I have heard of steroid injections. Is prolotherapy the same thing?

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Prolotherapy and steroid injections are TOTALLY DIFFERENT. Steroid injections suppress inflammation and take away the pain and swelling from the injection area. Long term studies have shown that steroids and anti-inflammatory medications like the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) actually weaken the body tissue in the long term because they suppress inflammation and therefore remove our body’s own healing ability.1  It is well-known that steroid carries the risks of tendon rupture or bone necrosis if the injections are administered repeatedly to the same area.

On the other hand, prolotherapy solutions, be it growth factors production stimulants (e.g. dextrose and lignocaine solution) or growth factors (e.g. Platelet Rich Plasma), actually strengthen the ligaments and tendons by stimulating the growth of natural normal tissues.

我曾聽說過類固醇注射，是否就是保絡治療？

保絡治療與類固醇注射截然不同。

保絡治療與類固醇注射截然不同。雖然類固醇注射可消腫止痛，它會抑制炎症反應，根據長期的研究顯示，長時間使用類固醇或非類固醇類消炎劑 (NSAIDs) 會使身體的纖維組織變弱。因為這些藥物抑制炎症的同時也抑制了人體的修復能力。眾所周知，若在同一部位反覆注射類固醇可導致肌腱斷裂或骨壞死。

然而，保絡治療，不論是使用生長因子的刺激物（如葡萄糖 + 利諾卡因液 lignocaine）或生長因子（如濃縮了的血小板血清），其實是通過刺激正常的組織生長來起到增強韌帶、肌腱和軟骨的作用。