[caroline2]

I deal with bodywide OA since 18 and I'm headed to 77.

Shoulder injuries from workout equipment, and did dextrose Prolotherapy over 6 yrs ago in one shoulder and got 3 yrs great relief...I could use it again, but drag my feet on doing it...I seem to manage.

Anterior hip replacement in 2010, left me with many complications including Femoral Nerve Damage, thigh is numb and tingles/burns....less of the latter since on new Nerve supps, I think.

From this hip job, my body is OFF alignment, shorter right leg, hence worse knee and advanced OA and into right foot and ankle.

I've studied the Prolotherapy work and know of many workers here in my area, today what is used mostly for more advanced chronic issues are PRP (Platlet Rich Plasma) injections and Stem Cells from one's own bone marrow.

There are prolo workers across the U.S. and here is a good site: getprolo.com

I'm sure there are even more providers not on this listing.

I could not talk about the possibility of this work working for people if I didn't get help on my shoulder.

The doc I listen to on weekends does primarily PRP and Stem Cells...he did dextrose for many yrs prior. Here is his website and one can read and see the work: jointrehab.com


The alternative rheumy I've seen for some yrs after hip replacement also does dextrose prolo and I had 2 sessions in my knee and it didn't work....could be if I did 3-4 sessions I would get relief, but money is a factor for me. She did help me a lot with acupuncture to the spine and knee and was able to help with insurance, now insurance clamped down...

As I see it, after my long life, so many alternatives that COULD really help are not insurance covered. My hip job was covered a lot with me paying some copays, but I'm dealing with a lot of complications from this surgery. And these replacements are more major than I ever realized before I did one.

There are NO GUARANTEES. But we take our chances and IF I had more money to work with, I'd be doing PRP now.....

[mrsD]

Prolotherapy continues to show weak evidence of effectiveness.

Here is a review:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prolotherapy

You will find most positive internet sites are run by practitioners who do this therapy. Same with your Prolo doc on the radio. He is only drumming up business. The reason insurance will not pay for it, is just that strong effectiveness is lacking. This also happened to Anodyne therapy for PN... insurances stopped paying for it because of its weak effectiveness.

http://doctorskeptic.blogspot.com/20...ctiveness.html

[caroline2]

If it didn't help me, I could not talk about it as I do. We even have an ortho surgeon here who offers his patients PRP and they can get it from him for $1000.

Acupuncture helps a lot of people, helped me, and my rheumy was able to help me do many sessions with my insurance, but then insurance called her on it and now she can't work with me. Some insurance pays for limited acupuncture treatments.

My thinking is that if it really does work and insurance pays, surgeons can lose business...we see it differently. True all these surgeries are paid for by insurance and then MANY are left with the damages. I'm one for sure.

I've talked to so many over the last almost 5 yrs with messes from hip, back, knee surgeries....

Look at all the athletes who do this work, they make their millions and cost is no object for them...the rich don't hang out on health groups I'm sure...they go for what they can afford...and these injections are nothing in cost to them.


PS: I've done 2 series of the SynVisc type injections, all covered by our insurance, and none of them did anything for me. Helped those owning pharma stocks.

[mrsD]

Prolotherapy is not without risk. It is an invasive procedure, injecting a foreign substance into a joint or tendon.

Here are some risks:
http://www.spine-health.com/treatmen...s-prolotherapy

One I don't see on that list is INFECTION!

Another interesting observation about the tendons changing with prolotherapy:
https://thesportsphysio.wordpress.co...-as-it-sounds/

[caroline2]

I don't want to debate, we just feel differently on choices to try to fix ourselves. That is fine. PRP is from my own platlets and Stem Cells are from my own bone marrow...I'd like to make the PRP leap when I see my way clear. I had high hopes for the hip replacement but was one of the unfortunate ones. I know I'm not alone.

I've never had the mindset of cutting, but succumbed to the hip job. Guess I felt pretty badly back then but now work with a set of other issues. But I thought I'd come out good.

I've had two surgeries in my life, hysterectomy which left me with sciatic nerve damage, so have dealt with that for 30 some yrs and now the hip surgery, femoral nerve damage dealing with that going on 5 yrs.

[mrsD]

Caroline, this is a written format and when someone comes on tooting a horn, well, it is to be expected that offering both sides of the topic is going to be more helpful than just one. After all people are not going to get the other side of statins, at the doctor's office either. Places like this offer more information, on many topics of interest.

Then the readers here can decide for themselves, should they consider the topic for themselves. Most people don't find the really good sites online either. They tend to like splashy expensive ones, or watered down ones like on Yahoo etc. I look for the sites that reflect the research and reality of the subject.

[Auntie Audrey]

I’ve taken the time to read up on this subject, and it seems to me that mrsD’s arguments are persuasive. If insurance doesn’t cover the treatment, it can’t be very effective for most people.