Prolotherapy is one of a number of regenerative therapies doctors might recommend as an alternative to treating soft tissue injuries and disease. It is considered a novel therapy and one that isn’t supported by the entire medical community. Among the concerns are potential side effects.

Every medical therapy and procedure comes with side effects. In some cases, side effects are so minor that patients are almost entirely unaffected by them. In other cases, they can be quite serious. Most side effects fall somewhere in between the two extremes. To question among potential prolotherapy patients is whether the risk of side effects is enough to warrant forgoing the procedure.

Prolotherapy in a Nutshell

Prolotherapy is an injection therapy.  A mixture of anesthetic and a substance designed to promote inflammation (usually dextrose) is injected into the site of the injury. The goal is to purposely encourage inflammation rather than discouraging it.

According to the pain medicine doctors at Lone Star Pain Medicine in Weatherford, TX, prolotherapy takes advantage of the body’s natural response to inflammation. They explain that inflammation is a way that injured tissue informs the body that something is wrong. The body’s natural healing response should kick in.

Lone Star says that sometimes the healing response is inadequate. Either it doesn’t work at all or healing is incomplete. Prolotherapy injections are essentially a workaround. They serve to remind the body that more healing is required. They do so by encouraging inflammation.

Potential Side Effects of Prolotherapy

Upon reading the description, you might assume that prolotherapy is bad because inflammation is bad. But stop and think about it. Inflammation is a naturally occurring phenomenon programmed into the human body in order to stimulate healing. If we constantly try to reduce inflammation, we are also impairing the body’s ability to heal.

Rather than inflammation, are there other potential side effects? Yes. Most are considered minor. They include:

• Pain and stiffness at the injection site
• Additional inflammation and swelling
• Bruising or bleeding
• Numbness of the treated area
• Allergic reactions
• Injection site infection

Of the six side effects listed here, the first four are fairly common but minimal in nature. They are similar to the side effects that you might experience from any other injection. In a couple of days, you are fine.

Allergic reactions and injections site infections are possible but extremely rare. An allergic reaction tends to be minor. It can cause itching and swelling in the general area of the injection. As for infections, treating them is fairly routine these days.

It’s always possible that more serious side effects will be experienced. Such side effects could depend on the condition being treated and the chosen injection site. They include things like nerve damage and spinal cord irritation. But again, they are extremely rare.

An Option Worth Considering

It’s clear that prolotherapy is not something everyone is willing to consider. But it’s worth thinking about when a patient is dealing with a soft tissue injury that just won’t seem to heal. Prolotherapy is an alternative to long term pain medications, long term anti-inflammatory use, and more invasive procedures. If I were dealing with a chronic soft tissue injury, I would certainly consider it.

Prolotherapy is a safe injection therapy when practiced according to current FDA guidelines. Studies looking into its efficacy are mixed, so keep that in mind. It might be for you; it might not. Whether or not it’s worth trying is something for you to discuss with your medical provider. A pain management doctor could also give you sound advice on the matter.