At Blackberry Clinic we have a Pain Clinic service run by expert Pain Management and Musculoskeletal Medicine doctors who use a variety of regenerative medicine treatments to treat complex cases of acute and chronic back pain. Dr Simon Petrides, Medical Director of Blackberry Clinic Group and a musculoskeletal and sports medicine doctor, specialises in prolotherapy treatment in particular. Here he offers an explanation about the differences between Prolotherapy, PRP and Prolozone treatment.
Prolotherapy, or dextrose prolotherapy:
This treatment is also known as a form of ‘regenerative medicine’, has been used over the last 70 years and has been shown to be safe. It comprises injections of dextrose with or without a dilute phenol solution. This acts as an osmotic and chemical irritant. This solution is injected around ligaments or into a joint to stimulate the body’s inflammatory response and healing cascade which is brought about by release of growth factors to strengthen and thicken ligaments connective-tissue and cartilage. It is safe, cheap and has been proven to be effective in a number of randomised controlled trials, meta-analyses and systematic reviews in the world literature.
The injections take three minutes to do in the lumbar spine but it can also be used in other parts of the body. There is occasionally a flare of pain for one day after the treatment. It is advisable not to take inflammatory anti-inflammatory medication whilst having these injections. The usual course in the UK is 3 sessions but this can be extended to 6.
This treatment is offered in several of our Blackberry Clinic locations. For more information and for answers to FAQs about Prolotherapy visit the page on our website by clicking here.
Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP):
This treatment is a form of prolotherapy that uses the patient’s whole blood taken from the arm and in volumes of 10 or 20 mls. The blood is then spun down in a centrifuge and the portion of plasma which is rich in platelets is extracted and injected into the damaged area to stimulate healing and repair. Platelets secrete growth factors which assist in repair of connective tissue, ligaments and cartilage.
PRP injections are also a form of ‘regenerative medicine’ and have been proven to be safe, hasten recovery and reduce pain in arthritic knees, but also in other parts of the body such as tennis elbow, plantar fasciitis etc. There are several randomised controlled trials and systematic reviews outlining the efficacy of this technique in certain conditions. The usual course in the UK is 2 injections but this can be extended to 3.
Blackberry Clinic offers these injections in selected clinics. For more information and for answers to FAQs about Prolotherapy visit the page on our website by clicking here.
Prolozone:
This treatment is not widely available in the UK. It is an injection of oxygen sometimes with vitamins and minerals into painful areas which may stimulate the body’s healing response. An inflammatory reaction is not stimulated in this case since there is presumed to be a direct stimulus of the healing response. Anti-inflammatory medication is permitted after the injections. There are no high quality randomised controlled trials or other studies proving the efficacy of these injections against Prolotherapy or PRP.
Blackberry Clinics do not offer this therapy in view of the lack of evidence surrounding its use.
