In Philadelphia, we recently heard of “prolotherapy” because Philadelphia Flyers’ player, Simon Gagne, who injured his head and neck, has said this treatment method has greatly improved his condition. When I saw that, I wondered if prolotherapy may be beneficial to an injured worker, especially one who has hurt the neck or the back. Workers’ compensation cases are littered with patients taking an abundance of medications, or getting multiple steroid, or other, injections into their spines. We could certainly use a less invasive treatment option.
Prolotherapy seems to involve injecting a substance into the injured area, causing an irritation in the area. This certainly seems an odd step to take (purposely irritating an already injured area), but the idea is that the irritation being caused leads to the area repairing itself. The substance being injected can vary by the type of prolotherapy being done.
As with any potential treatment option, workers’ compensation patients should always discuss the step with their doctor. While it is always good to have options for treatment, some treatment methods may be better than others for any given condition or patient, and your doctor is the best one to guide which treatment would be greatest treatment option.