Answers to Popular Questions about Prolotherapy Treatments
Prolotherapy is a treatment where an irritant is injected into the soft tissue of an injured joint. This injection-based treatment plan can help treat injured ligaments and joints and can be characterized as an alternative medicine practice. Since this is a different type of treatment, there can be a lot of questions about prolotherapy and how it can help.
What should you expect during the treatment?
Before treatment begins, a doctor will do an assessment, which will likely be X-rays or another imaging test. This allows the doctor to see if the treatment would work, given the severity and location of the injury. If taking anti-inflammatory medicine, this needs to be stopped two days before the procedure. On the day of the treatment, a person needs to eat a protein rich meal. Doctors prepare the skin by using rubbing alcohol and then apply a numbing cream to help with discomfort for the injection. Doctors then use a thin, long needle to deliver the solution to different points in the target area.
What are the benefits of this treatment?
Medical professionals who believe in this treatment think that the strengthened joints will help reduce the pain. The improved strength of the joint can help with stability and the overall movement of the joints. It’s a permanent treatment, since it relies on the body doing the repairing instead of different medications. Anti-inflammatory medicines and pain relievers will only give temporary relief.
Are there any side effects?
There aren’t that many reported side effects, but one the worst reported is an infection at the injection site. However, since this treatment hasn’t been researched significantly, there could be side effects not yet discovered.
Do you feel immediate relief after treatment?
The anesthetic solution that is used during the treatment can provide fast pain relief. The relief may even continue after the anesthetic subsides and the effects wear off because of the inflammation caused by the injections. Patients often do feel relief immediately because the area that was causing the pain is where the injection occurs.
How long does pain relief last after treatment?
The relief will normally continue for a few weeks after the first treatment. During the second and fourth week after treatment, there can be some of the original pain because the initial growth of the ligament tissue may not be complete yet.
How often should you get treatment?
Follow up is recommended about six weeks after each treatment to provide an assessment of results. You want to avoid being evaluated during the healing period, which is at the two to three week mark. Some patients can be seen more often if they are being treated for a sports injury and the athlete needs to return to playing quickly. As healing continues, the number of injections required usually decreases and so do questions about prolotherapy.
