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Recent Research
Dagenais S, Ogunseitan
O, Haldeman S, Wooley JR, Newcomb RL. Side effects and adverse
events related to intraligamentous injection of sclerosing
solutions (prolotherapy) for back and neck pain: A survey of
practitioners. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2006 Jul;87(7):909-13
Side effects and adverse
events related to intraligamentous injection of sclerosing
solutions (prolotherapy) for back and neck pain: A survey of
practitioners.
OBJECTIVE: To study the
side effects and adverse events related to intraligamentous
injection of sclerosing solutions (prolotherapy) for back and
neck pain.
DESIGN: Practitioner postal survey.
SETTING: Postal survey of practitioners of prolotherapy
for back and neck pain in the United States and Canada.
PARTICIPANTS: A sample of prolotherapy practitioners from
2 professional organizations were surveyed about their training
and experience, use of specific treatment procedures, estimated
prevalence of side effects, and adverse events related to
prolotherapy for back and neck pain.
INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Prevalence of side effects and
adverse events.
RESULTS: Surveys were completed by 171 practitioners
(response rate, 50%). Ninety-eight percent held medical degrees,
and 83% were board certified in various disciplines. Respondents
had a median of 10 years of experience, during which they had
treated a median of 500 patients and given a median of 2000
treatments.
Side effects with the highest median estimated prevalence were
pain (70%), stiffness (25%), and bruising
(5%). There were 472 reports of adverse events, including 69
that required hospitalization and 5 that resulted in permanent
injury secondary to nerve injury.
The vast majority (80%) were related to needle injuries such as
spinal headache (n = 164), pneumothorax (n=123), temporary
systemic reactions (n = 73), nerve damage (n = 54), hemorrhage
(n = 27), nonsevere spinal cord insult (ie, meningitis,
paralysis, spinal cord injury) (n = 9), and disk injury (n = 2).
CONCLUSIONS: Side effects
related to prolotherapy for back and neck pain, such as
temporary postinjection pain, stiffness, and bruising, are
common and benign. Adverse events related to prolotherapy for
back and neck pain are similar in nature to other widely used
spinal injection procedures. Further study is needed to fully
describe the adverse event profile of prolotherapy for back and
neck pain.
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