Prolotherapy
Chronic pain doesn’t have to control your life. At Pro Institute Poovendran Regenerative Orthopedics, Dr. Gayan Poovendran and Dr. Geetha Poovendran offer prolotherapy as an innovative solution for patients seeking natural healing without relying solely on medications or invasive procedures.
This regenerative injection therapy harnesses your body’s own healing mechanisms to address the root cause of pain rather than simply masking symptoms. Our comprehensive approach to prolotherapy combines advanced medical expertise with personalized care, helping patients reclaim their active lifestyles and experience lasting relief from chronic musculoskeletal conditions.
Understanding Prolotherapy
Prolotherapy, also known as regenerative injection or proliferation therapy, is a specialized injection treatment that stimulates your body’s natural healing processes to repair damaged tissues and reduce chronic pain. The treatment involves strategic injections containing saline, dextrose, and lidocaine into affected areas. This unique combination allows prolotherapy to address both immediate discomfort and long-term healing, making it an effective alternative for patients who want to avoid surgery or reduce their dependence on pain medications.
Benefits of Prolotherapy
Promotes Natural Tissue Regeneration
Prolotherapy works by activating your body’s innate healing mechanisms rather than introducing foreign substances or suppressing natural processes. The dextrose solution creates a controlled inflammatory response that stimulates the production of new collagen, strengthens weakened ligaments and tendons, and promotes the growth of healthy tissue. This natural approach means your body is doing the healing work, resulting in improvements that can last for years.
Reduces Chronic Pain Without Medications
Unlike traditional pain management approaches that rely on pharmaceuticals to block pain signals, prolotherapy addresses the underlying structural problems causing your discomfort. By strengthening damaged tissues and improving joint stability, this treatment can significantly reduce or eliminate chronic pain without the side effects and dependency risks associated with long-term medication use.
Minimally Invasive Treatment Option
Prolotherapy offers an excellent middle ground between conservative treatments that may not provide sufficient relief and major surgical interventions. The injection procedure is performed in our office, requires no general anesthesia, and allows most patients to return to their normal activities shortly after treatment. This makes it an attractive option for patients seeking effective results without the risks, recovery time, and costs associated with surgery.
Improves Joint Stability and Function
Weak or damaged ligaments and tendons often contribute to joint instability, leading to pain and limited mobility. Prolotherapy strengthens these supporting structures by promoting the growth of new, healthy tissue. As your ligaments and tendons become stronger and more stable, you’ll likely experience improved range of motion, better joint function, and increased confidence in your ability to engage in physical activities.
Treats Multiple Conditions Effectively
The versatility of prolotherapy makes it suitable for addressing a wide range of musculoskeletal conditions. Whether you’re dealing with sports injuries, degenerative conditions, or chronic pain syndromes, prolotherapy can be customized to target your specific problem areas. This comprehensive approach means you may be able to address multiple issues with a single treatment protocol.
Our Prolotherapy Process
Comprehensive Pain Assessment and Medical Review
During your first appointment, we thoroughly examine your pain patterns, review your medical history, and discuss how your symptoms impact your daily activities. Dr. Gayan Poovendran and Dr. Geetha Poovendran evaluate your specific condition through physical testing and diagnostic review to determine if prolotherapy can effectively address your needs. This detailed evaluation helps us understand the root cause of your pain and identify the optimal treatment approach.
Personalized Injection Protocol Development
Based on your assessment results, our team designs a targeted prolotherapy plan specifically for your condition and recovery goals. We determine the precise injection locations, calculate the appropriate dextrose concentrations, and establish a treatment schedule that aligns with your lifestyle and healing timeline. Dr. Gayan Poovendran and Dr. Geetha Poovendran explain each aspect of your protocol to ensure you understand what to expect throughout your treatment.
Precision Injection Technique Administration
On treatment day, we prepare the targeted areas with thorough skin cleaning and apply numbing spray to maximize your comfort during the procedure. Our doctors use precise injection techniques to deliver the prolotherapy solution directly into the damaged ligaments, tendons, or joint spaces that are causing your pain. The entire treatment session is completed efficiently while maintaining the highest standards of safety and sterility.
Post-Treatment Care and Symptom Management
After completing your prolotherapy injections, our medical team provides comprehensive care instructions tailored to your specific treatment areas. We educate you on recognizing normal healing responses, offer practical strategies for managing temporary swelling or stiffness, and recommend appropriate activity modifications during recovery. Our detailed post-treatment support empowers you to actively participate in your healing process while feeling confident about what to expect.
Ongoing Evaluation and Protocol Refinement
Your healing progress is carefully tracked through scheduled follow-up visits where we assess tissue response and functional improvements. Dr. Gayan Poovendran and Dr. Geetha Poovendran use standardized assessments to measure your recovery objectively, allowing them to make informed decisions about treatment frequency. These collaborative appointments ensure your prolotherapy protocol remains aligned with your healing timeline and recovery goals.
