Why do we tell Prolotherapy patients to avoid taking anti-inflammatory medications? Do you realize that the body heals by the process of inflammation? Yes, indeed. Dr. Hauser remembers hearing this while in Medical School training and thinking, “huh, that’s interesting, then why do we prescribe so many anti-inflammatory medications?” Good question!
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs), such as Ibuprofen, Motrin, Advil, Aleve, inhibit the body’s repair process halting the naturally occurring healing cascade. Thus, if we just gave you 60 Prolotherapy injections to help stimulate your body to heal, it makes sense not to STOP the process by taking NSAIDs, right?
Unfortunately, in traditional medicine, NSAIDs are among the most widely prescribed and used drugs for pain – both by prescription and over-the-counter; yet, they have the potential for quite significant side effects, particularly affecting the liver, stomach, GI tract, and heart. They have no beneficial effect on cartilage, rather, they accelerate osteoarthritis, the very disease for which many people are taking them. Furthermore, by inhibiting the healing process, re-injury is much more likely in the future or worse yet, while participating in sports.
So what should you do about the pain? Well, as Dr. Hauser says, “Be a squirrel! If a squirrel falls from a tree and sprains his foot, he doesn’t stop running around; rather, he walks on the foot and it heals faster.” As our PT friends always say, “motion is lotion!” The joints need motion in order to heal.
If you do require something for pain, we recommend using topical essential oils such as Deep Blue from doTerra; enzymes that act as scavengers (kind of like old school pac man) – we like a product called Vascuzyme available through OrthoMolecular Products; or if a medication is required, Tylenol. These will not inhibit healing and will actually help the process along! Other pro-healing supplements from OrthoMolecular Products include Mitocore and Soft Tissue Support Pack. Link for ordering: https://us.fullscript.com/welcome/caringmedicalflorida
We also find that once you have gotten past the first 4 days of healing, moving around in a swimming pool helps tremendously, especially if you can get into a saltwater pool. Moist heat also does wonders for bringing blood flow to the area and stimulating healing. Never underestimate the power of the heating pad!
Happy healing!
