The Response of Traditional Medicine
The usual treatment for this injury is a figure-eight splint to keep the joint immobile while the healing process occurs. While the initial immobilization may relieve pain, weakening of the ligaments will occur if the immobilization continues indefinitely. Physical therapy and an exercise program may restore strength and function to the shoulder, but the injured ligaments may continue to grind, pop, click and cause pain, especially with overhead activities and when reaching across the chest. Because these activities put strain on the ligaments, the surrounding muscles may go into spasm and become chronically painful, inhibiting the ability of the patient, often an athlete, from using the shoulder normally. The result? The modern medicine approach does not do anything to repair the deteriorated cartilage in the shoulder and, thus, does not alleviate the chronic pain that people with this condition experience.
Another standard practice of modern medicine is to inject steroids into the shoulder or to prescribe anti-inflammatory medications. However, in the long run, these treatments do more damage than good. Cortisone shots and anti-inflammatory drugs have been shown to produce short-term pain benefit, but both result in long-term loss of function and even more chronic pain by actually inhibiting the healing process of soft tissues and accelerating cartilage degeneration. Plus, long-term use of these drugs can lead to other sources of chronic pain, allergies and leaky gut syndrome.
When all else fails, patients who experience chronic shoulder pain are often referred to a surgeon. Unfortunately, surgery often makes the problem worse. Surgeons will use x-ray technology as a diagnostic tool, which does not always properly diagnose the pain source. Decisions to remove cartilage tissue will most commonly result in arthritis.
Caring Medical's Natural Medicine Approach to Acromioclavicular Joint Syndrome
A better approach, in our opinion, is to stimulate cartilage repair with Prolotherapy and a rehabilitation program to strengthen the dynamic shoulder stabilizers (rotator cuff muscles). Chronic pain is most commonly due to tendon and ligament weakness or cartilage deterioration, as is the case in acromioclavicular joint syndrome. The safest and most effective natural medicine treatment for repairing tendon, ligament and cartilage damage is Prolotherapy. In simple terms, Prolotherapy stimulates the body to repair painful areas. It does so by inducing a mild inflammatory reaction in the weakened ligaments and cartilage. Since the body heals by inflammation, Prolotherapy stimulates healing.
Prolotherapy offers the most curative results in treating chronic pain. It effectively eliminates pain because it attacks the source: the fibro-osseous junction, an area rich in sensory nerves. What's more the tissue strengthening and pain relief stimulated by Prolotherapy is permanent!
Click here to read Prolotherapy research by Dr. Ross Hauser and his team on Prolotherapy injections for shoulder pain and degeneration.
Think Prolotherapy may be for you? Call us!
To experience the Caring Medical difference for yourself, schedule a consultation via email or call us at 708-848-7789.
Caring Medical is a full time Prolotherapy doctor’s office. We have successfully treated all of the conditions we write about. This is why patients travel from across the country and internationally to be treated by our Prolotherapy physician Dr. Ross Hauser. The difference is in the care, technique, and experience you get with Dr. Hauser and team at Caring Medical
