Prolotherapy
Prolotherapy
Prolotherapy is a very old method of treatment which dates back to Roman times when hot needles were poked into shoulders of injured gladiators to create irritation and stimulate healing wounds.
Modern prolotherapy began in the1950s when American doctor George Hackett started injecting irritant solution dextrose in order to treat a musculosceletal conditions. A major goal of prolotherapy is to change a chronic degenerative process into an acute inflammation. The inflammation that occurs after the procedure causes release of growth factors which help to heal an affected area.
Growth factors released during prolotherapy:
- platelet-derived growth factor,
- transforming growth factor beta,
- epidarmal growth factor,
- basic fibroblast growth factor,
- connective tissue growth factor,
Indications for prolotherapy:
- Tennis elbow,
- Golfer’s elbow,
- osteoarthritis,
- lumbar pain,
- trochanteric pain syndrome,
- myofascial pain,
- plantar fascitis,
Contraindications:
- bleeding disorders,
- infection,
- prior steroid injection<three months ago,
- allergy to local anesthetic,
- pregnancy,
- acute injury,
- pain due to cancer,
Preparing for prolotherapy:
- avoid anti-inflammatory medications before the procedure,
- in the case of pain it is allowed to take paracetamol.
What does the procedure entail?
The procedure is very safe, under ultrasound guidance a doctor is injecting a concentrated dextrose into affected area. It is recommended to repeat this procedure 3-6 times.
Side effects:
There may be temporary side effects like pain and signs of inflammation. These symptoms should disappear after a fiew days.
Indications after the procedure:
- Avoid anti-inflammatory medications,
- In the case of pain take paracetamol,
- Start rehabilitation after 2 weeks,
Dr. Marcin Goczewski performs prolotherapy injections only under ultrasound guidance, to ensure precise medicine injection and reduce the risk of complications.
