Unresolved Knee Pain

A Retrospective Study on Dextrose Prolotherapy for Unresolved Knee Pain at an Outpatient Charity Clinic in Rural Illinois

Ross Hauser, MD, Hauser M. A retrospective study on dextrose prolotherapy for unresolved knee pain at an outpatient charity clinic in rural Illinois. Journal of Prolotherapy. 2009;1(1):11-21.

Abstract

The optimal long-term, symptomatic therapy for unresolved knee pain has not been established. Accordingly, we investigated the outcomes of patients undergoing Hackett-Hemwall dextrose Prolotherapy treatment for unresolved knee pain at a charity clinic in rural Illinois. We studied a sample of 80 patients, representing a total of 119 knees, that were treated quarterly with Prolotherapy. On average, 15 months following their last Prolotherapy session, patients were contacted and asked numerous questions in regard to their levels of pain and a variety of physical and psychological symptoms, as well as activities of daily living, before and after their last Prolotherapy treatment. The results of this study showed that patients had a statistically significant decline in their level of pain, stiffness, crunching sensation, and improvement in their range of motion with Prolotherapy. More than 82% showed improvements in walking ability, medication usage, athletic ability, anxiety, depression, and overall disability with Prolotherapy. Ninety-six percent of patients felt Prolotherapy improved their life overall. Conclusion: In this study, patients with unresolved knee pain, treated with dextrose Prolotherapy, showed improvements in many clinically relevant parameters and overall quality of life.

Prolotherapy is becoming a widespread form of pain management in both complementary and allopathic medicine. Its primary use is in pain management associated with tendinopathies and ligament sprains in peripheral joints. Prolotherapy is also being used in the treatment of spine and joint degenerative arthritis. In double-blinded human studies, the evidence on the effectiveness of Prolotherapy…

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