Prolotherapy – The Foundation of Regenerative Medicine
Regenerative medicine is an evolving field that offers a wide range of treatments designed to repair, restore, and regenerate damaged tissues, cells, and organs, making it particularly valuable for addressing chronic pain, injuries, and degenerative conditions. These treatments focus on harnessing the body’s innate healing capabilities, and are increasingly being recognized as an alternative to more invasive procedures, such as surgery.
One of the core approaches within regenerative medicine is Prolotherapy, which is often considered the foundational treatment in this field. Prolotherapy works on the principle of a tensegrity model, meaning that it treats the body as a balanced, interconnected system where bones, tendons, and ligaments work in unison to maintain proper function and structural integrity.
Are You a Candidate for Prolotherapy in Estero?
Treating Ligament Instability with Prolotherapy
Ligament injury and instability is common in many (if not most) pain conditions. Ligaments are strong fibrous structures that connect bones with other bones to form the support for joints and the spine. Injuries, repetitive activities and poor posture can cause stretching and tearing of these ligaments. This leads to weak and unstable joints and spinal structures that can result in painful degenerative conditions. The lack of stability can result in muscle spasms and fatigue from trying to guard the unstable area, nerve irritation through muscle spasms, altered postures, bone spurs and disc herniations. Treating ligament instability with prolotherapy is vital for successful treatment of most painful conditions. Luckily, prolotherapy is a safe and effective treatment for ligament instability. Once the ligaments regain strength and stability, the joints and spinal structures are able to heal and regain their function.
What is Prolotherapy?
Prolotherapy was coined in the 1940’s by Dr. George S. Hackett. After years of clinical experience, he noted that relaxation of ligaments of the spine and joints was responsible for many back pain conditions — and that injecting dextrose solutions in these ligaments would treat these conditions. Since then, multiple laboratory and clinical studies confirmed that injecting ligaments with dextrose increases their size, strength and tightness. Dextrose, at concentrations of 15% or higher, causes a brief inflammation at the injection site. This stimulates specialized cells known as fibroblasts to lay down collagen fibers, making the ligaments and tendons thicker and stronger. Several weeks after the injection, these new collagen fibers contract making the ligaments tighter, providing improved support for the joints and spinal segments.
How is Prolotherapy Performed?
Prolotherapy is performed as a series of injections of dextrose (or blood derived products) into painful and dysfunctional ligaments and joint capsules. Usually, multiple areas are treated on the same day as they all relate to proper function. The treated areas are examined, marked and cleaned with a surgical cleanser (ChloraPrep). Next, they are anesthetized “numbed” with lidocaine and other products. Dr. Sebastian performs most of the injections under ultrasound guidance to assure accuracy and patient safety. After the injection, the sites are again cleaned and covered with sterile dressings. The patient is then instructed to limit his activities to allow for healing. The injections are then repeated in 4-6 weeks. It may take anywhere from 2 to 5 treatments to adequately heal an area, depending on the severity and duration of the condition.
