Chronic back pain is a very common problem and particularly in the occupational health setting. From time to time we hear of doctors recommending prolotherapy for patients with chronic back pain. This type of procedure has been around for a long time but has been quite controversial. It involves injecting ligaments in the back with sugars and anaesthetics in the hope that this would somehow produce some sort of healing process by causing acute inflammation in the area injected. People who support this suggest it helps produce stronger ligaments that better support the back.

The treatments are sometimes combined with spinal manipulation exercises and cortisone-type injections into muscles.

An updated Cochrane review this year Link.... looked at trials of this type of treatment. There were only five studies worth looking at, and they either included the prolotherapy injections, or prolotherapy with manipulation exercise and other treatments.

Three of these studies showed that this treatment had no benefit. Two other studies found that when combined with manipulation exercises and other treatments for back pain there may be some benefit. There were also some side-effects which includes increased back pain and back stiffness.

The authors concluded that the role of this type of treatment is not clear. Our impression is that is probably doesn’t really have any benefit at all, but as a last resort treatment it may be worth considering, but not repeatedly if there is no significant gain.

If you would like more information feel free to come to the next Merrylands and District Rehabilitation Interest Group. This is listed under our Training News on each of our web pages. Or you can contact: sheridan.hedges-gillham@qoh.com.au