Safe and effective chronic pain relief can be achieved by finding and correcting its root cause. This can be done by using a combination of traditional and specialized medical diagnostic examinations. Once the cause of the chronic pain is determined, it can be corrected with prolotherapy, acupuncture, nutritional supplements, dietary modifications, and/or specific exercise programs. These therapies can not only help relieve pain, they can correct its underlying cause and restore strength and function.
PROLOTHERAPY
Prolotherapy can result in an 80-90% success rate according to some studies listed below. It can result in natural, long term, safe and effective relief of low back pain, arthritis, sports injuries, neck pain, herniated discs, degenerative discs, knee pain, shoulder pain, tendonitis/tendinosis, partially torn ligaments and tendons, headache, fibromyalgia, tennis elbow, TMS and other conditions.
Prolotherapy, also called non-surgical reconstruction, is a natural, non-operative, reconstructive technique that triggers the body's own natural healing.
Numerous famous athletes, movie stars, politicians and other people of all walks of life have benefited from all forms of Prolotherapy treatment, including a form of prolotherapy called Platelet Rich Plasma Prolotherapy (PRP prolotherapy) which is also available.
Platelet Rich Plasma is blood plasma with concentrated platelets. The platelets found in PRP include growth factors and bioactive proteins that are vital for tissue repair and regeneration. These proteins increase stem cell production to initiate tissue healing.
Prolotherapy has been used effectively for over 60 years and is safe and effective with a very high success rate. There is no down time since daily activities are not limited during treatment.
Many mainstream medical journals have shown the efficacy of Prolotherapy in many conditions.
What conditions are treated with Prolotherapy?
- Low Back Pain
- Neck Pain
- Sports Injuries
- Sciatica
- Knee Pain
- Fibromyalgia
- Tendinitis
- Tennis Elbow
- Golfer's Elbow
- Arthritis
- Headache
- Foot pain including plantar fasciitis
- Ankle pain
- Frozen Shoulder
- T.M.J.
- Sacroiliac problems
Why do I continue to have pain?
When we have an injury, we often stretch and weaken tendons and ligaments. These structures have very poor circulation, but a large nerve supply. This lack of circulation deprives them of the nutrients necessary for proper healing. When ligaments and tendons get stretched, these nerves become irritated resulting in pain. Pain is a sign that there is a problem. It is not something which should be stopped with medications until the underlying cause of the pain is identified and corrected.
How can tendons and ligaments be strengthened?
Unfortunately, these tissues are not like muscles and do not improve with exercise. Exercise cannot strengthen weakened ligaments and tendons, but Prolotherapy can.
What does Prolotherapy do?
Prolotherapy helps repair the weakened tendons and ligaments. Prolotherapy has been observed to increase the size of tendons and ligaments an average of 65%. It has been shown to increase their strength by 40%. The tissue formed from Prolotherapy is strong, healthy and flexible. As tendons and ligaments are repaired, nerves are no longer irritated, and pain goes away.
Prolotherapy therefore gets rid of pain by treating its root cause.
How does Prolotherapy work?
A small amount of harmless, natural substances (along with anesthetic so the injection isn't too painful) is injected at the exact site of an injury to stimulate the immune system to repair the area. This stimulates the body to naturally produce collagen which strengthens the tissue. The final result is more stable joints and decreased or absent pain!
Is Prolotherapy helpful for Sports Injuries?
Whether you're a weekend athlete or a professional athlete, Prolotherapy can be very helpful to you. Prolotherapy can not only provide you with pain relief, it can also help restore normal function and prevent re-injury by strengthening a weakened area that cannot be restored in any other way.
Although we specialise in the treatment of the back and neck, we also excel at the treatment of shoulder, elbow, knee and ankle injuries. So whether you're a tennis pro, marathon runner, rugby player, body builder, mountain climber, or just a desk jockey we can help you.
For example, we have treated several tennis pros, marathoners and body builders for serious injuries after they had failed to respond to traditional medical treatment. Several of these athletes were considering surgery which would have required weeks of recuperation and rehabilitation. Instead, after careful research, these athletes chose Prolotherapy. After a few treatments, they were back to their full, pre-injury performance. They had no down time, no recuperation time, and there was no need for rehabilitation.
Dr. Bloom has treated hundreds of patients with Prolotherapy including:
Olympic athletes, professional kick boxers, and rugby players, celebrities and other physicians.
For further information about Prolotherapy please see:
There are many forms of Acupuncture. At Chronic Pain Relief, we use Traditional Chinese Acupuncture, French Acupuncture, Korean Acupuncture, Yamamoto New Scalp Acupuncture, Five Phases Acupuncture, Neuro-anatomical Acupuncture, Auricular Acupuncture, and Medical Acupuncture.
How Does Acupuncture Work?
The classical Chinese explanation is that channels of energy run in regular patterns through the body and over its surface. These energy channels, called meridians, are like rivers flowing through the body to nourish the tissues. Very thin, Acupuncture needles stimulate points on these channels to correct imbalances in the circulation of energy through these meridians.
