PROLOTHERAPY (PROLO) & PLATELET-RICH PLASMA (PRP) INJECTIONS
Inflammation can be good for you – especially for ligament related injuries
Many people with musculoskeletal pain are familiar with corticosteroid (i.e. “cortisone”) injections, which are meant to reduce inflammation. However, inflammation is not necessarily a bad thing, as it recruits the body’s own natural healing factors.
Proliferative therapy is used to deliberately induce inflammation, stimulating the body’s own healing mechanisms to repair damaged ligaments. This method confers a longer-term benefit of musculoskeletal treatment.
Do you suffer from lower back pain, knee pain, hip pain, shoulder pain, or osteoarthritis?
The purpose of prolotherapy and PRP are to strengthen ligaments and tendons, providing longer-term relief for a multitude of chronic musculoskeletal problems including, but not limited to, lower back pain, knee pain, hip pain, shoulder pain, osteoarthritis, and different varieties of joint pain.
If you are experiencing these symptoms, then the problem may be with your ligaments
Hyper-extension of ligaments can manifest a multitude of pain and pain-like symptoms. While there are several ways to treat this condition, we are experts and can offer two options for treating these injuries:
Two types of proliferative therapy that Drs. Hyman and Chimes perform to repair ligament and tendon related injuries are prolotherapy and platelet-rich plasma injections (PRP).
Many people with musculoskeletal pain are familiar with corticosteroid (i.e. “cortisone”) injections, which are meant to reduce inflammation. However, inflammation is not necessarily a bad thing, as it recruits the body’s own natural healing factors.
Proliferative therapy is used to deliberately induce inflammation, stimulating the body’s own healing mechanisms to repair damaged ligaments. This method confers a longer-term benefit of musculoskeletal treatment.
Do you suffer from lower back pain, knee pain, hip pain, shoulder pain, or osteoarthritis?
The purpose of prolotherapy and PRP are to strengthen ligaments and tendons, providing longer-term relief for a multitude of chronic musculoskeletal problems including, but not limited to, lower back pain, knee pain, hip pain, shoulder pain, osteoarthritis, and different varieties of joint pain.
If you are experiencing these symptoms, then the problem may be with your ligaments
Hyper-extension of ligaments can manifest a multitude of pain and pain-like symptoms. While there are several ways to treat this condition, we are experts and can offer two options for treating these injuries:
Two types of proliferative therapy that Drs. Hyman and Chimes perform to repair ligament and tendon related injuries are prolotherapy and platelet-rich plasma injections (PRP).
What is prolotherapy and why does it work?
Prolotherapy is the injection of a sugar solution, usually dextrose, along with an anesthetic (such as lidocaine) into the affected area, resulting in low-grade inflammation to the injured area. This procedure “tricks” the body into an inflamed state which re-stimulates the body’s natural healing response.
Prolotherapy was originally “discovered” in the 1930s by osteopathic surgeon Dr. Earl Gedney, who injected his own injured thumb with an irritating solution, and in doing so promoted the healing and regeneration of the damaged tissue. This treatment is based on the concept that lingering, chronic issues occur because collagen in the damaged tissue is poorly organized, meaning that the person’s body has stopped attempting to heal the chronic injury.
Prolotherapy is the injection of a sugar solution, usually dextrose, along with an anesthetic (such as lidocaine) into the affected area, resulting in low-grade inflammation to the injured area. This procedure “tricks” the body into an inflamed state which re-stimulates the body’s natural healing response.
Prolotherapy was originally “discovered” in the 1930s by osteopathic surgeon Dr. Earl Gedney, who injected his own injured thumb with an irritating solution, and in doing so promoted the healing and regeneration of the damaged tissue. This treatment is based on the concept that lingering, chronic issues occur because collagen in the damaged tissue is poorly organized, meaning that the person’s body has stopped attempting to heal the chronic injury.
What is a platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection and why does it work?
PRP injection is based on the same principle as prolotherapy explained above; but instead the solution used is derived from the blood, to concentrate platelets and other healing factors, that stimulate the body’s healing mechanisms. Activated platelets secrete a number of different growth factors that stimulate and regulate inflammation in the damaged tissue, resulting in a natural healing response.
Blood is drawn from the patient at the time of visit, placed in a centrifuge where it is spun in order to separate and concentrate platelets from the rest of the blood. This “platelet-rich plasma” is then injected into the injured site. Injecting healing growth factors directly into the damaged area provides a patient’s body with the tools needed to naturally heal itself.
PRP injection is based on the same principle as prolotherapy explained above; but instead the solution used is derived from the blood, to concentrate platelets and other healing factors, that stimulate the body’s healing mechanisms. Activated platelets secrete a number of different growth factors that stimulate and regulate inflammation in the damaged tissue, resulting in a natural healing response.
Blood is drawn from the patient at the time of visit, placed in a centrifuge where it is spun in order to separate and concentrate platelets from the rest of the blood. This “platelet-rich plasma” is then injected into the injured site. Injecting healing growth factors directly into the damaged area provides a patient’s body with the tools needed to naturally heal itself.
What does this mean when it comes to medical insurance coverage?
Insurance companies have deemed proliferative therapy to be “experimental” and they do not cover either prolotherapy or PRP injections. Patients who invest money in their own care, however, find that proliferative therapy may provide long-lasting relief and help to avoid future medical visits, ultimately lowering their medical bills and improving quality of life.
What should you know?
Because we respect our patient’s time and money, we take several measures to optimize the patient experience when having proliferative therapy performed.
These measures include:
1. An initial consultation (covered by insurance), to ensure that proliferative therapy is the appropriate choice
2. A discussion about which form of proliferative therapy (prolotherapy or PRP) is the patient’s best choice
3. Always using ultrasound-guidance to ensure proliferative therapy is being placed in the precisely correct location
4. Coordinating the patient’s care team, including physical therapists, chiropractors, personal trainers, physicians and other clinicians
Drs. Hyman and Chimes strive to utilize these cutting-edge, non-surgical techniques to help their patients overcome chronic issues that impede the ability to live an active and healthy lifestyle!
Insurance companies have deemed proliferative therapy to be “experimental” and they do not cover either prolotherapy or PRP injections. Patients who invest money in their own care, however, find that proliferative therapy may provide long-lasting relief and help to avoid future medical visits, ultimately lowering their medical bills and improving quality of life.
What should you know?
Because we respect our patient’s time and money, we take several measures to optimize the patient experience when having proliferative therapy performed.
These measures include:
1. An initial consultation (covered by insurance), to ensure that proliferative therapy is the appropriate choice
2. A discussion about which form of proliferative therapy (prolotherapy or PRP) is the patient’s best choice
3. Always using ultrasound-guidance to ensure proliferative therapy is being placed in the precisely correct location
4. Coordinating the patient’s care team, including physical therapists, chiropractors, personal trainers, physicians and other clinicians
Drs. Hyman and Chimes strive to utilize these cutting-edge, non-surgical techniques to help their patients overcome chronic issues that impede the ability to live an active and healthy lifestyle!