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Prolotherapy: An effective treatment for low back pain?
By Mayo Clinic staffOriginal Article: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/prolotherapy/AN01330
- With Mayo Clinic anesthesiologist
David P. Martin, M.D., Ph.D.
read biographyclose windowBiography of
David P. Martin, M.D., Ph.D.
David P. Martin, M.D.
Dr. David Martin is board certified in anesthesiology by the American Board of Anesthesiology with advanced certification in pain medicine. He is a consultant in the Department of Anesthesiology at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn., and an associate professor of anesthesiology at College of Medicine, Mayo Clinic. Dr. Martin, a Cincinnati native, received his M.D. degree, and has a Ph.D. in neuroscience, from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.
He has been with Mayo Clinic since 1993. Dr. Martin, who chaired Mayo Clinic's Division of Pain Medicine in the Department of Anesthesiology from 1999 to 2001, is a member of the International Association for the Study of Pain, the American Pain Society, the American Society of Anesthesiologists, the Minnesota Society of Anesthesiologists and other professional groups. He has been published widely in the medical literature on pain management and related topics.
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Question
Prolotherapy: An effective treatment for low back pain?
Is prolotherapy an effective treatment for chronic low back pain?
Answer
from David P. Martin, M.D., Ph.D.
Prolotherapy involves injecting sugar solutions into painful ligaments and tendons to stimulate production of connective tissue. The theory is that prolotherapy can strengthen these ligaments and tendons and reduce pain. Studies of prolotherapy have reported conflicting evidence regarding its effectiveness in treating chronic low back pain.
A review of five well-designed studies concluded that prolotherapy alone is ineffective in treating chronic low back pain. However, when combined with other treatments — such as spinal manipulation and exercise — prolotherapy may improve chronic low back pain. More research is needed to clarify what role, if any, prolotherapy plays in the treatment of chronic low back pain.
- Handout on health: Back pain. National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. http://www.niams.nih.gov/Health_Info/Back_Pain/default.asp. Accessed Feb. 19, 2010.
- Dagenais S, et al. Prolotherapy injections for chronic low-back pain. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2007:CD004059.
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