Prolotherapy in osteopathic medicine is a regenerative injection therapy used to treat chronic musculoskeletal pain and joint instability. It involves injecting an irritant solution—commonly a dextrose (sugar) mixture—into weakened or damaged ligaments, tendons, or joint spaces. This controlled irritation is intended to stimulate the body’s natural healing response, promoting tissue repair and strengthening over time. Osteopathic physicians may incorporate prolotherapy as part of a holistic approach, combining it with manual techniques and lifestyle guidance to improve function, reduce pain, and restore structural balance.
Chronic musculoskeletal pain often results when ligaments or tendons have been weakened by strains or sprains. Ligaments that connect the bones can become stretched and develop small tears, causing the joint to become overly lax. This instability increases force on the fibro-osseous junction, the location of attachment of ligaments to the bones, causing pain and muscle tightness. Prolotherapy can tighten lax ligaments to increase stability in the joint and reduce pain.
A solution containing dextrose is injected into joint tissue to stimulate new cell growth, depositing collagen on injured ligaments. The dextrose acts as an irritant, inducing a controlled inflammation. Inflammation, the body’s natural healing process, causes the body to regenerate tissue at an accelerated rate. Through induced inflammation, prolotherapy enhances the process the body naturally uses to stimulate the healing system… inflammation. Read more about musculoskeletal healing.
The basic mechanism of Prolotherapy is simple. A solution of dextrose (a proliferative agent), lidocaine (a mild numbing agent), and magnesium (a natural muscle relaxant) are combined in a saline solution that is injected into the damaged tissue. The dextrose acts as an irritant deliberately causing inflammation, the body’s natural way of repairing injured tissue.
The controlled, localized inflammation triggers a healing cascade, resulting in the deposition of new collagen, the natural material of ligaments and tendons. As the tissue heals, the collagen hardens, often causing the tissue to be stronger than before the injury. The tightened connective tissue stabilizes the weakened joint, subsequently reducing or eliminating the pain.
Patients with unresolved chronic tendon or ligament pain resulting from injury or degeneration, or those have suffered a recent painful injury should consider this therapy. There is a wide of array of conditions that respond to dextrose prolotherapy, including:
To learn more about what we can do to help with your condition, call our office at 817-416-0970. We will thoroughly diagnose your condition and present you with treatment options. From there we will guide you along your road to recovery.