Prolotherapy

[Greywolf336]

My boyfriend was given a diagnosis of three torn ligaments in his ankle today and the doctor suggested prolotherapy as the best treatment option. No one we have talked to has heard of it before and I am a little leary given the information he provided us with. Has anyone here had any experience with it or even heard of it?

Www.getprolo.com

 

[ChemGal]

My boyfriend was given a diagnosis of three torn ligaments in his ankle today and the doctor suggested prolotherapy as the best treatment option. No one we have talked to has heard of it before and I am a little leary given the information he provided us with. Has anyone here had any experience with it or even heard of it?

Www.getprolo.com

I've heard of one person doing this. I don't know what the end result was. I looked into it quickly as it's not something I'm super familiar with - I thought it was based on glucose injections, but it seems like there are different substances that are used. The little I had read about the glucose in the past showed very spotty evidence.
I do know the person who went through it found it caused a fair bit of short term pain.

I would recommend he looks into it more and possibly even get a 2nd opinion.

 

[ChemGal]

SBM is a site I trust a fair bit. https://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/prolotherapy/

 

[Greywolf336]

Thanks for the link Chemgal. We are both thinking he needs at least a second opinion but figured we'd ask around as well. The article was saying exactly what I was thinking.

 

[Carolla]

I haven't heard of this therapy until now ... interesting reading ahead. I'm assuming the ligaments are not completely torn through - that would require surgery - so just partial tears? Did he have an MRI of the ankle to determine this? Is it a new injury, or a chronic one? The ankle is such a complex joint.

Is it a sports injury? If so, I'd get a second opinion from a sports injury specialist - they are often right up to date on current literature and treatments in this regard.

Do you know if prolotherapy is covered by OHIP or your private insurance? It may be quite costly if not ... so something to consider.

 

[ChemGal]

I haven't heard of this therapy until now ... interesting reading ahead. I'm assuming the ligaments are not completely torn through - that would require surgery - so just partial tears? Did he have an MRI of the ankle to determine this? Is it a new injury, or a chronic one? The ankle is such a complex joint.

Is it a sports injury? If so, I'd get a second opinion from a sports injury specialist - they are often right up to date on current literature and treatments in this regard.

Do you know if prolotherapy is covered by OHIP or your private insurance? It may be quite costly if not ... so something to consider.

Curious about the cost here too. I found this website which shows it's not covered by the province:
http://www.edmontonprolotherapy.com/faq.aspx
AND it brings up some interesting things.

\

Prolotherapy is a little known but highly effective method of treating osteoarthritic joint pain, and chronic ligament and tendon weakness.

Modern medical research demands that therapies be proven by double-blind placebo controlled trials. For medications, the pills can easily be made to look alike and a sugar pill used as a placebo that is presumed to have no therapeutic value. For procedures like Prolotherapy and most surgeries, there is no adequate placebo. Cortisone cannot be used as a placebo because cortisone can only be injected 3 times a year; typically, Prolotherapy requires 4-6 treatments.

Health Canada wants more data to show the effectiveness of Prolotherapy. Drug companies pay for research when it is profitable. They are unlikely to pay for research on Prolotherapy because this would not be a profitable venture. In fact, drug companies and surgeons would profit less if Prolotherapy would be more widely used, since fewer people would need pain medication and they could avoid expensive surgeries or complications from surgeries.

Odd that they would say it's highly effective, considering what I have seen, as well as the info shared about the lack of proper trials. Also, comparing two treatments, like the cortisone injections isn't using a placebo. The comments about drug companies is silly, as there are other research funds available especially for medical treatments. Then the thing about surgeons? When a treatment can be done quickly many doctors would gladly take that on, especially with our medical system.
Finally

The injection consists of: 1% Procaine, Dextrose (pharmaceutical grade sugar water), Methylcobalamin (which is the active form of Vitamin B12) and Hyaluronic acid. On occasion individualized homeopathic remedies are added to the solution.

Bringing homeopathy (diluting a substance down to the point where it isn't even actually there and claiming that the more water or other diluent is added the more effective the treatment becomes) into this just shows the lack of scientific integrity that some of the practitioners who use prolotherapy have.

This site has me going NOPE NOPE NOPE if I were originally considering it!

 

[KayTheCurler]

I have never heard of it - I would ask for a second opinion from a qualfied doctor.

 

[Carolla]

A couple of good articles - from sources that seem reputable & balanced -

https://thesportsphysio.wordpress.com/2012/11/20/prolotherapy-is-it-as-sweet-as-it-sounds/

http://www.upmc.com/Services/integrative-medicine/services/Pages/prolotherapy-information.aspx

 

[Greywolf336]

No one we have talked to seem to know anything about this therapy.

Carolla, this was a sports injury from about two years ago that he never had fixed properly. The tears aren't complete they are partial. He just had the MRI done on the 28th.

He went back to his regular doctor today and this time I went with him. He didn't have the MRI reaults with him so from what the doctor could see he suggested physio and refered him to a sports physiotherapist. Last physio person thought the ankle issue steamed from a back problem so only gave him back exercises, surprisingly that didn't help. He's going to wait to go to physio again until the doctor sees the MRI results and see if that changes his opinion. He made an appointment for next week so now we wait. We asked his doctor about this therapy and he had never heard of it either.

 

[Luce NDs]

Pro Lo therapy:
A lo rub or subtle ruse in the beginning before the other dialogue ... imaginary inde course of things non existential?

This could lead to continuum or at least itinerants of th' aughts ... strings of nothing?

There has got to be something in that entanglement if you Lear deeply ... Lady Mack Bête and the mystery of the peeping Tome ...?