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Prolotherapy
Prolotherapy INFORMATION HERE
Click here for information on:
What Is Prolotherapy?
www.prolotherapy.com
“Prolotherapy is …nonsurgical ligament reconstruction and is a
treatment for chronic pain.”
What does it help with?
www.prolotherapy.com
“The treatment is useful for many different types of
musculoskeletal pain, including arthritis, back pain, neck pain,
fibromyalgia, sports injuries, unresolved whiplash injuries,
carpal tunnel syndrome, chronic tendonitis, partially torn
tendons, ligaments and cartilage, degenerated or herniated
discs, TMJ and sciatica.”
Why Does Prolotherapy Work?
http://prolonews.com/prolo_your_pain_away.htm
“…Prolotherapy stimulates the body to repair painful areas.
…Most neck, back and other musculoskeletal pain is due to
weakness of ligaments and
tendons. Since ligaments and tendons are the
connective tissues
that hold our muscles to bone, and bone to bone, both must be
taut and strong.
“Prolotherapy involves the injection of an "irritant"
solution (something as simple as a sugar or salt solution, cod
liver oil or corn extract) into the area where the ligaments
have either been weakened or damaged through injury. The
injection is given at the point where the ligament connects to
the bone. With this injection, the prolotherapist causes the
body to heal itself through the process of
inflammation.
“When an irritant is introduced at the site of injury, the
immune system is summoned to the area. The body begins a healing
process exactly where the painful area is located. New fibrous
tissue is laid, repairing and strengthening the ligaments so
that they can pull the vertebrae back where they belong and
alleviate pain.”
My Personal Experience:
PROLOTHERAPY ON MY LOWER BACK
In 2004, an older dear friend of mine told me I needed to be
doing Prolotherapy. He had taken his daughter to a free clinic in
Illinois, and she had gotten tremendous relief from her pain
with injections known as Prolotherapy. He gave me a book,
PROLO YOUR PAIN AWAY by Dr. Ross Hauser, and said, “You have
to read this book.” In deference to his age, I said, “Yes, sir.”
As I read it, I knew it was right from a scientific standpoint.
I registered for a Prolotherapy conference—the only one in the
near future—and paid over $1,000 to learn more about a procedure
I had only read about.
At the conference, I learned that most physicians who perform
Prolotherapy are those who have benefited from it personally. While there, we could sign up to have
something “prolo’d” as part of a class demonstration. Since I
have had back problems since my late teens, and simple tasks
such as sweeping, mopping, and vacuuming caused severe low back
pain the next day, I decided to have my lower back done there.
For the past few years, it had been extremely challenging to put
my socks and shoes on early in the morning due to muscle spasms
which took about 45 minutes and a hot shower to ease off.
We were in a large classroom with several padded examination
tables. All the teaching prolotherapists were doing procedures,
and it looked as if my lower back would miss its opportunity.
Seeing my disappointment, one of the other attendees who was
already proficient in Prolotherapy volunteered to do mine if I
wanted. Yes!
I lay on the examination table while he palpated my tender
points, all along my lower spine, sacrum, and iliac crests. He
injected a little Lidocaine to numb the skin in each intended
injection site—73 sites in all. Then he took a 2-inch long
25-gauge needle (very fine) and went into each injection site,
peppering the areas with several injections of a Dextrose-Lidocaine
solution. All of this was done within about an hour’s time,
with no sedation, no anesthesia other than local, and with great
gratitude on my part. The pain was tolerable.
I was told to NOT take any anti-inflammatory medication, because
it would impair healing. Inflammation is the process designed by
God to heal the body.
As soon as he finished, I got off the exam table, left with my
husband, and did our usual—caught the bus back to the hotel,
several miles away. There was no more discomfort in my lower
back than I normally had. I slept without difficulty, and the
next morning when I arose, I leaned over to pick something up
off the carpet, and could do it! I was so happy I cried! (It’s a
girl thing, guys!) For the next three weeks I had NO significant
pain in my lower back. I was elated!!
Then we moved, and I did a lot of lifting and bending. By about 4
PM, my lower back was hurting. I was afraid I had undone all
that had been accomplished at the conference! But I resolved to
not take any anti-inflammatories and see if it would re-heal. It
was a slow process, but a couple of months later, I suddenly
realized that I had not been in pain for some time. Since that
time, if I have any lower back pain from “overdoing it,” I can
usually do a few exercises and it will be gone by the next day.
I have had NO muscle spasm in my back since the Prolotherapy.
Three years later, I can still do it all—sweep, mop, vacuum,
rake yards, lift, bend, even scrub toilets—all without pain!
Hallelujah! (My husband is glad, too. He used to have to do the
harder jobs for me.)
Postural intervention:
In addition to Prolotherapy, I believe a change in posture has
helped. The doctor who did my Prolotherapy said that I was
standing too “sway-back.” I needed to put a slight bend in my
knees to rotate my lower pelvis forward a little, taking some of
the curve out of my back. I had always prided myself on having
good posture, but I learned that doing as he said relieved the
pressure on my lower back whenever I started to feel a little
strain there.
In the past, when my back would hurt, I would put a pillow in
the curve of my back when sitting to give it “more support.” But
I find that the opposite helps more if I start feeling a little
discomfort in my lower back—I tighten my abdominal muscles, push
my lower back INTO the back of the chair, hold it a few seconds,
then relax; I repeat it a few times, and the tension eases.
PROLOTHERAPY ON MY KNEES
I had MRIs done on both knees about 15 years ago which showed a
torn lateral meniscus (cartilage) in each knee joint. Since I
can still walk, I prefer not to have a surgical procedure done.
Occasionally the torn piece of cartilage will cause my knee to
lock temporarily, but I can work it out (so far).
The main problem with my knees was that if I did any running,
they swelled and hurt the next day. Even running a very short
distance, like when running to a code within the hospital, they
would invariably swell and hurt the next day. And they had
gotten so “loose,” I felt like if I could just “tighten the
screws” that held them together, they would be fine. To keep
them tightened enough to not pop and hurt with every walking
step, I had to do quadriceps exercises for about 20 minutes
every night. If I forgot my exercises for a few nights, they
would again hurt and pop with every step. Obviously I was
dealing with loose ligaments that allowed excess motion within
the joints.
After having wonderful success from only one treatment on my
back (with 4-6 treatments being the usual to achieve maximal
success), I decided to have Prolotherapy done to my knees.
After the first series of injections, I thought perhaps my knees
were better, but I was not sure. It might have been a placebo
effect. But after the second series, done about six weeks later,
I was able to stop the nightly quadriceps exercises and maintain
stable knee joints!
A couple of weeks after the second series of shots, a code was
called at our hospital. I had to sprint from one end of the
hospital to the other. To my delight, my knees did not hurt or
swell afterwards! I then KNEW they were better!
A few months later I had a third series of injections in my
knees, and I decided I have achieved maximal benefit for now. I
still occasionally have a meniscal tear problem, but the
ligaments are now tight around my knees, providing much greater
stability than before, allowing me to run if I have to. (I do no
elective jogging.)
Medical Credentials:
MD degree from Medical College of Georgia in Augusta, 1982
Family Practice Residency at Medical Center of Central Georgia, Macon, GA—1982-1985
Board Certified by American Board of Family Medicine—1987-1994, 2006-2013. (Board Eligible 1994-2006)
Family Practice—Nashville, GA, 1985-1994
ADD/Stress Clinic [part-time]—Nashville, GA, 1994-2000
Emergency Medicine—part-time 1994 - present
Urgent Care, Prison Medicine—2005-2006
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