Jenna’s Lyme Blog

“Prolotherapy”, also called “Regenerative Injection Therapy” or “Non-surgical Ligament Reconstruction” could be the newest and best hope for those who have rid their bodies of Lyme disease and co-infections but still suffer from chronic pain.

According to Prolotherapy.com, the treatment is useful for many different types of musculoskeletal pain, including arthritis, back pain, neck pain, fibromyalgia, sports injuries, unresolved whiplash injuries, carpal tunnel syndrome, chronic tendonitis, partially torn tendons, ligaments and cartilage, degenerated or herniated discs, TMJ and sciatica.

First, it is important to understand what the word prolotherapy itself means. “Prolo” is short for proliferation, because the treatment causes the proliferation (growth, formation) of new ligament tissue in areas where it has become weak or damaged.

Ligaments are the structural “rubber bands” that hold bones to bones in joints. Ligaments can become weak or injured and may not heal back to their original strength or endurance. This is largely because the blood supply to ligaments is limited, and therefore healing is slow and not always complete. To further complicate this, ligaments also have many nerve endings and therefore the person will feel pain at the areas where the ligaments are damaged or loose.

Of course with Lyme disease, this same condition of limited blood supply to ligaments, tendons and bones hinders the healing effects of herbal and/or pharmeceutical therapies.

Tendons are the name given to tissue which connects muscles to bones, and in the same manner tendons may also become injured, and cause pain.

Prolotherapy uses a dextrose (sugar water) solution, which is injected into the ligament or tendon where it attaches to the bone. This causes a localized inflammation in these weak areas which then increases the blood supply and flow of nutrients and stimulates the tissue to repair itself.

Historical review shows that a version of this technique was first used by Hippocrates on soldiers with dislocated, torn shoulder joints. He would stick a hot poker into the joint, and it would then miraculously heal normally. Of course, we don’t use hot pokers today, but the principle is similar—get the body to repair itself, an innate ability that the body has.

More and more star athletes are using this treatment to speed recovery and restore strength and elasticity to damaged ligaments and tendons.  It is a very small leap of faith to imagine the abilityy of these injections to relieve the painful damage  done to joints and ligaments infected by Lyme disease

Prolotherapy also uses a complimentary treatment called PRP which stands for “platelet rich plasma ” - the name given to an additional treatment which involves the injection of one’s own growth factors into the injured areas.

The process involves taking blood from the patient, spinning it down to growth factor rich platelets, then injecting that back into the injured area. PRP has been used in musculoskeletal medicine as early as the 1990’s, and since the 1980’s in surgical and dental procedures.

Uses for PRP in musculoskeletal medicine include treatment of tendonopathy, tendonosis, acute and chronic muscle strain, ligament sprains and intra-articular injuries and joint pain such as arthritis and knee meniscus damage. The theory and technique behind PRP is similar to that of Prolotherapy (proliferation therapy).

Typically Prolotherapy treatments are done first, and often will handle the musculoskeletal problem. But if results from traditional Prolotherapy treatments are not sufficient, PRP may be employed. PRP, like Prolotherapy, is an office procedure.

For more information on Prolotherapy visit the main website here.

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Posted on May 26th, 2009 under Chronic Lyme Disease, Coping with Lyme Disease, Treatment Protocols • Tags: Chronic Lyme disease, chronic pain, Prolotherapy. • RSS 2.0 feed • Leave a response, or trackback