Proliferation therapy

The proliferation therapy , also known as sclerotherapy or prolotherapy , English: stimulated ligament repair (SLR) , is a procedure from the field of neural therapies , in which irritating substances ("proliferants") such. B. concentrated sugar solution can be injected under the skin to promote healing processes of the connective tissue. The first publications date from the 1930s. There is little scientific evidence for the effectiveness of the procedure in individual painful musculoskeletal disorders, e.g. B. tennis elbow. There is probably no benefit for chronic back pain. On the other hand, the injections are not completely safe. The method has not achieved widespread recognition.

Mechanism of action

It is postulated by users in alternative medicine that overloaded collagenous ligaments in hypermobile joints and spinal column sections cause painful radiation ( referred pain according to Hackett). The overmobile sections should also tend to block . The proliferation therapy aims to tighten and stabilize the ligaments.

Action

The loosening of a segment should be felt by the examiner experienced in proliferation therapy, the affected ligament should be identified by function tests and pressure pain. X-rays or MRIs are occasionally needed to rule out other diagnoses. In order to ensure that the pain is assigned to the affected ligaments, pain-relieving test injections can first be carried out. Then the actual therapy solution, e.g. B. concentrated dextrose solution ( glucose 40%) together with a local anesthetic (e.g. mepivacaine ) injected into or on all ligaments of the hypermobile segment. A total of about three treatments are carried out at intervals of one to two weeks.

In the opinion of the users of this method, no painkillers should be taken before and after the proliferation injections, because they would remove the desired stimulus. During the treatment series, the patient should be accompanied by physiotherapy, but without mobilizing (segmental loosening) exercises. Cramped and tense muscles may be relaxed, the vertebrae should not be moved.

Sources and individual references

• "Joint ligament Relaxation Treated by Fibro-osseus Proliferation", Second Edition. George S. Hackett, Charles C. Thomas, Publisher, Illinois, USA 1957
• “Handbook of Proliferation Therapy - Therapy Concepts for Instability of the Spine and Peripheral Joints” Dr. J. Weingart, Haug Verlag 2002, ISBN 3-8304-7150-5

1. ↑ D. Rabago, TM Best, AE Zgierska, E. Zeisig, M. Ryan, D. Crane: A systematic review of four injection therapies for lateral epicondylosis: prolotherapy, polidocanol, whole blood and platelet-rich plasma. In: British journal of sports medicine. Volume 43, Number 7, July 2009, pp. 471-481, ISSN  1473-0480 . doi : 10.1136 / bjsm.2008.052761 . PMID 19028733 . PMC 2755040 (free full text). (Review).
2. ^ MJ Yelland, C. Del Mar, S. Pirozzo, ML Schoene: Prolotherapy injections for chronic low back pain: a systematic review. In: Spine. Volume 29, Number 19, October 2004, pp. 2126-2133, ISSN  1528-1159 . PMID 15454703 . (Review).
3. ↑ Ronald Ross Watson: 2. (David Rabago :) Prolotherapy for chronic musculoskeletal pain . In: Complementary and alternative therapies in the aging population . Academic Press, September 22, 2008, ISBN 978-0-12-374228-5 , pp. 15-44 (accessed December 24, 2011).

This article is about a health issue. It is not used for self-diagnosis and does not replace a diagnosis by a doctor. Please note the information on health issues !