Why Choose Us for Prolotherapy
Dr. Gayan Poovendran and Dr. Geetha Poovendran have dedicated their careers to mastering advanced injection techniques and staying current with the latest research in prolotherapy applications. Our practice focuses exclusively on regenerative treatments, which means we have the specialized knowledge and refined skills that come from performing thousands of these procedures.
We take pride in our patient-centered approach, spending adequate time with each person to understand their unique pain patterns and develop treatment plans that fit their lifestyle and goals. Unlike larger medical facilities where you might see different providers at each visit, we maintain continuity of care throughout your entire treatment process, ensuring consistent monitoring and personalized adjustments to your prolotherapy protocol.
Start Your Recovery with Expert Prolotherapy Care
Chronic pain has kept you on the sidelines long enough, and prolotherapy offers a proven path back to the active life you deserve. Dr. Gayan Poovendran and Dr. Geetha Poovendran at Pro Institute Poovendran Regenerative Orthopedics are ready to evaluate your condition and determine how this innovative treatment can address your specific needs.
Call us today at 305-209-1951 to book your detailed evaluation and discover if prolotherapy is right for your condition, or connect with us on Facebook and Instagram where we share educational content about regenerative treatments and celebrate the progress our patients achieve through natural healing methods.
FAQs
What is prolotherapy?
Prolotherapy is a regenerative injection therapy that uses a solution of saline, dextrose, and lidocaine to stimulate your body’s natural healing processes. The dextrose acts as a mild irritant that triggers controlled inflammation, promoting the growth of new tissue and strengthening damaged ligaments and tendons. This treatment addresses the root cause of chronic pain by encouraging your body to repair itself naturally rather than simply masking symptoms.
Is prolotherapy a hoax?
Prolotherapy is a legitimate medical treatment backed by scientific research and clinical experience spanning several decades. While it may not work for every patient or condition, numerous studies have demonstrated its effectiveness for treating various musculoskeletal problems, particularly those involving ligament and tendon damage. The treatment is offered by qualified medical professionals and has helped thousands of patients achieve significant pain relief and improved function.
Does prolotherapy work?
Yes, prolotherapy can be highly effective for many patients suffering from chronic musculoskeletal pain and joint instability. Success rates vary depending on the specific condition being treated, the patient’s overall health, and their commitment to the treatment protocol. Most patients begin noticing improvements after 6-8 weeks, with full benefits becoming apparent over several months as new tissue develops and strengthens.
What conditions can prolotherapy treat?
Prolotherapy is versatile because it works with your body’s natural healing abilities. Our team may recommend it as a stand-alone treatment or as a part of your personalized care plan to address conditions like:
- Tendinitis
- Back and neck pain
- Joint pain and instability
- Meniscal tears
- Whiplash
- Osteoarthritis
- Degenerative disc disease
- IT band syndrome
- Knee or ankle pain
- Plantar fasciitis
- Rotator cuff tears
- Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorder
If you’ve long suffered from chronic low back pain, tendon injuries, or sports injuries, prolotherapy may be able to help. It’s not recommended if you have:
- Gouty arthritis
- A fracture or abscess
- Cellulitis
- Septic arthritis
Prolotherapy, like any injection therapy, has some risks. However, it’s generally well-tolerated, and while other forms of injections focus solely on pain relief, prolotherapy aims to restore healthy function to damaged or painful areas.
What can I expect during my prolotherapy appointment?
When you come in for your prolotherapy treatment at PRO Institute, our team cleans the skin around the painful area and the injection is given. A cold spray can be used to ensure your comfort.
You may apply heat packs for 10-15 minutes after the injection. Including this recovery time, your appointment will take about 30 minutes. While some swelling, bruising, or stiffness is common after treatment, it should subside after a few hours.
What is in a prolotherapy injection?
A typical prolotherapy injection contains three main components: saline (salt water) for dilution and tissue cleansing, dextrose (a natural sugar) that serves as the proliferant to trigger healing responses, and lidocaine (a local anesthetic) for immediate pain relief during and after the procedure. The exact concentration of each component may vary depending on your specific condition and treatment needs, but these natural substances work together to promote healing while ensuring patient comfort.
How long after prolotherapy can I exercise?
Most patients can resume light activities and gentle movement within 24-48 hours after prolotherapy treatment, but you should avoid strenuous exercise for approximately one week following your injection. Your doctor will provide specific guidelines based on your individual case and the areas treated. Gradually returning to full activity allows the healing process to progress effectively while preventing re-injury to the treated tissues.
How long does it take to experience the full benefits of prolotherapy?
Because prolotherapy relies on your natural ability to heal rather than just masking internal signals, the full benefits follow the slow and steady timetable your body recognizes. You’ll likely notice a difference after 6-8 weeks, with the full benefits becoming apparent over several months.
A better quality of life is possible. To start the process and determine whether prolotherapy can benefit you, schedule your evaluation at PRO Institute by phone or online today.