Prolotherapy in Animals: A Non-Surgical Solution for Joint Conditions
With the inability to speak, many pets suffer in silence. Like many humans, your pet may be experiencing joint pain from a painful injury, hypermobility, or other crippling conditions affecting your pet’s joints.
Fortunately, a non-surgical solution to many joint-related issues such as arthritis, stress, and trauma to the joints does exist! Prolotherapy is the leading alternative orthopedic therapy for both humans and animals alike.
Tapping into the body’s natural healing process, prolotherapy effectively treats joint pain quickly and has proven to be one of the most efficient ways to diminish joint pain.
Traditional treatments rely on surgeries that may end up doing more harm than good, or drugs that reshape the way the body works. Both methods don’t just have their potential risks but are crippled by their limitations as well. They don’t always lead to full pain relief and complete healing of the impaired ligaments and tendons. These traditional options also fail to strengthen these injured joints. This is where the benefits of prolotherapy truly begin to show.
In a prolotherapy session, the veterinarian triggers a slight inflammatory response to the affected joint through a series of controlled injections of natural proliferating agents such as dextrose and lidocaine. Once the inflammation is caused, the body’s natural healing mechanism begins to kick in leading to the formation of new, healthier, stronger ligament and tendon tissues. This process doesn’t just reduce pain, it strengthens and stabilizes the treated joint for lasting results to ensure that patients won’t find themselves blindsided by crippling pain any time soon. In most cases, positive results are seen after the first three treatments. However, up to five treatments are necessary. Like humans, no two animals are alike, so some pets may require additional treatments.
For the best results, your veterinarian may also use additional alternative therapies include physical manipulation, massage, ultrasound, acupuncture, electro-stimulation therapy, and laser. In cases where ligaments or tendons may be severely damaged, she’ll call upon the use of ACell prolotherapy.
ACell prolotherapy is a very powerful form of joint therapy, similar to stem cell therapy. “A Cell” are attenuated cells taken from a pig bladder. These type of cells accelerate and promote tendon growth within the affected joint. “PRP,” or Protein-Rich Platelets are also available for regenerative injections in joints and for arthritis pain.
Below is a list of very common conditions that veterinarians commonly treat with surgery or drugs but can often be treated more efficiently with prolotherapy.
- Arthritis
- Hip dysplasia
- Hip Laxity and pain (DJD)
- Anterior cruciate injury (ACL) – ligament injury
- Neck pain
- Back pain
- Spinal stenosis
- Intervertibular disc disease
- Chronic tendonitis
- Elbow dysplasia
- Sprained ankles and wrists
- Partially torn tendons
- Injured ligaments
- Injured cartilage
Prolotherapy isn’t a painful treatment, and is one of the safest options to consider— serious side effects are extremely rare. Some mild discomfort following the injection may occur, but should subside within 24 hours. Some bruising may occur around the injection site. However, most pets experience the treatment with minimum discomfort and recover quickly. In some cases of extreme nervousness or sensitiveness, a pet may require sedation. Following a prolotherapy session, give your pets more rest than usual and try to limit exercise the day after to promote the quickest and most efficient recovery possible. To ensure safety, always work with a qualified practitioner.
