Lateral epicondylosis (LE) is a common elbow injury. It’s usually referred to as “tennis elbow,” although it can be diagnosed in anyone with high repetition or gripping activities. Many non-surgical therapies have been tested for LE but none have been consistently effective. Animal studies suggest that using a combination of dextrose and an extract of cod liver oil may enlarge and strengthen ligament and tendon insertions. Clinicians at Trinity Health Systems in Ohio designed a study to measure the effect of a Prolotherapy solution on tennis elbow. (more…)
Prolotherapy has Positive Effects on Osteoarthritis of the Knee
Clinicians and researchers at the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Center, Bethany Medical Center, Kansas City and the University of Kansas Medical Center, studied the effect of a 10% dextrose solution on patients with osteoarthritis of the knee. Some of the study patients had anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) laxity or “looseness,” a factor which worsens knee osteoarthritis. The study was also designed to examine the effect of Prolo on ACL laxity.
The Study Method
- Subjects with osteoarthritis of the knee of at least 6 months duration were recruited by mail. All subjects had moderately severe joint space narrowing and obvious osteophytes (bone spurs). Average age was 63 years.
- Subjects were randomly assigned into two groups, one that received Prolotherapy or a group that received a sterile water solution. All subjects rated the severity of their pain at rest and during activity, as well as their estimate of degree of swelling and the number of knee bucklings over the last two months. All subjects received injections at baseline, 2 and 4 months, with the Prolo group continuing treatment at 6, 8 and 10 months.
Growing Body of Evidence Shows Efficacy of Prolotherapy for Musculoskeletal Conditions
Prolotherapy is a non-surgical regenerative injection technique that is used at Houston Spine & Sports Medicine to treat muscles, ligaments, tendons, tissue tears, nerve pain, and chronic musculoskeletal conditions including fibromyalgia. It involves the injection of a dextrose solution and additives that are thought to promote regeneration and repair of damaged tissue. The use of prolotherapy first began in the 1930s (1) and was originally used to treat ligament laxity, and later in the 1950s it started to be used to help with joint pain (2).
Today, however, there is a growing body of evidence showing the efficacy of Prolotherapy for numerous musculoskeletal conditions. The most frequently published studies focus on the treatment
of chronic low back pain (3). There are also more recent studies showing the usefulness of prolotherapy in treating tendinopathies such as lateral epicondylosis and Achilles tendinopathy, as well as osteoarthritis (3).
At Houston Spine & Sports Medicine, Dr. Lehmann is certified by The America
n Academy of Orthopedic Medicine in regenerative injection techniques such as Prolotherapy and Platelet Rich Plasma. The have also been extensively trained in
Ultrasound guided techniques. (more…)