Prolotherapy is a regenerative treatment that repairs joints and alleviates pain. It involves injecting a dextrose solution at injured sites of the joint to induce its repair. The solution irritates the area and triggers inflammation. Inflammation in turn recruits the healing components necessary to repair the injured tissue and restore joint function. Prolotherapy has long been prescribed to treat patients with chronic or acute pain, whether a result of physical trauma or years of repetitive motion. Its effectiveness was recently reinforced by a clinical trial published in The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. The article concluded that dextrose prolotherapy is extremely effective in treating symptomatic knee osteoarthritis.
The trial took place in an outpatient pain medicine clinic and focused on 66 subject patients, all of whom were between the ages of 40 and 70 years old, and suffered from chronic knee pain due to osteoarthritis. The test subjects were divided into three treatment groups. Each group received either dextrose, saline, or placebo injection respectively.
Over the course of the 18-week treatment plan, doctors consistently monitored their patients’ pain and stiffness levels, as well as their health-related quality of life. At the conclusion of the treatment, the dextrose group showed significantly more improvement both in their pain levels, joint function, and quality of life. The findings suggest that dextrose prolotherapy is a safe, effective treatment for osteoarthritis.
Besides osteoarthritis, prolotherapy is successful in treating a variety of joint and ligament dysfunctions and is an excellent option to consider as a surgical alternative due to its non-invasive treatment. Contact us today to schedule a time to meet with our Osteopathic doctor and review your issues, call 831-425-9500 and info@santacruzcore.com