Hi everyone,
Prolotherapy treatment 3 is now under my belt and I
have to say it was a toughie! Hence why this post is a little later than planned (sorry about that!). I guess because the same ligament has been
injected twice before already so its extra sensitive. Had the gas & air
again which definitely helps. I am glad I'm having a little break now that the first 3 treatments are over and hopefully my shoulder is doing everything it should in the meantime!
I find it interesting how the Doctor does the Prolotherapy. I was expecting lots of little needle incisions up and down the front of my shoulder where I was being treated but there is just one point where the needle goes in and then he kind of angles the needle up and down the ligament underneath the skin instead. First with the Local Anaesthic which is sort of pushed in and around the area he's going to be injecting and then a few minutes later he starts injecting the Prolo through the same place. It's kind of a sore pulsing feeling as the needle is angled and the solution injected along the ligament for around about 1-2 minutes I think.
I have a follow up at the beginning of April roughly 6 weeks after
my last (3rd) injection. So my doctor will be able to see how my shoulder is doing and probably book in the next block of 3 Prolo treatments. Hopefully he'll be able to see or feel some kind of improvement even if I haven't yet!
I have heard that in America some Prolotherapists treat people with Hypermobility Syndrome and EDS Type 3 by admitting them to hospital and one day treating the whole of the front side of the body and the next day treating the back. Then bringing them back for the same again every few weeks. Please let me know if anyone has had this done, I'd be interested to hear about it because to me this sounds horrendous!!
Will be updating again soon.
xxxx
Hi Katie, any updates? I also have HMS and am planning (after MUCH debate) to get prolotherapy next month. My clavicle is completely subluxed, it causes a soreness at the base of my neck and top of my shoulder and it seems like the only thing that might help is prolo.
ReplyDeleteI'm very nervous about getting the injections in this delicate area. How bad was your bruising and swelling? I'm very pale and bruise like a peach normally so I'm sure I'll look pretty beat up for a few days...
Has your pain decreased since the final round of injections? Is is worse than before?
I'm also nervous I'll be in more pain than I am now afterwards.
Please send an update, thanks!
Hi, thank you so much for getting in touch with me I'm pleased to know that you've been reading my blog, sometimes I forget that other people are actually reading this!
ReplyDeleteI have been meaning to do an update for a couple weeks now but for various reasons haven't gotten around to it. It takes me a little while to finish a blog post because of pain etc too. I'm still waiting to have my 12 week follow up appointment which a couple of weeks away. I went for one just 6 weeks after my last injections (which is what he requested!) but that was a total waste of time and money as he said it wont have finished working yet anyway so it was too soon to tell!! I was so annoyed.
I do feel like my shoulder is a little more stable now though, it's definitely not clicking, clunking and subluxing as much or as easily as before so that's a start! I have been to see my physio recently though and he was delighted with the stabilisation so far and says he can see and feel a noticeable difference in the shoulder which he could practically pull right out and sounded like a musical instrument when it moved! My pain hasn't changed or decreased yet but my physio reckons that understandably it will take a bit more time as it's been such a long term problem. It definitely hasn't gotten worse though! I felt a little bit of tenderness around the injection site still for about 6-8 weeks after but that's better now. I am expecting and hoping that I will be book in another round of 3 prolotherapy treatments at the next follow up and hopefully this will further my progress.
I was actually really lucky with bruising and swelling and I bruise so easily! I only had one little bruise around the injection site which went after a couple of days. The pain and swelling from the injections decreased by the next day and I was almost back to normal by about day 3-4. Which is a quicker recovery than when I trap my nerve actually. I think it's probably different for everyone though this is just my experience so far!
Where would be your closest Prolotherapy practitioner then, have you tracked someone down yet? Do you have chronic pain around you neck/shoulder then or is it more with movement and when subluxing? Either way I think prolotherapy is worth a try or at least investigating. I would advise going for the gas and air especially on your first time when you're nervous, that's what I've been having (or the light sedation if you're really nervous). It's quite a personal decision. Just be aware though that your prolo practitioner won't necessarily be very familiar with HMS/EDS they're more used to treating sports injuries as became frustratingly evident at my last appointment! At the end of the day though a long as they're really good at the prolotherapy injections then that's the main thing because I've got my other doctors for everything else.
Please let me know how you get on with everything whether or not you go ahead with it. If you have any other question please ask, all your worries were/are EXACTLY the same as mine! Follow my blog and I'll try and update it very soon, I just needed a kick up the bum really so thank you! How did you find my blog?
Katie x
Hi Katie, thanks for responding!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to hear the pain hasn't gotten any worse (except for maybe the couple days following the injections) and the bruising and swelling was minimal- very encouraging. I found your blog searching 'prolotherapy and bruising' on Google.
I'm in New York City and I've found a sports medicine doctor that does prolotherapy and PRP injections- he works mostly with athletes, so I'm not sure how much experience he has with hypermobility...
I have chronic muscle spasms and tightness in my neck and back (probably because those muscles are working hardest to keep everything aligned).
I'm planning on getting the first round of injections next month and will definitely post about my experience.
I will look forward to your next blog post!
Thanks!
Chloe
Hi Chloe,
ReplyDeleteHow's it going? Has anything happened with the prolotherapy yet?
I didn't realise you live in the US. I've read that they can do Prolo slightly differently in America, more injections given in one treatment and over more than one area etc. You'll have to let me know if your experience is any different from mine! I updated my blog about 2 weeks ago and am about to post another one as I'm undergoing a 2nd block if Prolotherapy treatment atm this time on the back of my shoulder.
I was thinking have you thought about trying arnica tablets for the bruising or an arnica oil or lotion you can put on the area before/after? I think I might have mentioned in a previous post that I'm trying arnica tablets I don't know if they're making a difference but they're supposed to help with bruising and aid healing.
Take care
xxxx
Was it really necessary to angle it up? How big a difference was it long term? Hope you’re doing better now. I see from your latest post that you already have a new doctor, and it seems like you’re doing loads better than with the previous one. Hang in there!
ReplyDeleteTracey
Hi Tracey, thanks very much for your message. I'm not sure whether or not it is necessary to angle that's just how it was done! Yes, I am much happier with my current practioner and I feel things are moving a lot quicker now. Do you have any experience with Prolo?
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