What is Prolotherapy?

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What is Prolotherapy?

_Ross Hauser, M.D._ (http://www.prolonews.com/ross_hauser.htm)

_http://www.prolonews.com/what_is_prolotherapy.htm_

(http://www.prolonews.com/what_is_prolotherapy.htm)

 

 

Prolotherapy is a simple, natural technique that stimulates the body to

repair the painful area when the natural healing process needs a little

assistance. Notice I said " a little assistance " . Because often, that's all the

body

needs, the rest it can take care of on it's own. In most cases, commonly

prescribed _anti-inflammatory medications_

(http://www.prolonews.com/can_i_take_anti-inlammatory_agents.htm) and more

drastic measures like surgery and joint

replacement may not help, and often hinder or even prevent the healing process.

The basic mechanism of _Prolotherapy_

(http://www.prolonews.com/prolotherapy_information.htm) is simple. A substance

is injected into the affected

_ligaments_ (http://www.prolonews.com/ligament_and_tendon_laxities.htm) or

_tendons_

(http://www.prolonews.com/ligament_and_tendon_laxities.htm) , which leads to

local _inflammation_

(http://www.prolonews.com/inflammation_the_key_to_healing.htm) . The localized

inflammation triggers a wound healing cascade, resulting

in the deposition of new _collagen_

(http://www.prolonews.com/connective_tissue.htm) , the material that ligaments

and tendons are made of. New collagen

shrinks as it matures. The shrinking collagen tightens the ligament that was

injected and makes it stronger. Prolotherapy has the potential of being 100

percent effective at eliminating and _chronic pain_

(http://www.prolonews.com/how_chronic_pain_occurs.htm) due to ligament and

tendon weakness, but depends

upon the technique of the individual _Prolotherapist_

(http://www.prolonews.com/not_all_prolotherapists_are_created_equal.htm) . The

most important aspect

is injecting enough of the solution into the injured and weakened area. If

this is done, the likelihood of success is excellent.

 

Prolotherapy involves the treatment of two specific kinds of tissue: tendons

and ligaments. A tendon attaches a muscle to the bone and involves movement

of the joint. A ligament connects two bones and is involved in the stability

of the joint. A strain is defined as a stretched or injured tendon; a sprain,

a stretched or injured ligament. Once these structures are injured, the

immune system is stimulated to repair the injured area. Because ligaments and

tendons generally have a poor blood supply, incomplete healing is common after

injury. This incomplete healing results in these normally taut, strong bands

of fibrous or _connective tissue_

(http://www.prolonews.com/connective_tissue_damage_the_underlying_culprit_of_chr\

onic_pain.htm) becoming relaxed and weak.

The relaxed and inefficient ligament or tendon then becomes the source of

chronic pain and weakness.

 

The greatest stresses to the ligaments and tendons are where they attach to

the bone, the _fibro-osseous junction_

(http://www.prolonews.com/fibro-osseous_junction.htm) . The most sensitive

structures that produce pain are the

periosteum (covering of the bone) and the ligaments. It is important to note

that

in the scale of pain sensitivity (which part of the body hurts more when

injured), the periosteum ranks first, followed by ligaments, tendons, fascia

(the connective tissue that surrounds muscle), and finally muscle. _Cartilage_

(http://www.prolonews.com/knee_pain1.htm) contains no sensory nerve endings.

If you are told that your _cartilage_

(http://www.prolonews.com/knee_ligaments_and_cartilage.htm) is the cause of

your pain, you have been misinformed; the

cartilage cannot hurt because they contain no pain sensing nerves. If there

is cartilage damage, the ligaments are typically the structures that hurt.

Ligaments are weakest where they attach to bone. The periosteum is the most

sensitive area to pain and the ligaments second. It is now easy to understand

why this area hurts so much. This is where the _Prolotherapy injections_

(http://www.prolonews.com/prolotherapy__what_are_in_prolotherapy_injections.htm)

occur, and thus eliminate the chronic pain of many conditions including

_arthritis_ (http://www.prolonews.com/prolotherapy_arthritis.htm) , mechanical

_low

back pain_

(http://www.prolonews.com/prolotherapy_e-newsletter_archives___low_back_pain.htm\

) , _degenerative disc disease_

(http://www.prolonews.com/degenerative_disc_disease.htm) , cartilage injury,

and _sports injuries_

(http://www.prolonews.com/sports_injuries.htm) .

