How many sessions are required?
The manufacturer claims that most individuals need 4 sessions of treatment (if the treatment is curative, one wonders why more treatments are necessary?) Or if the pain has disappeared, why should one need more Prolotherapy? These are just some of the questions that remain unanswered.
Is there pain afterwards?
After the injections, all patients have some degree of discomfort at the pain site. The soreness does remain for some time- some individuals even get a flare up of pain and the manufacturer claims that this is simply part of the healing process.
What are complications?
Other risks of the injections are pain, swelling and bruising. Judging from the literature, there have been a fair number of complications depending on where this substance has been injected. Many patients have also developed severe nerve injury which has resulted in pain which is more than they started off with.
What is cost of prolotherapy
Before you jump in the queue for Prolotherapy, know that many insurance companies do not cover this treatment and Medicare has so far rejected it as pseudo science. The cost of a single joint injection ranges from $200- $300. For those who need more than one injection, the cost can be as high as $1,000-1500. And the manufacturers recommended 4 sessions.
Is it approved?
NO. At present Prolotherapy is considered experimental; therapy. Every single scientific study which has reviewed Prolotherapy has found it to be ineffective in the treatment of chronic pain.
Does it work?
Definitely not. This is just another worthless treatment for back and joint pain, designed to scam people. Unfortunately, many health care professionals have been hyping about the therapy but there is ZERO clinical evidence. Few testimonials on cyberspace claim this is a painful procedure which does nothing and is expensive.
Final Point
There are a great many doctors administering Prolotherapy but that does not mean it works or that it is effective- the common denominator is money. So in the end, read about the treatment and talk to people. If you are ever in doubt about your health care worker and his/her response, always get a second opinion. Medicine and money has yet to heal any disease and has been known to create more problems that you started off with. Therefore, Buyer Beware. Best advice- keep away from prolotherapy, just another scam.
Showing posts with label prolotherapy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label prolotherapy. Show all posts
Friday, April 24, 2009
Prolotherapy and Chronic Back Pain- Another Junk Treatment
What is prolotherapy?
Prolotherapy is a novel natural technique that is claimed to stimulate the body’s internal systems to help with the healing process. The proponents of Prolotherapy claim that when the usual pain medications or surgery do not help, Prolotherapy can be very useful for treating back and joint pain.
What is involved?
The principle of Prolotherapy require injections of a chemical into the affected part of the body. This substance then triggers the body to react in a positive way and helps heal the wound. The eventual result is tightening of tendons, deposition of collagen and healing of the muscles. It is claimed that Prolotherapy is 100% effective at eliminating chronic pain which is due to ligament of tendon weakness. The solution must be injected into the injured area for the best success.
What part of the body can be treated?
Prolotherapy is designed to treat two types of body tissues, tendon and ligaments. These structures have tenuous blood supply and when they get injured the healing is poor. As the tendons relax and fail to heal, the pain continues to be chronic. The people who market Prolotherapy claim that the treatment is useful for arthritis, mechanical low back pain, degenerative joint disease and many types of sports injuries. In all such scenarios, Prolotherapy helps the body heal tendons and ligaments making them stronger and thicker.
Where is the procedure done?
Prolotherapy injections are done in a physician's office and take anywhere form 30-60 minutes. The discomfort from the injections is variable but most patients claim that it is a painful process. One has to be medicated with 3 different types of drugs before the drug can be injected.
Prolotherapy is a novel natural technique that is claimed to stimulate the body’s internal systems to help with the healing process. The proponents of Prolotherapy claim that when the usual pain medications or surgery do not help, Prolotherapy can be very useful for treating back and joint pain.
What is involved?
The principle of Prolotherapy require injections of a chemical into the affected part of the body. This substance then triggers the body to react in a positive way and helps heal the wound. The eventual result is tightening of tendons, deposition of collagen and healing of the muscles. It is claimed that Prolotherapy is 100% effective at eliminating chronic pain which is due to ligament of tendon weakness. The solution must be injected into the injured area for the best success.
What part of the body can be treated?
Prolotherapy is designed to treat two types of body tissues, tendon and ligaments. These structures have tenuous blood supply and when they get injured the healing is poor. As the tendons relax and fail to heal, the pain continues to be chronic. The people who market Prolotherapy claim that the treatment is useful for arthritis, mechanical low back pain, degenerative joint disease and many types of sports injuries. In all such scenarios, Prolotherapy helps the body heal tendons and ligaments making them stronger and thicker.
Where is the procedure done?
Prolotherapy injections are done in a physician's office and take anywhere form 30-60 minutes. The discomfort from the injections is variable but most patients claim that it is a painful process. One has to be medicated with 3 different types of drugs before the drug can be injected.
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