Solutions for Joint Pain: Diagnosing the true source of pain helps lead to the best treatment, says Dr. Paul Stallone.

Pain is a signal from the body that can get worse the longer it is ignored, and diagnosing the source will lead to the most appropriate treatment. Chronic knee pain could be the result of an injury that never healed completely or arthritis. A comprehensive assessment will provide answers a physician will need to move forward in our recovery. Any treatment program should revolve around the cause of the pain instead of the pain itself. Relying solely on pain-relieving medication for a chronic situation is an irresponsible approach, but also a great way to make the problem worse. This leads to the important question of how to treat the source of chronic joint pain.

The solution is with regenerative joint therapy (RJT), which involves healing any old trauma, stabilizing the joint itself, reducing scar tissue and strengthening supportive tissue. By accomplishing these goals, the pain is eliminated. An experienced physician will discuss which combination is best for the circumstance.

Prolotherapy involves an injection into the afflicted joint of a dextrose solution with customized nutrients that trigger a healing response from the body. Joints are notoriously bad healers because they lack sufficient blood flow to carry the needed components for healing. Prolotherapy injections intentionally trigger inflammation, increasing blood flow to the desired site. These healing factors, combined with certain nutrients, aid in repairing damage. Ligaments and tendons tighten; loose supportive tissue is often the cause of joint pain and immobility.

Prolozone incorporates some factors from prolotherapy, along with the injected use of medical-grade ozone. This gas is a powerful force that stimulates the body to produce more collagen. Prolozone is a non-surgical form of ligament reconstruction that is administered in short office visits. Ozone gas can reconstruct damaged connective tissue and stabilize a once-compromised joint. Prolozone can help heal partially torn connective tissue, reduce or eliminate joint pain, increase mobility, break up scar tissue and reverse damage caused by arthritis.

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is another injection technique that accomplishes many of the same goals as prolotherapy and prolozone. This therapy begins with some blood being collected and prepared so that just the plasma, where the platelets are stored, becomes super-concentrated. This solution is then injected into a joint. Platelets contain more than 1,000 different types of hormones and proteins that stimulate cell repair and growth. PRP therapy can repair ligaments, tendons, cartilage and nerves. It also regrows tissue that has been frayed or damaged. Orthopedic injuries, known to be difficult to treat, respond very well to PRP, thus avoiding joint surgery.

While these therapies can be tailored in myriad ways, the list of qualified practitioners is much smaller. Write down any questions and bring them along to all consultations. Inquire about the physician’s qualifications and where and how they learned about injection techniques, and how long they’ve been practicing them. Prolotherapy, prolozone and PRP can completely and permanently eliminate chronic joint pain. Even mild chronic pain should not be disregarded.

Paul Stallone, NMD, founded the Arizona Integrative Medical Center, located at 8144 E. Cactus Rd., Ste. 820, in Scottsdale. He combines natural/alternative conventional treatments for each patient’s needs. For more information, call 480-214-3922 or visit DrStallone.com.