Patients report symptom improvement following prolotherapy for knee osteoarthritis

Prolotherapy, an injection-based complementary treatment for symptomatic knee osteoarthritis, was associated with improved knee-specific symptoms, quality of life, and ability to participate in daily activities among the majority of individuals who participated in several small clinical studies. This report documents the safety, comfort, and overall positive experiences with prolotherapy, as presented in an article in The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine.

Most participants described a substantial decrease in pain with injections of hypertonic dextrose in and around the affected knee joint, as reported in the article "Qualitative Assessment of Patients Receiving Prolotherapy for Knee Osteoarthritis in a Multimethod Study."

David Rabago, MD and coauthors from University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health (Madison, WI), University of Chicago Hospitals (IL), Unity Point Health-Meriter, McKee Clinic-Family Medicine, and University of Wisconsin-Madison (Madison, WI), and University of Minnesota Medical School (Minneapolis, MN), identified a subgroup of individuals who had improved knee function without decreased pain.

"This qualitative study adds to Dr. Rabago's already significant contributions to understanding the role of prolotherapy as an alternative to usual care for those hampered by osteoarthritis of the knee," says The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine Editor-in-Chief John Weeks, Seattle, WA.