Definitions

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun The injection of an otherwise non-pharmacological and non-active irritant solution into the body, generally in the region of tendons or ligaments for the purpose of strengthening weakened connective tissue and alleviating musculoskeletal pain.

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From proliferation therapy.

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Examples

  • Asked whether he thought the prolotherapy was the wrong course of treatment, Hargreaves said: Absolutely, yes.

    The Independent - Frontpage RSS Feed 2011

  • This summer Gagne underwent a new treatment known as prolotherapy to combat his concussion woes, writes

    Hockey Journal 2008

  • At least 45 research reports on prolotherapy have been published in the medical literature, but only a handful of those are randomized clinical trials — the type most respected by scientists, says David Rabago, author of a review of the evidence published earlier this year.

    A Pinch of Sugar for Pain Laura Johannes 2010

  • Several high-quality studies have found prolotherapy using a sugar solution no more effective than a control injection with salt water.

    A Pinch of Sugar for Pain Laura Johannes 2010

  • Some doctors scoff at prolotherapy and many insurers won't cover it.

    A Pinch of Sugar for Pain Laura Johannes 2010

  • Many types of chronic pain, including lower back, arthritis and tennis elbow, can be effectively treated by prolotherapy after conventional measures such as rest and physical therapy have failed, say physicians who offer the procedure.

    A Pinch of Sugar for Pain Laura Johannes 2010

  • Scientists say the problem in studying prolotherapy has been that each physician uses different solutions — often custom mixed — and that many doctors combine the therapy with other measures, such as spinal manipulation.

    A Pinch of Sugar for Pain Laura Johannes 2010

  • A 2003 study of 110 people with back pain, published in the journal Spine, found patients got about equally better with a glucose prolotherapy injection or with a salt solution.

    A Pinch of Sugar for Pain Laura Johannes 2010

  • A syringe full of sugar water may not sound like a cutting-edge medical technique, but a growing number of doctors say sugar injections called prolotherapy can stimulate healing and provide relief from a range of chronic pain conditions.

    A Pinch of Sugar for Pain Laura Johannes 2010

  • Before getting prolotherapy, ask the doctor to be clear about how you will make a decision to end therapy, says Dr. Dagenais.

    A Pinch of Sugar for Pain Laura Johannes 2010

Comments

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  • A treatment technique used for chronic myofascial pain, back pain, osteoarthritis, or sports injury. It involves repeated injections of dextrose solution or other irritating substances into the joint, tendon, or painful tissue in order to provoke a regenerative tissue response.

    July 7, 2015