Are you suffering from joint and back pain? The disruption caused by joint pain can be significant, leading to decreased mobility, inability to work, irritability and more. Dr. Seifert is a board-certified pain specialist who provides prolotherapy in Houston, a non-invasive procedure used to heal injured joints and treat chronic pain in the back, knees, hips, shoulders and other joints.
What is Prolotherapy?
Prolotherapy, also called a regenerative joint injection, is a nonsurgical and minimally invasive procedure in which a natural irritant is delivered into the soft tissues of an injured joint, triggering the body’s natural healing response. This treatment forces your body to heal itself, strengthening the weakened ligaments and joints.
Prolotherapy usually consists of several injections into the soft tissues of the injured joint. You may receive from 4 to 15 injections in a single session, and some patients may return for multiple sessions over the course of 3 to 6 months. The injection is delivered directly into the targeted area, gradually repairing your ligaments and joints with each progressive session.
How Does Prolotherapy Work?
Prolotherapy is a nonsurgical injection with an irritant solution, such as a dextrose or saline solution. When injected into the soft tissues, the irritant triggers your body’s natural healing response. As such, when the irritants are delivered into the injured joint's soft tissues, your body automatically starts healing and repairing the damaged ligaments and joints. Over time, as your body naturally heals the ligaments, your joints feel better. The pain gradually fades away as your ligaments and joints regain their strength and mobility.
What Areas of the Body Can be Treated with Prolotherapy?
Prolotherapy injections in Houston is generally used to treat the injured joints and ligaments in your back, knees, hips, shoulders and other joints. While prolotherapy doesn’t treat the root cause of chronic conditions, such as degenerative disc disease or osteoarthritis, it can be used to offer significant pain relief.
What Does Prolotherapy Treat?
Prolotherapy is often used to treat joint and ligament damage, however, it can also be used to treat several other conditions, including:
- Lax joints
- Sprains
- Fibromyalgia, a common condition that causes pain in the muscles and bones
- Degenerative disc disease, a condition in which the discs in your back weaken
- Arthritis or joint inflammation
- Other problems in your tendons, ligaments, and muscles
What are the Benefits of Prolotherapy?
- Natural: All-natural and permanent treatment because it triggers the body’s natural healing response.
- Strengthened Joints: The irritant makes your body heal the injured joints and ligaments faster.
- Stability: Once your joints heal, you also have increased mobility and stability in your back and other joints.
- Nonsurgical: This treatment doesn’t involve incisions or other invasive methods.
- Outpatient Procedure: A single session concludes within 30 minutes.
- No Downtime: You don’t have to take time off work. You can resume most of your daily activities immediately.
Am I a Suitable Candidate for Prolotherapy?
You should consider prolotherapy injections in Houston if you have significant joint or back pain, and if you want to avoid surgical procedures. Dr. Seifert will be able to determine if you’re a suitable candidate for the treatment during your initial consultation, or if there are other treatments that would better suit you.
What Happens During the Prolotherapy Procedure?
During your initial consultation, Dr. Seifert will examine x-rays and other screening results to determine if you’re a viable candidate for prolotherapy, depending on the location and severity of the injury. The doctor will also discuss your medical history and instruct you to cease taking anti-inflammatory medicines 2 to 3 days before the procedure. On the day of the treatment, you’ll be asked to eat a protein-rich meal before the procedure.
During the prolotherapy in Houston procedure, Dr. Seifert will clean your skin with alcohol and apply a topical numbing cream. Following the preparation, the doctor will inject the solution into the affected joint's soft tissues. Depending on the severity, 4 to 15 injections may be carefully applied in the region. Immediately after the procedure, you will have to rest for 10 to 15 minutes as the doctor applies ice or heat packs to the targeted region, and the entire procedure should conclude within 30 minutes.
What is Recovery Like from Prolotherapy?
You may notice some swelling or stiffness after the treatment, but you can resume most of your daily activities within a day. The bruising, stiffness, swelling, and general discomfort should gradually recede over the week. You should contact us immediately if you notice signs of infection, such as worsening pain or fever. However, the risk of infection is minimal.
Why Choose Dr. Seifert for Prolotherapy?
Dr. Seifert is a board-certified interventional anesthesiologist and pain medicine specialist in Bellaire. She specializes in nonsurgical and minimally-invasive pain treatments that offer long-term benefits without significant side effects or complications. She is certified to provide prolotherapy in Houston and has helped numerous patients with non-invasive diagnosis and holistic pain relief.