 

Prolotherapy works by exactly the same process that the human body naturally

uses to stimulate the body's healing system, a process called inflammation.

The technique involves the injection of a proliferant (a mild irritant

solution) that causes an _inflammatory response_

(http://www.prolonews.com/inflammation_the_key_to_healing.htm) which " turns on "

the healing process. The growth

of new ligament and tendon tissue is then stimulated. The ligaments and

tendons produced after Prolotherapy appear much the same as normal tissues,

except

that they are thicker, stronger, and contain fibers of varying thickness,

testifying to the new and ongoing creation of tissue. Yes, you heard me right.

The ligament and tendon tissue which forms as a result of Prolotherapy is

thicker and stronger than normal tissue, up to 40% stronger in some cases!

 

In 1983, Y. King Liu performed a study using the knee ligament in rabbits.

This study was done in order to quantify the strength of the tissue formed by

Prolotherapy. In this study, a proliferant was injected into the femoral and

tibial attachments of the _medial collateral ligament_

(http://www.prolonews.com/mcl.htm) , the inside knee ligament. The ligaments

were given five

Prolotherapy treatments and then compared to non-injected ligaments. The results

showed that in every case Prolotherapy significantly increased ligamentous

mass, thickness, and cross sectional area as well as the ligament strength. In

a

six-week period, ligament mass increased by 44 percent, ligament thickness by

27 percent, and the ligament bone junction strength by 28 percent. This

research was yet another attestation to the effectiveness of Prolotherapy,

showing that Prolotherapy actually causes new tissue to grow. Imagine what it

would

mean to an athlete to run 40 percent faster, jump 40 percent higher, or be

40 percent stronger? This new growth of stronger, healthier tissue is the

normal and desired outcome with Prolotherapy.

The concept behind Prolotherapy

George S. Hackett, M.D.

The term Prolotherapy was coined by George S. Hackett, M.D., the " father of

Prolotherapy " , in 1956. He describes Prolotherapy as follows:

 

" The treatment consists of the injection of a solution within the relaxed

ligament and tendon which will stimulate the production of new fibrous tissue

and bone cells that will strengthen the weld of fibrous tissue and bone to

stabilize the articulation (where the bone and ligament meet) and permanently

eliminate the disability. To the treatment of proliferating new cells, I have

applied the name 'Prolotherapy' from the word 'Prolo' (Latin) meaning

offspring; 'proliferate' - to produce new cells in rapid succession (Websters

Dictionary). My definition of Prolotherapy as applied medically in the

treatment of

skeletal disability is 'the rehabilitation of an incompetent structure by the

generation of new cellular tissue.' "

 

Dr. Hackett, after 20 years of experience, arrived at the conclusion that

injured ligaments were the primary cause of chronic pain. Injured tendons were

the second most common cause. He referred to this weakness in the ligaments

and tendons as _laxity_

(http://www.prolonews.com/ligament_and_tendon_laxities.htm) . Prolotherapy

involves the injection of substances that stimulate new

tissue growth at the junction between the fibrous tissue (ligaments and

tendons) and the bone. Most things break down at a junction site because this

is the

weakest part of the structure; this is especially true in weight bearing

joints. A good example of this is when the leg of a chair is wobbly or loose.

This is usually due to a loose connection where the leg attaches to the seat of

the chair. By tightening the attachment of the leg to the seat, the chair

becomes more stable.

 

Dr. Hackett used the word " weld, " which is a very accurate description of

Prolotherapy. Prolotherapy welds the ligaments and tendons to the bone. When

welding steel, the welder is applying a very hot probe or flame to melt two

pieces of metal together. Two large pieces of metal would require welding many

areas all along the long seam. Why do so many spots need to be welded? The

reason is to make a stronger connection. If one area weakens in the future due

to wear and tear, the others will hold the structure together.

 

This is the concept behind Prolotherapy. All of the injured tissue must be

treated for injuries for chronic pain to be eliminated. Prolotherapy causes

the proliferation of new ligament and tendon tissue exactly where the

injections are given. It is just like spot welding. It strengthens the exact

spot

where the weld or injection takes place. The more injections, the stronger the

weld.