Her injury occurred as she fell in a recreational tennis game. A simple summer game of fun set her back for months. She started physical therapy in August. In October she had an MRI and was diagnosed with a medial meniscus tear and a possible lateral meniscus tear. She had a cortisone shot in December and began taking anti-inflammatories every night. After no relief she refused another cortisone shot and did not want to think about the recommended meniscus surgery. Thankfully, a friend referred her to Caring Medical for Prolotherapy. NJ then found Caring Medical and Dr. Hauser on the internet and was excited to find alternative treatments for mensiscus tears. She was excited to hear about Prolotherapy and booked an appointment ASAP.
NJ came to see us in January. At this point she had gained 20 pounds from inactivity. She used to walk over one mile to work each day, but was unable to walk due to the pain. She also gave up cycling, tennis, and walking for exercise. She was able to do light yoga and 10 to 15 minutes on the stationary bike before the pain set in - a far cry from her formerly active lifestyle. NJ was NOT happy about this.
After a physical examination, Dr. Hauser diagnosed NJ with a bucket handle tear of the medial meniscus. He told NJ that her best course of treatment would be Prolotherapy with platelet rich plasma (PRP) - a stronger proliferating solution.
PRP Prolotherapy involves a blood draw to obtain growth factors
The PRP Prolotherapy treatments involved drawing NJ’s blood and extracting her body’s own growth factors. These growth factors are then injected into NJ’s knee to stimulate healing. As a side note, Caring Medical now offers Bone Marrow (stem cell) Prolotherapy which provides even more growth factors than PRP does, as an option for treating meniscus tears.
Dr. Hauser estimated three treatments for NJ. He told her to bicycle 30 minutes per day to encourage blood flow to the meniscus (work up to it if she had to) and also prescribed a supplement regimen to provide nourishment to the injury. NJ agreed to discontinue anti-inflammatory medications (as these were the only thing keeping her going) and to start on the path to healing - as she didn't realize the negative effects the NSAIDs were having on her healing - ie that they were actually making the condition worse. Click here to read more about the negative effects of NSAIDs and why we do not recommend them.
We called NJ the next day to see how she was feeling. It was then that she told us how unbelievable Prolotherapy was. She woke up pain free for the first time in five months. She was excited to return for her second treatment six weeks later.
At her second visit NJ reported a 95% improvement in pain. She was cycling, and walking on the treadmill. The cycling helped with her stiffness and she was continuing physical therapy to aid in muscle strength. She was very optimistic about Prolotherapy’s success with curing her meniscus tear.
NJ did not need any more treatments. Two treatments with PRP Prolotherapy along with Hackett Hemwall Prolotherapy to the surrounding ligaments to correct the joint instability that likely was a contributing factor to the injury in the first place, were enough to heal her injury and save her from meniscus surgery. In just two months she was back to walking, biking, water aerobics and yoga. She was ready to get back to her life and live pain free.
Dr. Hauser and the team here at Caring Medical published a ground-breaking paper on the use of Hacket-Hemwall Prolotherapy for the treatment of meniscus tears. This is especially noteworthy, as these patients were told that they required surgery in order to have a normally functioning knee. Hackett-Hemwall Prolotherapy allowed these patients to avoid surgery and the subsequent long rehabilitative process. Click here to read the study.
NJ is just one of many success stories in healing meniscus tears. The knee is one of the most common joints in the body that we treat at Caring Medical. We see numerous knee patients everyday. If you are struggling with a meniscus tear or other knee injury, know that surgery is not your only option. Prolotherapy is safer, simpler, and successful at getting patients back to their active lives. Contact us today to find out more.
Dear Patsy,
Thanks for your comment. Wow - you must have really hit the floor! Glad you heard us on TBN years ago! Those shows keep on living! We don''t personally know anyone in Atlanta, but you could go to www.getprolo.com to try to find someone in your area. Just ask the right questions when you contact the offices - related to experience, what method of prolotherapy do they use, how many injections are given, etc. Wishing you & your husband the best of health!
Almost 2 weeks ago(3-4-11) I fell & hit my knee on the floor. The pain was unbelievable. I could hardly get up, but I finally did. I put some ice on it. That''s all. I don''t take any medication, so I have toughed it out. My daughter insisted on me going to an orthopedist she works with. Nothing was broken. I''m almost 70 and live in GA. My husband has
cirrhosis of the liver and is ill. I have to work full time. I would love to come to you but there is just no way. I am also a 22 year stage 3 breast cancer survivor. I first saw you on TBN I believe about 15 years ago and was very impressed with what you had to say.
I would like to find someone in the Atlanta area
that does Prolotherapy.
Thank You,
Patsy Pinholster
