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Prolotherapy
for
Chronic Pain
and
Sports
Medicine
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Although activities may be
helpful for cardiovascular fitness, there has been a rise in sports-related
injuries. This is particularly significant for the older athlete. Previous
injuries that occurred in earlier years, were of little consequence at the
time, and that did not heal properly, may cause pain over the years due to the
continuation of the degenerative process. Sprains and strains also occur more
frequently due to the general physical condition of the older athlete and the
lack of protective muscle strength of joints and ligaments.
There are often cardiovascular
reasons for this. The person might be on a blood pressure medication that
affects balance, but often the reason is that an old injury never healed. For
example, a previous ankle sprain that never healed completely may result in
chronic ankle instability. This causes a decline in the balance due to the
"feel" in the limb being less sharp. This results in frequent
episodes of "giving way" in the joints during sports and daily
activity, making sports injuries more likely. In many cases there are
abnormalities in proprioception (the ability to receive and process
stimulation from muscles,
tendons, and other internal tissues) and
coordination, along with changes in reaction time as the athlete ages.
Abnormalities in proprioception occur because the injury has done harm to the
interaction between the central nervous system and the muscle, tendons, and
ligaments. This impaired proprioception can result in a sudden loss of
coordination or poor technique. The end result is an increase in the
likelihood of sports injuries in the older athlete. Proprioceptive changes can
occur not only in the ankle but also any other previously injured joints such
as the knee, shoulder, and back. This is why it is always best for the
athletic injuries to be completely healed right after the time of the injury.
If an athletic injury has not healed after a few months, most likely it never
will. This is the time to get
Prolotherapy. If
Prolotherapy is done initially,
the likelihood of complete healing is enhanced dramatically.
Prolotherapy can
always be done later, but by then there may have already been irreversible
degenerative damage done to the joints.
Overuse injuries occur more
frequently as the athlete ages because of a decline in the athlete's ability
to heal. These injuries, due to microtrauma to
connective tissues and
ligaments, occur with prolonged repetitive movement of large muscle groups
where pounding frequently occurs such as in running, jogging, or tennis. The
sign that an overuse injury is occurring is a prolonged recovery time. It is
normal to feel sore for one to two hours after a workout, but if recovery time
becomes six hours, then extreme soreness the next day, an overuse injury is
eminent. The best approach in this scenario is to start cross training by
doing other less-pounding sports for workouts, instead of just running or
jogging all the time. Fortunately, cross-country skiing, swimming, and
bicycling are more forgiving in this regard. Another consideration for the
older athlete is to start on a natural hormonal/nutritional program to
optimize healing. It is not possible to reverse the chronological clock, but
it is sure possible to reverse the biological clock. It is actually relatively
easy to increase hormone levels to that of a 35 year old. Athletes who desire
to be 35 years old again, go to natural medicine physicians for natural
hormone replacement. Besides helping recovery times and enhancing athletic
performance, the hormones improve sex drive, improve muscle strength, and
therefore expand the ways in which to get exercise. Ligament Sprain The most common type of sports injury in the older athlete is ligament sprain. A sprain is a stretch, tear, or complete rupture of a ligament. Fortunately, complete ruptures of ligaments are much less common than partial tears of ligaments. Types of sprains are determined by degree. A first-degree sprain is a stretch or tear up to 25 percent of a ligament. A second-degree sprain is a 25 to 75 percent tear of a ligament. A third degree, or complete sprain, is a result of a complete rupture of a ligament. Prolotherapy is extremely effective on first- and second-degree sprains. Microtrauma sprains to the ligaments can occur over a period of time and are not just the result of one specific injury. Microtrauma sprains are due to accumulative trauma to the ligament due to repetitive use over time, which can further irritate the joint, resulting in worsened Osteoarthritis and joint pain. In such instances, Prolotherapy is often effective at strengthening the ligaments so they can handle the microtrauma. |
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The information on this website is presented
as information only and not a self-help
guide NOR AS SPECIFIC HEALTH
RECOMMENDATIONS. Never alter or change your
health management or begin any new health
plans without first consulting your personal
health care provider. Some
statements on this site regarding the value
of nutritional supplements have not been
evaluated by the FDA.
Caring Medical
and Rehabilitation Services 715 Lake Street
Suite 600 Oak Park IL, 60301 |
Prolotherapy