We recently heard from a patient of ours, Brian, who was very impressed with his first Bone Marrow Prolotherapy (BMP) treatment to his knees. You see, Brian had received dextrose Hacket-Hemwall Prolotherapy to his knees with little response. Dr Hauser made the recommendation to administer Bone Marrow Prolotherapy and this is what Brian had to say six weeks after that appointment:
I am very happy to say that the bone marrow procedure is making a big improvement in the medial meniscus areas of both knees. Regular Prolo was not really doing much. But recent results are great. . . . .At this point my knees are much better, but still have a few areas that may need more. For instance, the meniscus areas in both knees are much more solid, but the knees still click sometimes in those areas, and I still have a little pain (depending on what I do) there and elsewhere in the knee. Maybe this will heal further in time. . . .My question for you is: How long does the BMP procedure keep healing? And at what point would I decide I might need another BMP session to finish the job?
Hackett-Hemwall Prolotherapy vs. Bone Marrow Prolotherapy
Traditional Prolotherapy, or Hackett-Hemwall Prolotherapy, stimulates the proliferation of cells that are already present in the damaged area. When there is a deficiency of cells, however, such as in osteoarthritis or tendinosis, additional cells are needed for healing. The fact that Brian’s knees were not responding to regular Prolotherapy most likely meant his tissue was lacking the cells needed to for healing. Cellular depletion is a major factor in a tissue not healing. Therefore, Cellular Prolotherapy is needed. Dr. Hauser chose Bone Marrow Prolotherapy to address Brian’s knee pain and provide additional cells. Bone Marrow Prolotherapy uses progenitor cells (stem cells) from the patient’s own bone marrow to stimulate cellular depleted tissues such as cartilage, ligaments, tendons, menisci and labrum to repair.
Healing with Bone Marrow Prolotherapy
To answer Brian’s questions, like dextrose Prolotherapy, most patients require four to six visits of Bone Marrow Prolotherapy. Typically Bone Marrow Prolotherapy is given until the patient reaches 85% pain relief and 85% of goal function. It is expected over the next six months the condition will continue to improve. Repeats sessions can always be done at a later date if the person doesn’t reach 100% of their goals in pain relief and function.
For more on Prolotherapy for your specific case, contact us at 708-848-7789 or drhauser@caringmedical.com.