Dr. Alvin Philipose DC/ Charnelle Dean APRN
Do your knees hurt? Knee pain is quite common, especially in older adults or overweight people. Fortunately, it rarely is a cause of concern. Knee pain can result from overuse or a sports injury. Some can bear the aches while others cannot work while they suffer extreme pain that prevents them from walking or taking stairs. There are various treatment choices for knee pain—from simple home remedies to prolotherapy for knees.
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This treatment may be new to you but it can be dated back to the 1950s. Prolotherapy for knees is a therapy that gives relief to muscles and joints by injecting an irritant to mend any damaged soft tissue in your joint or muscle area.
Also called proliferation or regenerative injection therapy, an irritant—usually in the form of saline, lidocaine, glycerine, phenol—is injected into the joint that briefly increases inflammation. This inflammation allows an increase in blood flow thus repairing and healing damaged tissues. Prolotherapy is a good option and promotes a natural healing process once the procedure is done.
Prolotherapy is a treatment method that can relieve joint pain, particularly in the knees, and clinical studies have shown its promising results. Although a patient may experience minor pain and irritation after the injection, the procedure is practically low risk and unlikely to produce serious side effects. Doctors usually prescribe pain medication to help with the after-process effects.
A study watched 90 adults with knee osteoarthritis. Some participants received monthly prolotherapy injections for 3 to 5 months. Those who had prolotherapy improved their pain, function, and stiffness scores. The result was still positive even after following up with 60 adult participants over 2 years later. No participants who had prolotherapy reported bad side effects.
In 2016, some researchers reviewed a previously published study on dextrose prolotherapy. They discovered that it’s an excellent treatment for tendon injuries, osteoporosis, and pain in the spine and pelvis due to ligament dysfunction.
Better quality clinical studies still have to be done with more patients to discover further the effects of prolotherapy for knee pain and osteoarthritis. But, overall, prolotherapy is well received by patients to alleviate their symptoms and stated positive feedback based on clinical evidence.
In a nutshell, the following are theories on how prolotherapy injection acts in our bodies:
It is vital that prolotherapy injection must only be done by highly trained professionals that are experts in giving prolotherapy injections.
Mild effects of prolotherapy may include:
It is also likely to experience side effects such as:
It has been a rule of thumb to consult your doctor before undergoing procedures that concern your health. Ask your orthopedic doctor, sports medicine doctor, or rehabilitation doctor regarding prolotherapy injection if nothing works with your knee pain. It is a good alternative to try when all else fails.
Prolotherapy may help people dealing with:
Besides knee pain, prolotherapy can also help relieve or treat a range of conditions, including these:
Prolotherapy is not recommended for some people, including those with certain health problems such as the following:
We know it is hard living with knee pain every day, and it is common to be scared and be confused about the treatments presented to you.
If you have tried a lot and are looking for options other than surgery and drugs, then there is nothing to lose if you seek professional help. Venturis Chiropractic & Prolotherapy specializes in comprehensive chiropractic care, acupuncture, and natural, nonsurgical treatments, such as neural therapy and prolotherapy.
Natural approaches to treating pain and injury are gaining popularity more than ever, but one must only trust professionals who are highly skilled and have a track record of performing comprehensive diagnosis and treatment. Our clinic has the facilities, professionals, and ethics that can get rid of your pain and injury. You deserve fully living the life you want without any type of pain.
Visit us at 7917 N May Ave, Oklahoma City, OK 73120, or book online for consultation and inquiries.
To schedule a consultation with Venturis Chiropractic & Acupuncture, call (405) 848-7246, or just click the button below.