The modern scientific explanation is that needling Acupuncture points stimulates the nervous system to release endorphins, which are chemicals in the muscles, spinal cord, and brain. These chemicals will either change the experience of pain, or they will trigger the release of other chemicals and hormones that influence the body's own internal regulating system. The improved energy and biochemical balance produced by Acupuncture results in stimulation of the body's natural healing abilities, and in promoting physical and emotional well-being.
Is Acupuncture Effective?
Yes. In the past 2,000 years more people have been successfully treated with Acupuncture than with all other health methods combined. The World Health Organisation and The National Institute of Health each recognize Acupuncture in the treatment of a variety of medical conditions. Acupuncture treatment often complements conventional western medical methods.
What Is the Scope of Acupuncture?
While Acupuncture is most often associated with pain control, it has broader applications. The World Health Organization (WHO) recognises the use of Acupuncture in the treatment of a wide range of medical problems, including:
- Digestive disorders such as gastritis, hyperacidity, and spastic colon
- Respiratory disorders including sinusitis, bronchitis, and asthma
- Neurological and musculoskeletal disorders including neck pain, tendonitis, low back pain, sciatica, and arthritis
- Urinary and menstrual disorders
Additionally, Acupuncture has been found by the National Institute of Health (NIH) to be beneficial in treating:
- Nausea and vomiting related to chemotherapy
- Adult postoperative surgery
- Dental pain
- Stroke rehabilitation
- Addiction
- Carpel Tunnel Syndrome
- Tennis Elbow
Both the World Health Organisation and the National Institute of Health approve Acupuncture for:
- Migraine headaches
- Menstrual disorders
- Back pain
- Osteoarthritis
Acupuncture can also be very helpful for many other conditions not mentioned above. Such conditions include fibromyalgia, depression, anxiety, insomnia and chronic fatigue syndrome.
Dr. Mitchell J. Bloom is passionate about helping people with pain. His focus is to use state of the art innovative treatments to alleviate these conditions. He has success where others, including some of the top University Centres have failed. He treats professional athletes, dancers, golfers, weight lifters, professional kick boxers, Olympic hopefuls, high school and University athletes, weekend warriors, and the injured population from work, auto; or from just plain good living, age related conditions and arthritis.
After completing his medical school training in New York, he finished his four year residency specialty training at The University of Rochester in 1989 in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.
He began his medical career working as the Associate Medical Director of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at two hospitals in the U.S. and in 1989 he became the founder and Medical Director of The Centre for Mind - Body Medicine.
He is Board Certified in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, a Diplomat of The American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and a registered specialist medical doctor with The Medical Council of New Zealand. He is a member of the Australasian Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, New Zealand Association of Musculoskeletal Medicine, Australasian Integrative Medical Association and the American Academy of Pain Medicine.
His goal of treatment is to repair, regenerate, and eliminate injury or pain, and its causes. He is a bit of an old fashioned doctor with a cutting edge approach to treatment. He believes his best diagnostic tool is his ears to listen to the patient's complaints, and his hands to do a thorough examination and actually feel where the pain is coming from. He will then add the latest diagnostic testing where necessary to make a pin point diagnosis of the problem. He calls this the Sherlock Holmes approach.
General
In 1974 Dr. Hemwall presented the results of 2007 prolotherapy patients. The results were: 1871 patients were treated with prolotherapy. 75.5% of the patients reported complete recovery or cure, 24.3% reported general improvement and 0.2 percent showed not improvement.Prolotherapy versus intraoperative fusion in the treatment of joint instability of the spine and pelvis. Journal of the International College of Surgeons, 1964 42:150-159. Results: The success rate of the fusion was very variable. The success rate of the prolotherapy was a 80-90% cure rate.
Low Back Pain
George Hackett, M.D. presented data in from of the American Medical Association on June 1955 on prolotherapy and neck pain. 563 patients participated. 82% considered themselves cured.A study of 43 patients with chronic low back pain who had been unresponsive to other treatments, including surgery. Prolotherapy treatment was done to the sacroiliac joint area over six weeks. 93% of the patients reported significant improvement. Only three of the patients reported no improvement. Schwatrz R. Prolotherapy: A literature review and retorspective study; Journal of Neurology, Orthpoedic Medicine and Surgery 1991: 12:220-223.
Hackett M.D. Low back pain British Journal of Physical Medicine 1956 19.25-33. 656 patients received a total of 18,000 injections. 12 years after prolotherapy was completed, 82% of the patients considered themselves cured.
A double blind study in one of the most prestigious medical journals was conducted on the most difficult patients with continuous low back pain. These patients suffered for 10 years or longer and had surgery, medications, manipulations, exercise, physical therapy and other treatments. These interventions failed to provide adequate relief for 10 or more years. 88% of the group treated with prolotherapy had moderate to marked improvement. Ongley, M. A new approach to the treatment of low back pain. Lancet July, 1987 2:143-145.
