Meniscus
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The patient is a male, age 37. While snowboarding, he put his foot down and twisted his left knee. He had episodes of locking and painful popping associated with swelling and pain. His worst episode happened the day prior to his first visit to me. He could barely walk. I withdrew over one quarter cup of fluid from his knee and injected Prolotherapy solution into the joint. After drawing the fluid out two more times, I treated his lateral meniscus six times with Prolotherapy. After this he returned to both winter and summer sports and unrestricted work duties.
Swelling in a joint typically means that a structure inside the joint is injured, usually in the knee this is a cruciate ligament or meniscus. Either way, the best treatment in my opinion is Prolotherapy.
Prolotherapy can effectively treat many meniscus injuries, especially those in the outer rim. The blood supply to the meniscus nourishes this outer rim and allows for easier healing. Unfortunately, only 15 to 20 percent of meniscus injuries occur in this outer third.
Studies have shown that the central two-thirds of the meniscus is capable of repair using the blood vessels from the joint lining (synovium) and the meniscus itself. It has been demonstrated that the cells of the meniscus can and do heal when exposed to certain growth stimulating factors.
Prolotherapy provides this stimulation to heal. This is why many athletes suffering from the pain and disability of a torn meniscus are successfully treated by Prolotherapy instead of the much riskier surgeries.
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