I have seen patients transform their lives every day since I’ve started working in my clinic in Tulsa. Prolotherapy has changed more lives than anything else that I have seen in medicine over the past 18 years. I ask myself every day “can it really be this good?”
Yes, it really is!
I have read much of the literature and research that has been published on prolotherapy and have been confused by some of it. Modern medicine is focused on ‘Evidence Based Medicine’. This is where we base our practice and medical interventions based on the research that has been done on a specific topic. I think that this is a very good approach. Basically, we are trying to evaluate how our interventions work on a large patient population so that we can determine ‘best practices’.
The problem is that, while these studies are often very good, they are frequently flawed by a complexity of data and inability to control for multiple factors. Additionally, these studies often evaluate a ‘treatment’ versus a ‘placebo’. That may sound appropriate but, especially when it comes to injections, what is a placebo? Most people would say that a placebo is an intervention that has no therapeutic effect.
I totally agree with that.
However, when it comes to certain interventions, it is very difficult to evaluate a treatment against a ‘placebo’ because the placebo may actually have a therapeutic effect. This is exactly the case with prolotherapy. For example, we know that a technique called ‘dry needling’ is beneficial for some musculoskeletal problems. Thus, simply sticking a needle through the skin and into the tissue has a beneficial effect. We think it may be due to the stimulation of bleeding causing an inflammatory reaction. Saline injections also have an effect.
Therefore, it is erroneous to compare the efficacy of a procedure against another treatment and then say it doesn’t work if there is no ‘statistically significant benefit’ from one to the next. Especially if you are trying to state that one does or doesn’t work!
That has been the case with prolotherapy, especially in regards to studies on the low back. Cochran Reviews have stated that prolotherapy does not seem to be beneficial.
They are wrong!
There are lots of reasons why the studies they reviewed cannot be evaluated against what I do. I’ll talk about them later.
The bottom line is that my patients get better. Period.
I don’t really care what the ‘evidence’ shows. Particularly if the evidence shows that there is no benefit but my patients consistently (with about a 90% success rate) get better. I don’t mean a little better. I mean way better. As in most cases, completely healed. I see it time and again. I see it every day.
Prolotherapy is fantastic for low back pain, knee pain, wrist pain, neck pain, upper back pain, shoulder pain, and the list goes on. Like I said, I’ve never seen anything like it. It really is incredibly beneficial.
If you are looking for a solution to your pain then you need to consider prolotherapy. I can’t guarantee success. Nobody can. However, what I can tell you is that you have nothing to lose. If someone told you that you need surgery for your specific condition that may be true.
But if you have surgery, you can never ‘undo’ it. You can’t go back. Prolotherapy has the possibility of completely fixing the problem but if it doesn’t work then you won’t have worse pain and you won’t be worse off because of the procedure.
It does seem to be a magical procedure because most people have incredible success with extremely low risk.
I have injected loads of patients, multiple family members and friends, and even myself. I truly believe in this procedure.
If you have musculoskeletal pain then you need to consider prolotherapy. I am one of the only physicians in Tulsa, Oklahoma performing this procedure. Give our clinic a call to set up an evaluation today!