Prolotherapy is considered an alternative to more traditional pharmacologically based treatments. As such, not a lot of people are familiar with it. This general lack of knowledge has led to quite a bit of misinformation, including misinformation about side effects and health risks.
Every medical treatment has associated side effects and potential risks. We accept those side effects and risks as part of the healing process. Furthermore, each of us needs to assess our own risk appetite before agreeing to medical treatment. This includes turning to prolotherapy as an alternative.
The good news is that there are no serious side effects or risks associated with the procedure. Prolotherapy has been used effectively for decades with very few reports of adverse reactions. But that does not mean it is side effect and risk-free. No medical treatment is.
The Basics of Prolotherapy
Lone Star Pain Medicine is a Weatherford, TX pain medicine clinic that includes prolotherapy on its list of services. Their doctors explain that prolotherapy is an injection therapy designed to encourage inflammation. Why would a doctor want to do that?
Inflammation is a natural signal that tells the body an injury is taken place. The body can then respond with its built-in healing protocols. The idea behind prolotherapy is to speed up healing by triggering immune response.
A typical prolotherapy procedure involves injecting a solution containing both an anesthetic and an irritant. The anesthetic temporarily relieves pain while the irritant triggers inflammation. Once inflammation is triggered, the healing response can begin in earnest.
Common Side Effects
Prolotherapy is an outpatient procedure that can be completed in a matter of minutes. As with any injection therapy, the main side effect is pain or soreness at the injection site. However, the pain and soreness is no more intense than what would be experienced with an inoculation or blood draw.
Other possible side effects include:
- Temporary stiffness
- Bruising at the injection site
- Bleeding at the injection site
- Numbness in the general area
- A sense of fullness in the general area
For the average patient, such side effects are fairly mild and self-limiting. They tend to resolve within a few hours to a few days.
Prolotherapy’s Potential Risks
As previously mentioned, every medical therapy comes with potential risks. The most common risk associated with prolotherapy is infection at the injection site. It turns out that all injection therapies carry the same risk. If an injection site does become infected, treatments are pretty straightforward.
Other potential risks include:
- Nerve damage
- Spinal cord irritation or damage (as applicable)
- Collapsed lung (as applicable)
- Allergic reactions
- Lightheadedness and headache
It’s important to point out that the risk of collapsed lung is only applicable to chest injections. Likewise, potential spinal cord irritation or damage is limited to spinal injections. Neither of these potential risks apply when injections target other areas.
As for allergic reactions, they are possible. A typical procedure utilizes a naturally derived dextrose irritant along with a mainstream anesthetic. The vast majority of patients tolerate both substances just fine.
Go With a Trained Practitioner
One last thing to consider is the person who actually performs a prolotherapy procedure. It’s best to go with a trained practitioner who specializes in either pain medicine or sports medicine. Why? Because proper technique and administration is key to minimizing side effects in risks.
Prolotherapy isn’t the right treatment for every soft tissue injury. But it is right for some, especially when patients are looking for an alternative to prescription medications and surgeries. Properly administered prolotherapy can help a patient’s body heal itself in a more natural way.