Hey mises. I’ve been recommended by an orthopedist to get prolotherapy. Does anyone have any experience with this? Its classified as an alternative medicine so its not covered by insurance… the pain factor is reportedly intense…
I never heard of it until now. What is wrong with you?
Ligaments and/or tendons in my shoulder stretched out. Possibly from deadlifting too much. Prolotherapy injects irritant to the afflicted area, in my case, the socket of both my shoulders, to induce inflammation, which is the mechanism by which soft tissue in the body heals.
The theory is all good I just wanted to know if anyone here had anything to say about it. Its an alternative medicine, so while the mainstream seems to outright dismiss prolotherapy, I thought someone on mises might have done some research into it. Especially since we apparently have so many weightlifters.
I do not have experience with this (also never heard of it before) but here is my initial reaction:
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It is best to promote natural healing by the body.
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It is good that the therapy is non-pharmacological.
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The “inflammation and repair” process sounds like weight-lifting to build muscle. The first part of this process is destructive to the body, and does not necessarily promote healing in someone who is already sick or “out of balance.”
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An analogy: if you get sick with a virus, and your muscles become weak, it does not make sense to run out to the gym and lift weights to build the muscle back. This will only cause more damage and delay the healing process. Instead, you rest and support the immune system.
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If your problem is joint pain or musculoskeletal pain, it is important to get to the root cause and not just treat the symptoms. Even if the therapy worked and healed some tissues, the underlying cause would still be there, and the destructive process would continue only to haunt you later in life.
The guy to ask is Mark Rippetoe, in the startingstrength.com forum. He’s seen it all. More important, he answers.
On his forums Rippetoe says he has no experience with it. There was one guy who mentioned it and had good results.
I don’t know what to tell you. I asked someone I joke about being a doctor, who has a lot of knowledge without being one, and she never heard of it.
Did this happen from one event or just build up over time? Did you take time off from lifting to let it heal?
In some ways it seems like a bad idea, then again maybe your body directs certain healing mechanisms to the main muscle mass rather than the joints. It doesn’t seem like it would cause much harm to try it though. Got me.
Yes. I’ve taken basically a whole year off lifting. No progress. Even after physical therapy… I just can’t build strength in my posterior shoulders.
The idea is that the body heals by inflammation, but tendons and ligaments dont have a lot of blood flow to them, and therefore can’t become inflammed as easily or as much. So you have to stimulate extra inflammation. Reportedly, prolotherapy does this to insane degree.
The idea is that the body heals by inflammation, but tendons and ligaments dont have a lot of blood flow to them, and therefore can’t become inflammed as easily or as much. So you have to stimulate extra inflammation. Reportedly, prolotherapy does this to insane degree.
I’m not sure it’s correct to say the body heals by inflammation alone. You need the regeneration afterward. Inflammation is a destructive process, often the side effect of the body’s efforts to heal (like the redness or swelling at a cut or bruise). I would be cautious of something causing insane inflammation in the name of healing. But after no progress for a year I can understand trying it. Have you tried nutritional supplements to promote healing in your shoulders?
Yes I have tried nutritional supplements for tendons/ligaments. Glucosamine and Chondroitin and MSM. My diet has been impeccable. I think i’ve literally gone for 6 months without missing one of my 7+ daily meals by more than an hour.
Inflammation brings blood to the source.Tendons and ligaments typically don’t have much of any blood flow to them, hence their long or nonexistent healing.
I’m scheduled for prolotherapy this thursday. Going to premedicate on painkillers and a benzo.
All the best!
ouch.
Is that an I-can-handle-this “ouch” or a please-give-me-morphine-I-am-dying “ouch?”