Prolotherapy and Ostenil ™️ - a little more information.
Prolotherapy is injection therapy using a variety of different substances. All of these substances are safe and do not involve the use of cortico-steroids. On many occasions I will suggest that a small amount of your own blood is taken from your arm and injected into the site of pain. This is usually where there is trauma or injury to a muscle, tendon or ligament. The area is usually numbed with local anaesthetic to make it more comfortable. These injections have been shown to be very successful at stimulating healing within tendons and ligaments and reducing pain. It is sometimes very helpful to use PRP (platlet rich plasma). This involves a small amount of blood taken from your arm and spun in a centrifuge to harvest PRP. This is then injected back into the area needing to be healed and regenerated.
We have also recently introduced neural prolotherapy. These are small injections that can be very useful for chronic pain and assist in the healing of irritated nerves.
Some interesting recent media coverage of PRP techniques can be found in the Daily Express Tuesday October 20th 2009 and the Daily Mail Monday 2nd November 2009.
Osteoarthritis develops as people get older and is present in almost everybody over the age of 60 (although not everyone in this age group has bad symptoms). Ostenil® is a solution containing hyaluronic acid. It is this substance that lets the synovial fluid in the joint capsule:
keep bones apart, protecting cartilage from wear and tear; absorbs shock; lubricates the joint; acts as a filter by letting nutrients reach the cartilage but locking harmful cells and substances.
Ostenil® is injected into the space in the joint and works by restoring the normal balance between the breakdown and production of hyaluronic acid. This effect means it can decrease pain and stiffness and improve other symptoms of osteoarthritis. The effect can last for up to 12 months.
If you would like further information, please contact the clinic to see if these treatment could help you. They have been able to help patients with very long standing pain and weakness.