Prolotherapy Treatment For The Foot & Ankle

Perhaps the most exciting advancement in the treatment of foot and ankle problems over the past decade is our ability, through regenerative injection therapies, to harness the body’s own natural healing processes to relieve pain, repair tissue, and restore function.

One of the regenerative therapies we offer is called prolotherapy, a recognized, proven, and safe way to repair damaged joints and connective tissue.

Also known as Non-Surgical Ligament and Tendon Reconstruction and Regenerative Joint Injection, this treatment works by stimulating the body’s natural healing capabilities to cause the proliferation and growth of new, normal ligament or tendon fibers.

That is what the “prolo” in prolotherapy is short for.

How Does Prolotherapy Work?

Ligaments are the structural “rubber bands” or connective tissue that hold bones to bones in joints.

When ligaments become weak, stretched, injured, or torn, the joint they hold can become destabilized, which often leads to pain.

Left alone, damaged ligaments may heal somewhat but can remain unstable and not return to their original strength or endurance.

This is primarily because the blood supply to ligaments is limited,  and therefore healing is slow and not always complete.

In a prolotherapy procedure, we inject a dextrose (sugar water) solution into damaged ligaments such as the plantar fascia where it attaches to the bone.

This causes localized inflammation in these weak areas, essentially tricking the body into believing that these ligaments need additional repair and healing.

In response, the body then increases the blood supply and flow of nutrients to the area, thus stimulating the tissue to repair itself.

The mild inflammation created by the injection also encourages the growth of new, healthy ligament or tendon fibers, resulting in a tightening of the weakened structure.

Additional injections continue this process, allowing a gradual buildup of tissue to restore strength to the area, thus reducing pain and discomfort.

Call JAWS Podiatry Today to Learn More About Prolotherapy

If you’d like to learn more about how prolotherapy may offer a solution to your foot and ankle problems, call our teams at JAWS Podiatry at (954) 922-7333 or contact us online to schedule a consultation today