Chronic Pain, Prolotherapy May be Able to Help

Many of us have aches or pains that just won’t go away no matter what we do.
Medications, rest, physical therapy, acupuncture, manipulation, etc.
Somehow that pain either never goes away or just keeps coming back.
But one thing many of us have not tried is Prolotherapy.

Prolotherapy is a technique that helps to stimulate the body’s ability to repair a painful area when the natural healing process is not enough. In most cases Prolotherapy is effective at eliminating chronic pain due to ligament and tendon weakness 80 to 90 percent of the time.

You might wonder why you still have pain in an injured area or why that area remains weak, even after a healing period of weeks, months or years. The answer lies in the fact that both ligaments and tendons have very poor circulation. These areas may have little or no blood flow, but they have lots of nerves. When they become weak, nerves around the ligaments and tendons become stretched and irritated which produces pain.

Prolotherapy involves the injection of a solution that causes an inflammatory response which stimulates the healing process. This results in a stronger or larger tendon or ligament that can the hold body structures in place more effectively.

The weakened area heals, and the patient's pain is reduced or eliminated. 
It is also an excellent alternative to cortisone injections, which long term studies have shown to actually weaken tissue.

Most patients require about 6 treatments to restore function and relieve pain. 
The treatments are usually given at about 3 week intervals.

In addition to chronic pain, Prolotherapy is effective in back pain & neck pain, shoulder pain, knee pain, and other joint pain; tendonitis, arthritis, herniated discs and headaches. And if you have a sports injury, look no further than Prolotherapy. If it involves a tendon or ligament, chances are prolotherapy will help.

CORTISONE – IS IT REALLY GOOD FOR YOU?

Want to weaken your ligament-bone junction – then get cortisone injected into that area. Cortisone and other steroid injections all have the same detrimental effects on articular cartilage.

Corticosteroids (steroids), such as cortisone and Prednisone, have an adverse effect on bone and soft tissue healing. They inhibit the synthesis of proteins, collagen, and Proteoglycans in articular cartilage, by inhibiting chondrocyte production, the cells that comprise and produce the articular cartilage. The net catabolic (breakdown) effect of steroids is inhibition of fibroblast production of collagen, ground substance, and new blood vessel formation. The result is weakened synovial joints, supporting structures, articular cartilage, ligaments, and tendons. This weakness increases the pain and the increased pain leads to more steroid injections.

Steroids also limit calcium absorption by the gastrointestinal tract, inactivate vitamin D and increasing the urinary excretion of calcium. Bone also shows a decrease in calcium uptake with cortisone use, ultimately leading to weakness at the fibro-osseous junction. Corticosteroids also inhibit the release of growth hormone, which further decreases soft tissue and bone repair. Ultimately, corticosteroids lead to a decrease in bone, ligament, and tendon strength.

Although anti-inflammatory medications and steroid injections reduce pain, they do so at the cost of destroying tissue. In one study, some joints were injected only one time. Even after one steroid injection, cartilage remained biochemically and metabolically impaired. Other studies have confirmed similar harmful effects of steroids on joint and cartilage tissue. A cortisone shot can permanently damage joints. Prolotherapy has the opposite effect—it permanently strengthens joints, ligaments, and tendons.

Some professional athletes and weekend warriors want quick relief. The problem with cortisone is that the athlete may get pain relief, but it may be at the expense of permanent inability to participate in athletics. Athletes often receive cortisone shots in order to play. They return to the playing field with an injury after getting a steroid injection to relieve the pain. Unfortunately, they cannot feel the pain anymore so they play as if there was no injury. We know (see above) that the injury could not possibly be healed because of the tremendous anti-healing properties of cortisone. Thus the athlete is further injured from the cortisone, as well as playing with an injury, thereby worsening the already bad injury.

Bottom line- get a “quick fix” with steroid injections and set yourself up for further damage. Or fix your Problem for good with Prolotherapy. The choice is yours.

Dr Fields Prolotherapy Interview on KCAL/CBS

Dr Fields MD, DC, interviewed on KCAL 9 on repairing joints, joint injuries, sports injuries with Prolotherapy. Prolotherapy is a natural non-surgical method of assisting the body to heal injured or weakened joints, ligaments and tendons. With Prolotherapy, the weakened areas are injected with a proliferant that stimulates the growth of healthy, strong tissues. As the tendons and ligaments grow stronger and vibrant, the pain is alleviated.

ACL Tear

ACL TEAR– SURGICAL ALTERNATIVE

After a severe knee injury doing sports (skiing, tennis, basketball and more), many people usually get an MRI. When this confirms an anterior cruciate ligament tear, one hears the dreaded words – have surgery or if not, then give up the sport that you love.

And if you decide to leave it untreated, this can lead to physical problems later. Studies have shown that left untreated, knee weakness, arthritis, and other structural damage may lead to further damage. Of course, in this situation, running and even walking will no longer be an option.

Well now there is another option: Prolotherapy

Prolotherapy is a natural non-surgical method of assisting the body to heal injured or weakened joints, ligaments and tendons. With Prolotherapy, the weakened areas are injected with a proliferant that stimulates the growth of healthy, strong tissues. As the tendons and ligaments grow stronger and more vibrant, the pain is alleviated and one can return to their normal activities be it skiing, tennis or any other sport.

Prolotherapy is a lot less invasive than surgery. It also has much less risk and there is not rehabilitation that one usually needs following surgery. It can usually fix most tears of the ACL. Only in the case of a complete ACL tear is Prolotherapy somewhat limited.

Pacific Prolotherapy and Medical Wellness Center Announces New Blog

Pacific Prolotherapy & Medical Wellness Center is please to announce the creation of this new blog. On this blog users will have access to up to date articles having to do with Prolotherapy, joint pain, Bio-Identical Hormones, sports medicine, sports injuries, nutrition, Holistic or Integrative Medicine, Orthopedic Medicine and many other health related topics.

The Center is run by Peter A. Fields, MD,DC -- one of a handful of physicians in the nation with both medical and chiropractic degrees. This combination of degrees gives Dr. Fields a broad area of knowledge and expertise that benefits his patients.



Prolotherapy is a natural non-surgical method of assisting the body to heal injured or weakened joints, ligaments and tendons. With Prolotherapy, the weakened areas are injected with a solution that stimulates the growth of healthy, strong tissues. As the tendons and ligaments grow stronger and vibrant, the pain is alleviated and motion is restored. Whether a joint, ligament or tendon is causing you pain or limited movement, Prolotherapy might be the right choice for you. Prolotherapy can also be help with arthritis, tendinitis (tennis elbow), bursitis, headaches and more. 



In addition, The Pacific Prolotherapy & Medical Wellness Center offers an integrative approach to health and fitness. We combine cutting-edge Western medicine with a blend of natural therapies to provide the most effective, least invasive path to optimal health and sustained wellness