Prolotherapy:Information for patients

Prolo packet questions

Am I a candidate for Regenerative Injection Therapy (Prolotherapy)?

Many problems related to musculoskeletal conditions are can be successfully treated with prolotherapy:

1.Degenerative Joint Diseases (Osteoarthritis) of all locations:
neck, TMJ, shoulders, scapulaes, clavicles, ribs, elbows, wrists, fingers, thoracic and lower back pain, “disc’s problems”, hips, knees, ankles, feet, toes.

2.Consequences of ligamentous and tendinous injuries (with some limitations). Partial tears of tendons, muscles and ligaments can be successfully treated with prolotherapy +/- PRP (platelet rich plasma)

3. Some forms of arthritis may have infectious, allergic, autoimmune or metabolic causes. In such cases we will order special diagnostic tests to help patient in selection of appropriate treatment.

4. Patients with infected joints, non-healing wounds around joints, cancer spread into the bones (metastasis, multiple myeloma, leukemias) are not candidate for prolotherapy

5. Elderly and debilitated patients may not respond well to prolotherapy.

6. Degree of joint damage (stage of the OA), age, weight, smoking status, nutritional status, use of certain medication (Steroids , NSAID) will

negatively affect prognosis of the treatment.

7. Other factors may play role too: anticoagulation therapy, anti-platelets therapy, etc

How much does it cost?

A.: The initial evaluation cost is $375.00. Treatment prices vary by area. Detailed pricing will be given at consultation

Will my insurance pay for this treatment?

A.: No, unfortunately prolotherapy is not covered by insurance

How many treatments will I need?

A.: It is not possible to tell ahead of time how many treatments a patient might need before they are pain-free. The doctor will give an estimated range of the number of treatments that you will need, depending on the severity of your condition. Average 3-6 sessions.

How far apart are the treatments?

A.: Treatments are usually given at 4-6 week intervals. There are exceptions to this, depending on other circumstances.

How soon after treatment can I work out or play sports?

A.: If your sports or work-outs involve the area that is being treated, you will get the best results with treatment when you avoid exercising or stressing the area until 3 or 4 weeks after the last treatment. If you must continue to exercise the treatment area, it may take a lot more treatments to get the desired result. You may continue to re-injure it with the exercise or sports activity, preventing it from getting strong enough to protect it.

What is in the medicine that is used in the injections?

A.: There is no cortisone used in prolotherapy. The solution is normally a mixture of a very concentrated dextrose (glucose) with a local anesthetic like lidocaine. In some cases we do PRP (Platelet Rich Plasma) which is your own blood product.

What is the success rate with prolotherapy?

A.: Prolotherapy generally has about a 80% good to excellent response among the doctors across the country that keep track of their patients’ responses to treatment. About 10% of the patients are in the poor response, or less than 50% improvement category.

Is there a guarantee that prolotherapy will work for me?

A.: There is nothing in medicine that is guaranteed.

How do I contact the office for an appointment?

A.: Please call our office at 508-754-9950 for an appointment. The staff will be happy to schedule your appointment and give you further information.

What are the office hours?

A.: Our office hours are 8:00 AM – to 5:00 PM, Monday through Friday.

What should I bring to the doctor’s office for the initial evaluation?

A.: Please bring the completed paper work that the office sends to you and any X-ray or films of any other studies that you may have had.

What happens at the first visit?

A.: Medical assistant will greet you, collect your paper work and take you to the examination room. The doctor will review your paper work, ask you questions about your problem, examine you, read your X-rays and explain them to you, give you their opinion about what they believe is causing your pain or other problems, order any new studies that may be needed and make recommendations for treatment. They will explain the treatment and answer

your questions. You will be given Consent form for treatment and estimated cost. No treatment will be performed during consultative visit.

Will I need a driver?

A.: Most of the time patients do need a driver. You will receive a treatment which may affect your ability to drive safely for 12-24 hours.

Will I need to be off work after the treatment?

A.: Most patients do not need to be off work the day after the treatment if it is sedentary work.

What are the risks with prolotherapy?

A.: There are risks with all treatments and medications, if the doctor feels that you are a candidate for prolotherapy, they will explain the risks to you and try to answer all of your questions.

It is important to remember that prolotherapy is a controlled injury. Therefore you should expect to be sore for the following 24-48 hours.