Chronic pain interferes with day-to-day activities and drastically lowers the quality of life. People suffering from persistent pain are left with nothing but a long prescription of painkiller medications. To ease the suffering, there are some more advanced treatment options namely steroid injections and ozone prolotherapy. Steroid injections have been administered for quite some time for severe pain management, however, prolozone injection is a new entry in the field of chronic pain management. The analgesic effect of the therapies is utilized best in the following conditions:
- Chronic neck pain
- Low back pain/sciatica
- Arthritis (knee osteoarthritis)
- Shoulder pain and frozen shoulder
- Degenerative disc disease
Here we shall discuss how a prolozone injection differs from a steroid injection.
The main aim of both therapies is to bring about pain relief but how they achieve it differs significantly.
Composition
A cortisone injection, as the name indicates, comprises cortisone whereas you will find ozone and oxygen inside a prolozone injection.
Mechanism Of Action
The commonly used cortisone injection is quick in diminishing pain as it effectively removes inflammation from the injury/affected site.
On the other hand, a prolozone injection falls under regenerative medicine and has multiple positive impacts on the body which include:
Joint Pain
Case studies suggest that prolozone injections are effective in alleviating joint pain especially when intra-articular injections are given.
Soft Tissue Regeneration
Prolozone injections are considered superior because, unlike, steroid injections, induce the repair of soft tissues. This very injection is effective in halting the process of cartilage breakdown (due to underlying disease).
Contrary to this, steroid administration may increase this breakdown.
Moreover, the ozone injections also lead to an increase in the rate of ligament and tendon repair of the body. The ultimate result of these effects is strengthened ligaments and robust ligaments/tendons.
Research shows solid improvements in pain and mobility by the use of both therapies, however, prolozone therapy might have a slight advantage.
Joint Strength
You can notice subtle improvements in joint strength with prolozone injections which is missing in a steroid shot.
Adverse Effects
Asteroid injection might also diminish circulation to the affected areas. No such adverse effect is observed with a prolozone injection.
If you are looking for prolozone in The Villages, contact Legacy Clinic of chiropractic at 352-259-0024. Dr. Aaron Perry is a certified doctor of oriental medicine and trained in prolozone injections.