The Medical Rationale for Prolotherapy
March 9, 2011 by Dr. Marc Darrow, M.D.
Filed under Prolotherapy Treatment Information
Millions of Prolotherapy injections are given each year. But does it work? Numerous articles have been published, (some of the more important ones are listed below) to determine just that. Is Prolotherapy a placebo? According to the published research, Prolotherapy is not a placebo, Prolotherapy stimulates healing.
Scientific and medical papers
Banks, AR. A Rationale for Prolotherapy, J Orthopedic Medicine, 1991;13:55-59.
Hackett GS, Henderson DG. Joint stabilization: An experimental, histologic study with comments on the clinical application in ligament proliferation. Amer J Surg 1955;89:968-973.
Hackett GS. Referred pain and sciatica in diagnosis of low back disabilities, JAMA 1957;63:183-185.
Hauser RA. Punishing the pain. Treating chronic pain with Prolotherapy. Rehab Manag. 1999;12(2):26-28, 30.
Hauser RA. Standard Clinical X-ray Studies Document Cartilage Regeneration in Five Degenerated Knees After Prolotherapy. Journal of Prolotherapy. 2009;1:22-28.
Klein R, Dorman T, Johnson C. Proliferant injections for low back pain: histologic changes of injected ligaments and objective measurements of lumbar spinal mobility before and after treatment. J Neurologic and Orthopedic Medicine and Surgery. 1989;10:123-126.
Liu Y, Tipton C, Matthes R, Bedford T, Maynard J, Walmer H. An in situ study of the influence of a sclerosing solution in rabbit medial collateral ligaments and its junction strength. Connect Tissue Res. 1983;11:95-102.
Klein R, Eek B, DeLong B, Mooney V. A randomized double-blind trial of dextrose-glycerine-phenol injections for chronic, low back pain. J Spinal Disord. 1993;6:23-33.
Klein R, Eek B. Prolotherapy: an alternative approach to managing low back pain. J Musculoskeletal Medicine, 1997;May:45-49.
Maynard J, Pedrini V, Pedrini-Mille A, Romanus B, Ohlerking F. Morphological and biochemical effects of sodium morrhuate on tendons. Journal of Orthopedic Research. 1985;3:236-248.
Myers A. Prolotherapy: Treatment of Low Back Pain and Sciatica. The Bulletin of the Hospital for Joint Diseases, April 1961, Vol. 22 No. 1. Initially presented at the 1960 Annual Alumni Meeting Hospital for Joint Diseases.
Ongley M, Dorman T, et al. Ligament instability of knees: a new approach to treatment. Manual Medicine 1988;3:152- 154.
Ongley M, Klein R, Dorman T, Eek B, Hubert L. A New Approach to the Treatment of Chronic Low Back Pain. Lancet 1987;2:143-146.
Reeves KD, Hassanein K. Randomized, prospective, placebo-controlled double-blind study on dextrose prolotherapy for osteoarthritic thumb and finger (dip, pip, and trapeziometacarpal) joints: evidence of clinical efficacy. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. 2000;6(4):311-320.
Reeves KD, Hassanein K. Randomized prospective double-blind placebo-controlled study of dextrose prolotherapy for knee osteoarthritis with or without ACL laxity. Altern Ther Health Med 2000 Mar;6(2):68-74, 77-80.
Schwartz R. Prolotherapy: A literature review and retrospective study. Journal of Neurology, Orthopedic Medicine, and Surgery. 1991;12:220-223.
