection because the needle does penetrate her skin. The prolotherapy dextrose solution is generally not considered a dangerous substance, but in the wrong circumstances, and penetrating needle can cause pain and irritation.
Prolotherapy does it work?
Do we frequently hear the question does prolotherapy work? In general, he has a reasonable chance to heal chronic insertional tendinopathy or plantar fasciitis condition if combined with a proper diagnosis and proper implementation. It is not our first-line treatment for these conditions. We had better results utilizing shockwave therapy and laser light therapy such as a cold laser due to the inability to avoid penetrating the skin.
Prolotherapy for osteoarthritis?
Prolotherapy can be effective for osteoarthritis, and we have better results by proper biomechanical analysis and offloading. But prolotherapy can show effectiveness to stimulate chronic inflammation. It might be worth injecting into the joint to see if this has relief for diagnosis purposes. We call this a diagnostic injection, and for this reason, this can be very effective.
Prolotherapy plantar fasciitis treatment?
We frequently hear the indication of prolotherapy used for plantar fasciitis treatment. At our clinic, Eppright foot and ankle specialist, we treat a lot of plantar fasciitis. Generally, we do not rely on prolotherapy plantar fasciitis treatment, although it is likely a safe treatment.
We do have options such as shockwave therapy and laser light therapy combined with a good biomechanical analysis. We find such good results using these other non-injection therapies, that we frequently can avoid prolotherapy plantar fasciitis treatment options.
Prolotherapy ankle injection effectiveness?
Prolotherapy ankle injections can be beneficial for diagnostic purposes. In some cases, we start by using x-ray imaging or ultrasound imaging to rule out any significant problems. Still, on the other hand, we would perform a diagnostic injection with some lidocaine or anesthetic to rule out that this joint is the source of pain. We frequently find that we do not have to rely on prolotherapy injections for ankle therapy currently.