Regenerative Injection Therapies

 

Regenerative Injection Therapies offered at 5 Elements include Trigger Point Injections, Prolotherapy, Platelet Rich Plasma Therapy and Neural Prolotherapy. These therapies have been shown to reduce pain, improve function, improve stability and help patients to delay or avoid surgery.

 

Regenerative Injection Therapies can be used to treat:

• Muscle Pain and Spasms

• Nerve Pain

• Chronic Joint Pain

• Mild to Moder

• Partially Torn, Weak or Unstable Ligaments

 

Trigger Point Injections:

 

A trigger point is a tight band of muscle or knot that causes pain. Trigger points occur because the blood supply to the muscle is constricted, leading to decreased oxygen delivery to the tissue causing pain and muscle spasm. Trigger points can cause localized pain in one area or referred pain that radiates to other regions in the body.

 

Trigger point injections are a therapy used to treat areas of muscle pain and spasm. These injections typically include a local anesthetic, normal saline and sometimes an anti-inflammatory or steroid medication.

 

Trigger point injection therapy works under various mechanisms

• Local placement of the needle can help to relieve muscle spasms, similar to acupuncture

• Injecting a small volume of fluid into the muscle can also help relieve the muscle spasm

• Local anesthetic is used to numb the region which helps to break the cycle of pain

• Anti-inflammatory medications can help to reduce inflammation in the area

 

Trigger point injections are sometimes repeated in a series, depending on the results of the injections and the relief of pain that they provide.

​

Prolotherapy:

 

Prolotherapy or proliferation therapy is a treatment that uses an irritant solution that is injected into a joint space, ligaments or tendons. A typical solution may contain a local anesthetic (lidocaine), dextrose (sugar water) and methylcobalamin (vitamin B12). By injecting an irritant solution into the affected area we create an inflammatory cascade, initiating a new localized healing phase. Cells that are involved in the body’s natural inflammatory response are recruited to the area to heal and repair tissues including ligaments and tendons.

 

Prolotherapy is an excellent treatment for many types of musculoskeletal conditions. It can improve pain, stiffness and function in the joints and spine, and strengthen and tighten ligaments.

 

Prolotherapy can help with:

 

• Low Back Pain

• Knee Pain

• Hip Pain

• Ligament Laxity

• Partially Torn Ligaments or Tendons

• Tennis Elbow and Golfer’s Elbow

• Mild to Moderate Osteoarthritis

• Plantar Fasciitis

• TMJ Syndrome

• Achilles’ Tendonitis

• Rotator Cuff Tears

• Meniscus Tears

 

Prolotherapy is a minimally invasive, safe and effective treatment. Benefits are often seen in 2 to 6 treatment sessions.

​

PRP Injection Therapy:

 

When the body is injured, platelets containing growth factors are recruited to the area of injury to begin to heal and repair. Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) is a source of platelet derived growth factors that are obtained from your own blood through a simple blood draw. Blood is drawn and placed in a centrifuged which concentrated the platelets to 5-10 times greater or richer than what is typically found in whole blood.  The PRP is then carefully extracted and prepared for injection.

 

PRP can be injected into ligaments, joints and tendons. By injecting a source of highly concentrated platelets directly into the area of concern we are releasing growth factors to aid the healing response. These stimulate tissue repair, cellular grown and collagen production.

 

The advantages of PRP is that we are using your own blood to stimulate the body’s natural healing response. The procedure is safe and effective with minimal risk of infection and allergic reaction.

 

Similar to Prolotherapy, PRP can be used for a variety of conditions including:

• Low back pain

• Knee Pain

• Hip Pain

• Ligament Laxity (weak ligaments)

• Partially Torn Ligaments or Tendons

• Tennis Elbow & Golfer’s Elbow

• Mild to Moderate Osteoarthritis

• Plantar Fasciitis

• TMJ syndrome

• Achilles’ Tendonitis

• Rotator Cuff Tears

• Meniscus Tears

 

Benefits of PRP are typically seen in 1-3 treatments.

 

Neural Prolotherapy:

 

Neural Prolotherapy also called Neurofascial Prolotherapy (NFP) is a treatment for inflammation and pain of subcutaneous nerves and surrounding tissues. NFP involves a series of small injections of low dose dextrose (sugar water) just beneath the skin surface close to the subcutaneous nerves. NFP can help to treat nerve pain associated with joints, muscles, tendons and ligaments. It has also been shown to be effective in treatment post-surgical pain following back surgeries or joint replacement surgeries.

 

Similar to prolotherapy where dextrose is used to promote healing in connective tissues including ligaments and tendons, nerves also have connective tissue and by injecting a low dose of dextrose under the skin we can begin to decrease swelling, reduce pain and improve function. The nerves that supply these tissues also supply the deeper structures below (muscles and joints) so restoration also affects these deeper structures.

​

NFP is a safe and effective treatment with minimal risk for infection. Most patients notice an immediate reduction of pain that can last hours to days. Pain is generally reduced by 10-20% with each treatment session. Every patient responds differently but generally 5-8 treatments may be needed 1-2 weeks apart depending on the degree of injury. NFP is often combined with trigger point injections for maximum benefit.