Prolotherapy is also known as nonsurgical ligament reconstruction, and is a treatment for chronic pain. Considering the number of people suffering from chronic pain, the most crucial question to ask is if it is effective at all.
Prolotherapy is very handy when it comes to different kinds of pains experienced in the muscles and bones of the back and neck area, injuries resulting from playing sports, people with carpal tunnel syndrome, fibromyaglia, chronic tendonitis, herniated or degenerated discs, sciatica, TMJ, and partially torn tendons, ligaments and cartilages.
So, you still do not understand what prolotherapy is, right? For one, the word “prolo” actually means to proliferate, grow or form and this meaning is very much appropriate for what the treatment does and that is to help mew ligament tissues form as a replacement of the weaker old ones.
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.
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.
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 similarget the body to repair itself, an innate ability that the body has.
Another effective and similar form of prolotherapy that stimulates the proliferation of new tissue is Trigger Point Dry Needling (TDN). TDN involves the use of a fine filament needle (acupuncture needle) to deactivate tight and tender trigger points within a muscle. This deactivation involves pistoning of the needle which causes a local inflammatory reaction in the tissue being needled. Tissues that respond well to this form of intervention include; muscles, tendons, fascia and ligaments.
dry needling courses
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Posted by admin
on Friday, April 16th, 2010 at 2:59 am.