91% of 177 patients with chronic spinal pain had reduced pain, 84% had improvement in work ability and 85% could do self care more easily. Hooper RA; Ding M Retrospective case series on patients with chronic spinal pain treated with dextrose. Chronic LBP: Hooper et al 2004.
In the prestigious journal "Spine," a randomized study showed the success rate in reducing pain and improving disability are at least as good as those reported for spinal cord stimulation, surgery or multidisciplinary treatment for patients with low back pain. Additionally, they found significant reductions in the chronic low back pain and disability 2 years after injections were performed Spine 29(1):9-16, 2004.
57% improved markedly with 72% improvement in disability scores and 76% in pain in patients with degenerative disc disease Klein et al 2003.
43.3% of patients with severe degenerative disc disease had sustained improvement, with an average improvement or 71%. Miller MR, Mathews RS, Reever KD. Treatment of painful advanced internal disc derangement with intradiscal injection of hypertonic dextrose. Pain Physician 2006 9:115-121.
80% of paients with "failed back syndrome" obtained good to excellent releif of pain following prolotherapy. Patients also reported improvement in work capacity and social functioning. Wilkinson HA Injection therapy for enthesopathies causing axial spine pain and "failed back syndrome": a single blinded, randomized and cross-over study.: Pain Physician, Apr 2005, 8(2) P 167-73.
Arthritis
Knee arthritis: After prolotherapy injections, there was an improvement in pain, swelling, knee buckling and flexion by 44%, 63%, 85% and 14 degrees respecvively. There was also an improvement in X-ray findings. Reeves KD, Hassanein K Randomized prospective double-blind placebo controlled study of dextrose prolotherapy for knee arthritis with or without ACL laxity. Alt Ther Hlth Med 2000;6(2):37-46.Neck Pain
George Hackett presented data in front of the AMA on June 1958 on prolotherapy and cervical whiplash. 82% of patients considered themselves cured.Statistically significant correlations between proliferant injections, a reduction of both cervical flexion and extension translation, as well as a reduction in pain score Christopher J Ceteno, MD, James Elliott, MSPT, PhDc Pain Physician 2005; 8:67-72 Fluoroscopically Guided Cervical prolotherapy for instability with blinded pre and post radiographic reading.
Sports Injuries
92% of career-threatened elite athletes returned to full elite-level performance in a timely and sustainable manner after regenerative therapy using dextrose. Am J. Phys Med Rehabil. 2008;87(11):90-902.Dextrose prolotherapy showed marked efficacy for chronic groin pain in this group of elite rugby and soccer athletes. Topol GA, Reeves KD, Hassanein K. Efficacy of Dextrose Prolotherapy in Elite Male Kicking-Sport Athletes With Chronic Groin Pain. Archives Phys Med Rehabil, 2005;86:697-702.
Knee Pain
Reeves KD Hassanein K Long term effects of dextrose prolotherapy for anterior cruciate ligament laxity; A prospective and consecutive patient study. Alt Ther Hlth Med 2003;9(2): Using simple dextrose injection into 16 knees with loose ACL ligament, 10/16 knees were no longer loose by machine measurement at time of follow-up, and symptoms were improved. Symptoms of osteoarthritis improved even in those who still tested loose.Headaches
Excellent results using prolotherapy for recurring headaches. Dextrose Prolotherapy for Recurring Headaches and Migraine Pain by Ross A. Hauser, MD and Heather McCullough, MA.Tendinitis/Tendinosis
Prolotherapy yielded a significant reduction in pain at rest and during tendon-loading activities--in patients with chronic tendinosis of the Achilles tendon. Maxwell NL, Ryan MB. Sonographically guided intertendinosus injection of hyperosmolar dextrose to treat chronic tendinosis of the Achilles tendon: A pilot study, JR Am J Roentgenol. 2007 Oct; 189(4):W215-20Fibromyalgia
Reduction if pain levels and increased functional abilities were seen in 75% of patients with severe fibromyalgia using prolotherapy. Reeves KD, Treatment of Consecutive Severe Fibromyalgia Patients With Prolotherapy. The Journal of Prthopedic Medicine 16(3):84-89.Prolotherapy Strengthens Tendons and Ligaments
Liu, Y An in situ study of the influence of sclerosing solutions in a rabbit medial colateral ligaments and its junction strength. Connective Tissue Research 1983 2:95-102. He found that after five injections the ligament mass increased by 44%, the tickness by 27% nad the strength of the ligament bone junction increased by 28%. This study showed that prolotherapy actually causes tisswue growth and srrengthening.Maynard J. Morphological and biomechanical effects of sodium morrhuate on tendons. Journal of Orthopedic Research 1985 3: 236-248. Treated rabbit tendons with soduim morrhuate. He found that after six weeks, the diameter of the tendons increased by 20-25%.
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