Prolotherapy is the injection of dextrose and an anesthetic into areas of pain and ligament or tendon weakness. It is very well studied for many different pain syndromes including (but not limited to!) osteoarthritis, tennis and golfer’s elbow, and rotator cuff tears. Prolotherapy is injected into the area every 4-6 weeks to stimulate the collagen production cascade, and most people need around 2-5 treatments to achieve treatment goals. It can be an uncomfortable therapy, but that discomfort usually only lasts around 5 minutes.

Regenerate Tissues

Many injuries are due to ligaments and tendons that are weak or too long. Prolotherapy has been shown to increase ligament and tendon mass by up to 40% and has been found very effective in clinical studies on different injuries and pain syndromes.

Stimulate the Immune System

Prolotherapy has its effect because it stimulates an intentional inflammatory response, which induces fibroblast cells to lay down new collagen tissue. While it does stimulate an inflammatory response, it’s actually been shown in the long term to decrease the level of inflammatory chemicals like TNF alpha that are associated with tissue degradation, while increasing growth factors associated with tissue repair.

Treat the nerves

A major theory in chronic pain research is the contribution of nerves that are basically not shutting off. This could be in the surface nerves but it can also happen at periosteal nerves along the bone where ligaments and tendons attach. Prolotherapy has been shown to block this positive feedback loop in the nerve, restoring function of that nerve. It’s also been shown to decrease impingement of nervous tissue by hydrating the tissues around it, allowing everything in the area to slide and move appropriately.