For patients with knee pain who want to explore options before considering surgery, prolotherapy is one non-surgical treatment worth understanding, particularly since it’s often confused with other injection-based therapies.
What Prolotherapy Actually Is
Prolotherapy involves injecting a dextrose (sugar water) solution into the area around a weakened or injured ligament or tendon. It’s a different treatment from platelet-rich plasma or stem cell injections, since it doesn’t use any blood-derived or biologic material. The theory is that the injection triggers a mild, localized inflammatory response that may prompt the body’s natural repair process in the treated tissue.
Who Might Consider It
Prolotherapy is typically considered for chronic knee pain related to ligament laxity or tendon irritation that hasn’t responded well to physical therapy or other conservative treatment, in patients looking to explore options before knee replacement surgery. It’s generally not a first-line treatment and works best after more established options have been tried.
What the Evidence Shows
Research on prolotherapy for knee osteoarthritis and ligament injuries is still developing, with some studies showing meaningful improvement in pain and function, and others showing more modest results. Because the evidence base is mixed, it’s best approached as one option among several rather than a guaranteed alternative to surgery.
What a Treatment Course Looks Like
Prolotherapy typically involves a series of injections spaced several weeks apart rather than a single visit. Sessions are generally well tolerated, with temporary soreness at the injection site being the most common and short-lived side effect. Individual results vary, and prolotherapy is not guaranteed to eliminate knee pain or avoid the need for surgery.
If you’re exploring non-surgical options for knee pain, our Brooklyn team at Pain Therapy Care can help you understand whether prolotherapy is a reasonable fit for your situation.
