Injection Therapy

If you are suffering from a tendon, ligament or cartilage injury, Regenerative Injection Therapy (or Prolotherapy) may provide a relatively non-invasive solution.

Regenerative Injection Therapy (RIT) utilizes your body’s own Bioactive Proteins to facilitate tissue regeneration in areas of injury. Injecting solutions which stimulate proteins directly into the injured tissue results in the production of collagen and assists the body’s natural healing processes.

The professionals at the Sports Injury Diagnosis Clinic are experts in providing Regenerative Injection Therapy. We specialise in Prolotherapy and Cortisone Injections.

What is Prolotherapy and how can it help me?
If you are suffering from certain types of musculoskeletal pain (for example low back pain) prolotherapy may be the answer.

Weak or injured ligaments and tendons can be extremely frustrating. These areas are often slow to heal because generally the body’s blood supply to ligaments is limited. Furthermore the many nerve endings in these areas can cause a lot of pain.

Prolotherapy involves the injection of a dextrose (sugar water) solution that stimulates the growth and regeneration of normal soft tissues in areas where it is weakened. It does so by causing an inflammation in the affected area which then stimulates blood supply and nutrient flow – encouraging your body’s natural processes of tissue repair.

Patients often experience relatively fast results from Prolotherapy – beneficial effects are usually experienced after the 2^nd or 3^rd injection. Provided injections do not take place randomly or in isolation, results are often maintained for many months and sometimes there is a permanent improvement.

Which injuries is prolotherapy used to treat?
At the Sports Injury Diagnosis Clinic, Prolotherapy is often used to treat patients suffering from ‘sacroiliac low back pain’ – which is pain arising predominantly from the sacroiliac joints/ligaments.

Prolotherapy can also be helpful in chronic cases of tennis elbow that prove unresponsive to Cortisone Injections.

What is involved in prolotherapy?
Prolotherapy Injections are usually repeated every week or two for up to six treatments. The injection site can be sore for 3-4 days and patients can ice the area and take paracetamol to reduce some of the side effects. Dr Motto usually advises against oral anti-inflammatory medication (such as ibuprofen) following these injections because they counteract the Prolotherapy effects.

If your condition requires an injection, Dr Motto will decide which type and how many will be necessary. Providing you have had the injury correctly diagnosed, Dr Motto is very open to using Prolotherapy along with valid complementary medicines.

How does Prolotherapy differ from Cortisone and what are the benefits of Cortisone Injections?
Prolotherapy and Cortisone Injections have opposite effects on soft tissues. Cortisone Injections are anti-inflammatory injections.

The early use of Prolotherapy may be more appropriate/safer than Cortisone Injections when dealing with acute injuries, such as medical collateral ligament tears. Prolotherapy may also result in a quicker recovery and a stronger ligament.

However, in small doses Cortisone Injections can be very effective and safe in reducing inflammation and pain, particularly in severe cases. Cortisone mimics a steroid which is produced by your own body. Injections are directed into injuries where soft tissue/nerve inflammation is the underlying cause of dysfunction and pain. The benefits last for weeks and sometimes months.

What sorts of injuries is Cortisone used to treat?
Cortisone can prove extremely helpful in cases where injury is severe – increasing mobility and reducing pain and swelling. It is also effective in reducing scar tissue, which is often present in many late or recurrent calf and hamstring muscle injuries for example.

What is involved in Cortisone Injection treatment?
Cortisone Injections should be administered no more than once a month in a single joint, if necessary up to three/four times per year. The fewer, the better.

You can expect Cortisone to take effect within 4-5 days, sometimes sooner. After the injection you should rest the treated joint for at least 24 hours and avoid excessive movement for a week. You can apply an ice pack to the affected area if you are experiencing any pain.

Why choose the Sports Injury Diagnosis Clinic for Injection Therapy?
The Sports Injury Diagnosis Clinic is one of the few private clinics in London solely dedicated to Sports Medicine. Founded by one of the UK’s most prominent sports injury practitioners Dr Stephen Motto, we offer all patients the same high standards of care we’ve delivered to many top athletes.

Our experts have considerable experience in treating patients with Regenerative Injection Therapy. And because we cover so many different injuries and treatments in-house, we don’t give patients one-size-fits-all packages. Whenever necessary, your Injection Therapy will be combined with other appropriate interventions, delivered on-site by our expert team.