NEWS > Educational Prolotherapy Update.What Is The Difference Between Prolotherapy and Cortisone?
Educational Prolotherapy Update.What Is The Difference Between Prolotherapy and Cortisone?
What Is The Difference Between Prolotherapy and Cortisone?
Injecting cortisone for any injury has been out of favor, mainly because cortisone was found to actually weaken and lead to further damage in the affected area.
Prolotherapy strengthens the damaged tissue and assists with healing. Many patients are confused when it comes to treating painful joint conditions with cortisone versus Prolotherapy. It must be understood that cortisone and Prolotherapy are not the same treatment and the effects of each are dramatically different. Cortisone, like prednisone is a corticosteroid and has numerous adverse and harmful side effects on bone, joint and soft tissue healing. Actually Prolotherapy, when compared to cortisone has many opposite effects for the treatment of ligament, bone and soft tissues and is a safe and recommended treatment for painful musculoskeletal conditions.
How Effective is Prolotherapy?
The success of Prolotherapy depends on a number of variables, including the patient’s history and ability to heal. Some 85-95% of patients suffering from low back pain with hypermobility, for instance, experienced remission when treated with Prolotherapy. In comparison, the Journal of Bone and Joint Therapy reports only a 52% improvement in patients treated with disc surgery. Overall, we have seen reduction in pain in approximately 80-85% of patients.