Prolotherapy Benefits

Prolotherapy works to strengthen ligaments and tendons and to relieve pain due to weak ligaments and tendons. Ligaments connect two bones together and stabilize the joints, and tendons attach muscles to the bones and help create movement in the joints. According to Prolotherapy.org, the immune system is naturally stimulated to repair strained tendons or ligaments, but because these areas have poor blood supply, the healing process is often left incomplete after a strain or injury. Prolotherapy strives to assist the body in completing the healing process naturally.

Natural Strengthening

• With prolotherapy, a substance is injected into the sore ligaments or tendons on the body, such as osmotic proliferant solutions made up of glycerin and dextrose, and this solution causes inflammation to occur at the affected site. This inflammation triggers the body to naturally heal this area, which includes the creation of new collagen, the natural ingredient that makes up ligaments and tendons. As the new collagen matures, it shrinks, causing the ligaments and tendons to tighten and become stronger. When the ligaments or tendons are stronger, it reduces chronic pain experienced in weak ligaments and tendons. This natural strengthening technique is completed without the use of drugs or surgery.

Mass and Thickness

• Prolotherapy not only strengthens the tendons and ligaments, but it also increases the mass and thickness of the ligaments, which prevents future weakness and injury. According to GetProlo.com, prolotherapy outperforms all other similar types of treatments, such as over-the-counter NSAIDs, cortisone injections and surgeries. Prolotherapy.org statistics show that prolotherapy injections increase the ligament mass to 132.2 milligrams, compared to standard saline injections, which increase the mass to 89.7 milligrams. This is a 44-percent difference. The thickness of a ligament increases to 1.01 millimeters after a prolotherapy injection, compared to the 0.79 increase seen after a saline injection, which is a 27-percent difference.

Pain Relief

• Because prolotherapy increases the mass and thickness of ligaments and strengthens the tendons and ligaments that surround the painful area of the body, the end result is that prolotherapy eliminates chronic pain and stimulates the body's natural healing powers. This includes relieving arthritis pain, joint pain, lower-back pain, degenerative disc disease, work-related injuries, cartilage injuries and sports injuries. Because the ligament and tendon tissues can become up to 40 percent stronger after prolotherapy treatment, according to Prolotherapy.org, the relief of chronic pain is permanent, without damaging or removing parts of your body, such as in surgeries or with certain medications that inhibit the body from naturally healing itself.