Musculoskeletal pain can stop your life in its tracks, preventing you from enjoying all the activities you love most. But for athletes and others whose restoration to full function is vital, surgical intervention can be a scary prospect, along with the painful, lengthy recovery period that can follow.

Fortunately, the future of non-surgical treatment for orthopedic pain offers a new suite of non-invasive, regenerative therapies that can help free your body of the dysfunction that’s holding you back. One of these treatments is called prolotherapy, and Dr. Trevor Turner wants you to learn more:

What is Prolotherapy?

Prolotherapy, short for “proliferation therapy,” is an injection-based procedure that can be used by an orthopedic specialist like Dr. Turner to relieve pain and restore damaged tissue in the joints, tendons, and ligaments without the need for surgery. Dr. Turner accomplishes this by injecting a small amount of sterile solution into the affected area -- the substance is usually a mixture of concentrated sugar (dextrose), lidocaine (local anesthetic), and water. These substances may help initiate a response in your body that changes a smoldering, non-healing phase of inflammation into a fresh micro-injury that primes the body to heal.

How Does Prolotherapy Work?

Here’s how Dr. Turner performs prolotherapy procedures at his orthopedic practice, and how your body will respond to your treatment: 

  • Dr. Turner will inject a small amount of the aforementioned sugar solution into your affected joints, ligaments, or tendons. This injection will be fully customized to provide the optimal treatment for your body, and your specific injury by using ultrasound guidance.
  • The micro-irritation will then cause a controlled type of inflammation in your target areas, jump-starting your body’s natural healing process and prompting it to restore tissue in the place where it has been damaged.
  • Once the micro-inflammation has reduced (about 24 hours), the healing process will continue, helping to provide relief from your pain, often when other approaches have failed.

Dr. Turner recommends receiving these injections in a series -- while your treatment plan will depend on your individual needs, typical prolotherapy involves three to four injections performed over the course of a four-week period.

What Does a Prolotherapy Procedure Feel Like?

Even once you understand what goes into the procedure, it can be difficult to imagine what prolotherapy feels like in action. Fortunately, most patients feel minimal pain for about one day and experience few side-effects as a result of their treatment.  If patients feel temporary soreness around the site of their injection, it can be addressed by applying ice to the affected area without typically requiring pain medication by mouth. Prolotherapy can often be a superior choice for patients who do poorly with steroid injections for pain relief, making it one of Dr. Turner’s preferred alternatives. 

Why Might I Want Prolotherapy?

Prolotherapy is an excellent option for treating the following conditions, and more:

  • Joint laxity
  • Chronic back pain
  • Osteoarthritis in knees and hips
  • Hand arthritis, including basal thumb joint arthritis
  • Sports injuries to the tendons, ligaments and joints
  • Bursitis
  • Tendonitis

If you’re interested in trying prolotherapy as an alternative to steroids, surgery, and other invasive techniques of the past, Dr. Trevor Turner can help. Dr. Turner is board-certified, highly qualified, and passionate about staying on the cutting edge of regenerative medicine.

If you’re ready to start living without pain and getting back in the game, don’t hesitate to reach out to Dr. Trevor Turner and schedule your first appointment today.