Prolotherapy: How Many Treatments Are Necessary And How Often?

The anesthetic (procaine) in the solution used during Prolotherapy sessions often provides immediate pain relief. The pain relief may continue after the effect of the anesthetic subsides due to the stabilizing of the treated joints because of the inflammation caused by the Prolotherapy injections.

This pain relief normally continues for a few weeks after the first treatment. Between the second and fourth weeks the initial stabilization induced by the Prolotherapy subsides, and because the initial growth of ligament tissue is not complete, some of the original pain may return during this "window period" of healing.

Follow-up is recommended four to six weeks after each treatment to ensure an accurate assessment of results, avoiding an evaluation of a patient during the "window period."

Prolotherapy is performed every six weeks because most ligaments heal over a six-week period. As healing progresses, the quantity of injections required per treatment may decrease. The pain generally continues to diminish with each treatment unless it is an acute injury which may heal in only two to three weeks after Prolotherapy. The average person requires 3 to 6 visits to achieve complete healing of the injury.

Maximize healing: At our office (Caring Medical in Oak Park, IL) we prescribe nutritional supplements that aid in healing the soft tissue injury, as well as proper diet that will assist in providing the necessary building blocks for tissue growth.