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 PROLOTHERAPY IS A GREAT
ALTERNATIVE TO [EVIDENCE-LACKING]
KNEE ARTHROSCOPY FOR
OSTEOARTHRITIS OF THE KNEE
Ross Hauser, M.D.
Recently I looked over several
articles in newspapers and a nice clinical review article,
all explaining how
arthroscopy for
knee arthritis is on the
rise despite the lack of evidence that it helps get rid of
pain. Most of the knee patients we see at
Caring
Medical
have had
knee arthroscopy and from what I can tell it
accelerates the arthritic process. We feel a better
approach would be to repair the arthritic process with
Prolotherapy.
Techniques used for the
arthroscopic treatment of
osteoarthritis
of the knee include joint lavage, joint debridement,
meniscectomy,
abrasion arthroplasty, and microfracture. A good alternative
to all of these procedures is
Prolotherapy.
Prolotherapy
is
typically done once per month for three to six visits. In
athletes, sometimes the treatment is done weekly or every
two weeks to speed up the healing process. Often
human growth hormone (HGH)
and
glucosamine
are injected into and around the knee to stimulate joint
structures like
cartilage
to repair. The good news in regard to
Prolotherapy
also is the fact that right after
Prolotherapy athletes and
clients can exercise. Prolotherapy works best when combined
with exercises like cycling, elliptical and Bosu Ball.
Running is sometimes recommended, but it depends on the
injury.
If you are looking for an alternative to
knee surgery and
all that is involved, like time off from work and sports, we
would love to see you in our office for a consultation for Prolotherapy!
For someone wanting to research
knee arthroscopy and the
lack of evidence of its efficacy further, consider looking
up this article or any of the below information:
Arthroscopic treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee: are
there any evidence-based indications?
Clin Orthop Relat Res. 2007; 455:107-11.
One can also look up the Cochrane review article on it. It
is entitled Arthroscopic debridement for knee
osteoarthritis. Cochrane Database of Systemic Reviews 2008.
Issue 1.
Another source:
New York Times Article
entitled:
Arthritis Surgery In Ailing Knees Is Cited as Sham
July 11, 2002, written by Gina
Kolata
The study they site was in
New England Journal of Medicine 2002 Jul 11; 347(2):81-8.
A controlled trial of
arthroscopic surgery for osteoarthritis of knee.
Study was done at Houston Veteran Affairs Medical Center,
Baylor College of Medicine, Houston Texas.
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