Prolotherapy
Many types of chronic pain are caused by damaged tissues surrounding joints or the spine. Tendons and ligament damage can cause chronic pain and limit mobility. While some treatments only mask the pain or provide temporary relief, prolotherapy works on treating the cause of pain and functional issues. Medici Spine & Pain offers prolotherapy at our clinics in the greater Atlanta area to help patients achieve a higher quality of life.
What is Prolotherapy?
When ligaments and tendons are damaged, the joints they move and protect can suffer from limited strength and chronic pain. Repairing these damaged tissues is the best way to stop pain and improve function. Prolotherapy uses targeted injections that stimulate healing of ligaments and tendons. Injections include a concentration of local anesthetic and dextrose that is introduced into affected joints, tendons or ligaments to stimulate healing. The treatment creates a healing response, allowing the body to repair these tissues.
For the best results, prolotherapy injections are repeated every few weeks to encourage healing. The number of injections depends on the condition and patient. Some conditions that respond well to prolotherapy include:
- Tendonitis
- Bursitis
- Osteoarthritis
- SI joint dysfunction
- Facet syndrome
- Tennis elbow
- Whiplash
Prolotherapy can help diminish pain and improve mobility by spurring the body’s own healing and regenerative mechanisms. There are no steroids used in the injections, only local anesthetic. It reduces discomfort temporarily while a dextrose concentration stimulates a healing response. Prolotherapy can be used as part of a treatment plan for chronic pain or rehabilitation to encourage healing and reduce pain caused by tendon or ligament deterioration or injury.
If you are interested in learning more about prolotherapy and other treatment modalities at Medici Spine & Pain, contact one of our clinics to schedule an appointment. We welcome new patients and offer advanced methods for treating chronic pain and improving mobility.