Prolotherapy

Treatment in Calgary

Prolotherapy, a commonly used type of Regenerative Injection Therapy, is an injection technique that aims to stimulate the innate healing mechanisms of the body to strengthen and repair injured tissues. It is commonly used for many types of joint or musculoskeletal injuries, involving the use natural solutions – such as dextrose.

What Prolotherapy is commonly used for

The basis behind Prolotherapy is to stimulate the body’s own regenerative mechanisms to encourage tissue repair and development while improving strength and functionality. Prolotherapy may also play a role in pain management, and is commonly used for conditions such as:

Book an appointment

Osteoarthritis
Degenerative joints
Rotator cuff injuries
Chronic headaches
Lower back pain
Herniated or bulging discs
Ankle sprain
Knee, hip, and shoulder pain

Torn meniscus
Whiplash injury
Ligament injuries (such as ACL, MCL, LCL, etc.) injuries
Tennis & golfer’s elbow
Labral tears (shoulder/hip)
Plantar Fasciitis

Healing the whole body

As an integrative clinic in Calgary, we aim to be holistic in our philosophy and treatments. An injury, disease, or condition in one area of the body may result in challenges within other areas of the body. By discovering and treating the underlying causes of illness or injury – versus exclusive treatment of symptoms – it may be possible to remedy the causes of pain or dysfunction.

How Prolotherapy works

Injection of a substance (such as dextrose or another proliferative agent) directly into damaged tissues – such as tendons, joints, or ligaments – serves to stimulate regeneration and repair. The injections aim to mobilize the body’s innate healing response, triggering cascades of regenerative mechanisms.

Depending on your condition, health history, and other individual health factors, prolotherapy treatments may be used in conjunction with physical and/or manual therapies, as well as beneficial lifestyle recommendations.

What to expect with Prolotherapy treatments

Progress is monitored:

After the first few treatments, we can determine whether there are progressive improvements in pain experienced, symptom reduction, and other metrics. If the treatments are effective, we would continue until your pain or symptoms are fully resolved. If progress is diminished, re-evaluation or exploration of other therapies may be warranted.

Results may vary:

As no one condition is truly the same, the results of therapy may differ for each person. While some patients may notice decreased pain and symptom reduction in the first few treatments, this may not apply to everyone. Our goal with treatment is long-term health and recovery.

A controlled environment:

Dr. Schlee is trained and experienced in administering Prolotherapy injections safely. We explain the process, answer any questions, and address concerns you may have. As with all of our Naturopathic treatments, prolotherapy injections are conducted in a safe and controlled environment with a team of trained professionals.

Why Prolotherapy?

Prolotherapy is often an excellent strategy for remedying pain, discomfort and dysfunction. When standard pain management techniques prove ineffective for some, or they are seeking a more holistic approach to pain, these treatments may provide an answer. As blood supply is relatively limited in some tissues (such as tendons and ligaments), dysfunction and chronic injury may persist beyond what the body can manage to repair. Prolotherapy can help to support the body in its regenerative actions, thereby serving in a remedial fashion as opposed to symptom management.

What are the benefits of Prolotherapy?

There are many benefits of Prolotherapy, and some of the advantages include:

The procedure is well-documented and proven to be safe and effective.
It is a relatively non-invasive procedure, providing a non-surgical alternative
It aims to support healing of injured tissues as opposed to strict pain management.
It may enhances blood flow and stimualte collagen formation at the injection site.
Tendons and ligaments can be strengthened.

How will I know if Prolotherapy is right for me?

Prolotherapy must be administered by a trained and certified professional. At Dr. Schlee’s clinic, we will assess your individual health concerns, only recommending this procedure if appropriate. During a consultation, common discussions and considerations often include health history, location of pain or injury, mechanism of injury, and expectations of treatment. Naturopathic medicine is holistic in its approach to care, and our goal is to address and remedy root causes of injury and dysfunction.