Many an athlete has retired prematurely because of bad knees

Your knees take a lot of abuse.  So much so that some say the design of the knees are flawed because there is no way that they can stand up to the years of wear-and-tear that they go through.

Knee pain and injuries are a significant part of my practice and I see a wide variety of different patients with knee problems.  Some are young and have growing pains such as in Osgood-Schlatter’s disease.  Others are older and have various degrees of arthritis and degeneration of the knee joint and may be coming to see what can be done naturally to avoid having knee replacement surgery.

Common conditions I see are related to damage or instability of the connective tissues such as the ligaments or the meniscus.  Also, repetitive strain injuries from sports cause the development of bursitis or tendonitis in the knee.

The good news is that prolotherapy can effectively treatment the vast majority of these conditions.  Prolotherapy is so effective that after courses of successful treatments and healing, I have had several patients who have been able to cancel their previously scheduled knee surgeries.

So before you give up the sports that you enjoy playing or resign yourself to knee surgery, consider prolotherapy as a viable treatment option.

Anti-inflammatories may be damaging your joints

The cover story of the most recent issue of the Journal of Prolotherapy features the connection between ligaments, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (known as NSAIDs), and degenerative osteoarthritis.

Common NSAIDs include Aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), naproxen (Aleve), and Celebrex.  Acetaminophen (Tylenol) is not included in this group of drugs because it is a pain killer but not an anti-inflammatory.

NSAIDs are some of the most commonly used medications.  About 20-30% of elderly people regularly use NSAIDs for conditions including osteoarthritis.  However, long-term use of NSAIDs has many negative side effects including liver toxicity, stomach and gastrointestinal damage, cardiovascular disease, and even death.

The irony is that NSAIDs actually accelerate the arthritis that they are being used for.  They stop the body’s ability to stimulate the building blocks for cartilage in the joints.  This causes the breakdown of joints and the progression of osteoarthritis in your hips and knees, thus increasing the need for more joint replacement surgeries.

Instead of using NSAIDs on a long-term basis to mask the symptoms of joint disease, consider eating a healthier diet free from trans fats, adopting moderate exercise, and using prolotherapy to stimulate joint repair and tissue growth.