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Prolotherapy and
an Integrative Approach to Healing
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Prolotherapy, though it was developed researched by a General Surgeon and though articles about it have been published in mainstream medical journals for decades, has remained ‘off the radar screen’ for most physicians. Its successes have caused it to be embraced by patients who receive it, and physicians who practice it. Nevertheless, simply because of its relative obscurity in popular culture, it is considered ‘Alternative Medicine’, in somewhat the same category as Acupuncture.
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In some situations, Prolotherapy alone is the answer. In many situations, though, Prolotherapy is best integrated with other forms of care—Orthopedic surgery, Chiropractic manipulation, Physical Therapy, Acupuncture, Pain Management regimens, Massage Therapy, etc., in order to gain best results. Prolotherapy does something unique among medical treatments—it directly triggers the body’s healing processes. No other form of therapy does that.
The problem from the patient’s standpoint is that other practitioners they are seeing may be totally unfamiliar with Prolotherapy. It would be nice if ‘our doctor’ knew everything and could get us everything we need to cure us of our problems. Unfortunately, doctors do not know everything. Even the best doctors do not know everything, even within their field of specialty. So, the responsibility falls to the patient to identify and access treatment modalities which can help them. Ultimately, the patient has to ‘integrate’ their own care, drawing from the best solutions they can find to deal with their own problems. I firmly believe that people need to be aware of various treatment options for their problems. I am practicing Prolotherapy now because this treatment simply was not available in my area. I want to make this option available to people.
Once a patient comes to me, I apply a different kind of ‘integrative approach’. There is more to a successful Prolotherapy practice than simply putting proliferant in damaged structures. We are trying to engage the body’s healing processes. Those processes are not fully understood, and in fact are the focus of much research today. There are nutritional factors. There are different proliferants, some newly developed, that are used in different situations. There is the issue of pain management. Many pain medications impact the healing system. There is the issue of minimizing the discomfort of the Prolotherapy treatment itself.
Most people heal when properly stimulated by Prolotherapy. In fact, Dr. George Hackett found an 80% success rate throughout his practice by offering Prolotherapy alone. That means that 20% of patients do not heal successfully when stimulated. Those patients usually have one of three issue: lack of response to a particular proliferant, nutritional deficiencies so significant that healing is impaired, or medical issues or medications which interfere with healing.
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At Prolotherapy Nashville we apply our integrative approach to your healing. Your history is obtained and you are examined to detect treatable connective tissue problems. Your nutritional history is obtained, along with a list of your medications. Nutritional recommendations may be made, or modifications in your medications may be recommended (in collaboration with the prescribing physician). If healing is not occurring at the expected pace, these issues are revisited in more detail. An evaluation of
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your hormone status may be recommended, with bio-identical hormone therapy as needed. Several proliferant solutions may be chosen. We are among the first Prolotherapy practices in the country to offer Platelet Rich Plasma as a proloferant. This exciting new development will be discussed with you if in might be of benefit in your case.
The treatment strategy is carefully designed for maximum comfort and effectiveness. A very powerful topical anesthetic combination minimized skin sensation. A Tennant Biomodulator is used both to block pain sensation, and for the beneficial effect that this energetic medicine device may provide in the healing process. A post treatment heat pack is offered, which will heat the area for up to 8 hours. This not only improves the effect of the treatment, it feels good.
Our treatment strategy is based on principles discovered over 100 years ago. In fact, it would be fair to say that one of those principles was noted, and employed, by the ‘father of western medicine, Hippocrates, over 2500 years ago. But our treatment strategy is being refined by the discoveries of the 21st century as well. The commitment of Prolotherapy Nashville to you is to offer you the best, most up-to-date combination of therapies that can be accessed for your situation, integrated with your other therapies, to get results. While no treatment or strategy helps everyone, the results that Prolotherapy can achieve make it worth your while to understand and consider if you have joint pain or instability.
If you would like to make an appointment, or would like to discuss your situation, please call me at 615-506-0536.
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