Injection Treatments including Prolotherapy

Dr. Scott Nall of Village Osteopath specializes and offers several types of injection treatments to help treat orthopaedic issues.

Facet Blocks

The facet joints are small joints of the spine between the vertebrae (back bones) that allow your back to twist. The injection of an anesthetic similar to Novocaine is performed to alleviate pain and may be helpful in determining if this joint is indeed the source of pain.

Joint Injections

The joint is injected with an anesthetic similar to Novocaine and sometimes a steroid solution to decrease pain and inflammation of a joint. This procedure is commonly performed for arthritic conditions.

Tendon and Ligament Injections

Tendons and ligaments are the connective tissue that connects bones and muscles. A tendon is the tissue that connects muscle to bone and a ligament connects bones to other bones. These soft tissue structures may become inflamed and painful. Injecting an anesthetic agent (and/or other agents) decreases pain and inflammation. Your physician determines the specific agents used in each injection, with consideration given to your particular problem.

Trigger Point Injections

Trigger points are tender, painful areas of muscle or the junction between muscle and fascia (connective tissue). Trigger points are generally associated with a taut band or thickening of the muscle tissue. Typically when a trigger point is pressed upon, the area will be very tender or may cause pain to be felt elsewhere. Trigger point injections are injections of an anesthetic similar to Novocaine and/or steroid solution to help the muscle relax and to decrease inflammation.

Dry Needling

A technique used for trigger points (see definition above) that involves inserting a very fine acupuncture needle (without injecting any solution) into the trigger point. The insertion of the needle into the taut band of muscle produces a relaxation of the band, which then will allow the muscle to lengthen and relax, relieving pain.

Prolotherapy

Prolotherapy is an injection treatment of tendons and ligaments. Tendons are the connective soft tissue between muscles and bones, and ligaments are the tissues that connect bones to one another at joints. Tendons and ligaments may become weak or injured and may not heal back to their original strength or endurance. Once they are injured, healing is often slow and may not be complete because of a limited blood supply. Prolotherapy is designed to stimulate healing of chronic ligament and tendon weakness. The painful, weakened areas are injected with a proliferant (such as dextrose or sugar water), to directly stimulate the growth of healthy, strong tissues. This process occurs when prolotherapy causes a local inflammatory response in the weakened area that results in increased flow of blood and other nutrients to stimulate the tissue to repair itself. The healing process can be expected to take about four to six weeks after the initial prolotherapy treatment. As the tendons and ligaments grow stronger and more capable of doing their tasks, the pain is alleviated thanks to prolotherapy. The total number of injections can vary depending on severity, the condition being treated, and patient response. Please click here for guidelines concerning Prolotherapy treatment.