What most people call the shoulder is really several joints combined with tendons and muscles to allow a wide range of motion to the arm, from scratching your back, to throwing the perfect pitch.
Mobility has its price, however. It may lead to increasing problems with instability or impingement of soft tissue, resulting in pain. You may feel pain only when the shoulder is moved, or all of the time. The pain may be temporary and disappear in a short time, or it may continue and require medical diagnosis and treatment.
Most shoulder problems involve the soft tissues, muscles, ligaments and tendons, rather than bones. In addition, most of these problems fall into three major categories:
• tendinitis/bursitis
• injury/instability
• arthritis
Other much more rare causes of shoulder pain are tumors, infection and nerve-related problems.
Prolotherapy, also known as
regenerative injection therapy, ligament reconstructive therapy or sclerotherapy, is a recognized orthopedic procedure, which stimulates the body’s natural healing processes to strengthen joints weakened by trauma or arthritis. Joints weakened when ligaments and tendons are stretched, torn or fragmented become hypermobile and painful. Traditional approaches with anti-inflammatory drugs and surgery often fail to stabilize the joint and permanently relieve pain.
Prolotherapy has the unique ability to directly address the cause of instability. This procedure repairs the weakened sites, resulting in permanent stabilization of the joint. When precisely injected into the site of pain or injury,
Prolotherapy creates a mild, controlled inflammation, which stimulates the body to lay down new tendon or ligament fibers, resulting in a strengthening of the weakened structure. When the joint becomes strong, pain will be relieved from the area.
Other conditions responsive to Prolotherapy include knee pain, back pain, hip pain, tennis elbow, ankle sprains and foot pain.
What are the benefits of Prolotherapy?
Prolotherapy is not a cure-all for all pain. However, the founders of Prolotherapy, Dr. Gustave Hemwall and Dr. George Hackett, who pioneered the treatment in the 40s, say it can result in a 30 to 40 percent strengthening of the attachment points in the joints weakened by injuries. Dr. Hackett claimed more than 99 % of his patients found relief from chronic pain using Prolotherapy. Overall, the benefits of Prolotherapy include:
• You are spared invasive surgery.
• When relief comes, it is sudden, total and seemingly miraculous.
• The results are usually long lasting unless the injury is caused by repetitive strain.
DreamBody Medical Centers in
Scottsdale, AZ has created a unique approach to Prolotherapy. We evaluate each patient thoroughly with a personal history and a physical exam, which may include X-rays and/or MRI performed before receiving Prolotherapy. In all cases involving chronic pain, the doctors of the Anti-aging Institute will use their expertise to provide a comprehensive treatment approach, including rehabilitative exercises, nutrition and specific supplements to maximize your health and ability to heal.
If you would like to discuss your shoulder pain with one of our doctors, we are offering a shortened, 20-minute consultation for $50 to introduce you to our office and its caring staff. Should you decide to seek further treatment, this $50 will be applied toward the cost of your initial full appointment and evaluation.
If you continue to suffer with shoulder pain, or some other conditions limiting your ability to do the things you want to do, we seriously recommend our treatment approach, which includes Prolotherapy.
