Prolotherapy falls under the umbrella of regenerative injections and the two terms are used interchangeably.

Dextrose prolotherapy is generally thought of as the original regenerative injection. Prolotherapy works by creating a low-level inflammatory response at the specific site that is generating pain. This pain generator could be cartilage inside of a joint, a tendon, or a ligament. Oftentimes, there is more than one area that is causing pain.

Prolotherapy, through the inflammatory response, allows the body’s natural healing response to get to work and repair damaged tissue. The repair of the joint, ligament, or tendon results in less pain and better function.

One of the unique benefits of dextrose prolotherapy is that the concentration of dextrose can be increased or decreased based on the patient’s tolerance. This is beneficial because it allows a treatment customized to the individual patient’s inflammatory response and pain tolerance.

Throughout our lives, we will have sprains, strains, degeneration, or tearing of our ligaments, tendons, or joints. Regenerative injections will help stabilize these areas by healing damaged cartilage, ligaments, or tendons so that our patients have less pain and better function.