PRP & PROLOTHERAPY: ATHLETE SUCCESS STORY

At a spring competition, an 11 year old gymnast injured her right knee. As it was the end of the season, she was able to take the summer off and had minimal complaints all summer. Upon returning to her competitive training in September, she started to complain of pain in the same knee and she rated the pain at an 8 on a scale of 1-10. At this point, she was started natural anti-inflammatory and homeopathic remedies which included Ruta & Rhus tox homeopathics, Calc fluor tissue salt, SinewGen, Omega 3’s, hydrotherapy, castor oil packs and Traumeel cream. After an x-ray and an MRI, her pediatrician told her parents that she had a transverse fracture on the inferior patella and a torn patellar tendon. Further interpretation of the MRI estimated that 50% of her patellar tendon was torn. She was referred to a pediatric orthopedic surgeon in Edmonton who recommended rest, physiotherapy and anti-inflammatory medication for 3 months. Upon returning home to Fort McMurray and starting physiotherapy, she experienced increased swelling and pain in the knee. In addition, she felt more strain on her MCL, so her parents investigated prolotherapy and PRP as an option and scheduled a consultation to discuss their options. They also went to another Orthopedic surgeon for a third opinion.

I can relate to this patient’s case on a personal level as in 2002, I fractured my patella playing hockey. At that time, prolotherapy and PRP was not an option, and after trying many different alternative therapies, the most relief and healing I experienced was when I maintained my leg in full extension using a knee brace for two months. I also applied Symphytum salves on a daily basis to help the bone heal. As such, I advised the following:

– continue the natural anti-inflammatory protocol

– Lock the knee in full extension with a Velcro cast and not bend the leg for at least 2 weeks.

– Platelet rich plasma (PRP) treatment

It is interesting to note that the suggestion to lock her knee was also recommended by the second orthopedic specialist. The goal of locking the leg for a short period of time (i.e. 2 weeks versus 2 months) was to prevent muscle wasting. While I locked my leg for two months, the patient was young enough that two weeks seemed sufficient. This specialist also diagnosed her with Sinding-Larsen-Johansson Syndrome. However, the pediatrician, orthopedic specialist and physiotherapist, did not agree with the recommendation of a PRP treatment to her knee. Her parents contacted me and we further discussed the pros and cons of not doing the PRP/prolozone treatment and her parents felt comfortable with proceeding.

Prolotherapy and PRP are also known as “nonsurgical ligament reconstruction” and is a treatment for acute or chronic musculoskeletal pain. The word “Prolo” is short for proliferation as the treatment enhances the growth and formation of new ligaments, tendons and cartilage in areas where there is weakness or excess scar tissue. Any joint in the body can be treated successfully with Prolotherapy/PRP regardless of when the injury happened. PRP is injected in the same manner as Prolotherapy; however, the substance injected is different. About 60ml of blood is drawn from the patient and spun in a specialized centrifuge to separate the blood components and from this platelets are extracted. This platelet component is then injected back into the joint for treatment. This platelet component already has concentrated growth factors that lead to healing of the joint. The treatment is slightly more painful than Prolotherapy, however the healing power is faster, more enhanced and requires less treatments.

Prolozone combines the technique of prolotherapy using a proprietary mixture of ozone (O3) and oxygen (O2) at different strengths to stimulate blood flow to heal damaged areas. This therapy is used to treat neck pain, back pain, arthritic hips and knees, shoulder and elbow pain, degenerated disks, rotator cuff injuries and many more musculoskeletal problems. In fact, according to the official prolozone website, prolozone has a 75% success rate at completely relieving pain! ¹

The first PRP/ prolozone injection was administered to the superior and inferior poles of the right patella, including the quadriceps and patellar tendons in October. Following the treatment, the area was tender and sore which is an expected outcome. It was advised to use ice and Tylenol to control the pain. The following week, the patient’s mother reported that she was doing really well and reported her knee pain had decreased to a 1-2 out of 10 from a previously reported 8/10. The reason for the pain was now muscular due to her legs being sore from the restricted mobility the brace has provided. She was weight bearing really well and walking without the brace periodically, although she still had not bent her knee.

The second prolozone treatment was performed 3 weeks later in the same locations. Four days later, I received a message from her mother that read: “for the first time since the summer, her knee pain is finally at a 0!!!” Approximately two weeks later the physiotherapist who had performed the first knee assessment on the patient was revisited. He remarked that if he had not known the case and had not done the initial assessment himself, he would not have believed the fact that she now had a perfectly healthy knee. He could not find anything wrong on the follow up assessment, which was less than 2 months after the original prolozone/PRP treatment. The patient has returned to her gymnastics with no further complaints of knee pain.

For more information on please visit:

1. http://drmasonwood.com/treatments/injection-therapies/prolozone-therapy/

2. http://drmasonwood.com/treatments/injection-therapies/prolotherapy-and-prp

3 Reasons why Prolotherapy treatments surpass cortisone injections

3 Reasons why Prolotherapy treatments surpass cortisone injections By Dr. Michael Mason-Wood

Have you ever injured yourself? Torn a ligament? Twisted an ankle? Separated a shoulder? If you weren’t healing and were experiencing inflammation, the likely treatment option offered by your medical doctor would be a cortisone injection. Cortisone is a powerful anti-inflammatory injection. But, what if this treatment is actually counter-productive to the long term healing effects you are seeking. Enter Prolotherapy. Prolotherapy also known as “nonsurgical ligament reconstruction” is a treatment for chronic musculoskeletal pain. The word “Prolo” is short for proliferation as Prolotherapy treatment enhances the growth and formation of new ligaments, tendons and cartilage in areas where there is weakness or excess scar tissue. There are three reasons why prolotherapy treatments surpass cortisone injections:

Prolotherapy rebuilds tissue and over the long term, cortisone can be destructive to tissue. With prolotherapy the initial reaction of the treatment is localized inflammation triggering a wound healing cascade leading to increased blood supply and flow of nutrients and growth factors. This stimulates the tissue to repair itself by deposition of new collagen, the material that ligaments and tendons are made of. The new collagen then shrinks as it matures leading to ligament/tendon tightening and increased strength.
There are no negative side effects to prolotherapy and cortisone injections can cause long term nerve damage. I recently had a patient who had a cortisone injection in January 2016 and eight months later, he is still experiencing numbness in his patellar tendon where the cortisone was injected. Other long term consequences of cortisone injections include¹: thinning of the skin, easy bruising, weight gain, puffiness of the face, higher blood pressure, cataract formation, thinning of the bones (osteoporosis) and rare but serious damage to the bones of the large joints (called “avascular necrosis”).
A prolotherapy treatment is not as painful as a cortisone injection while it is administered. While many are nervous about injection therapies, administration of a prolotherapy treatment is not very painful. Many patients are pleasantly surprised with the treatment, especially if they have previously had a cortisone injection. There may be pain and discomfort after the treatment as the healing process is activated, but this is typically short-lived.

Call 587-521-3595 or book online to set up an appointment today – it is time you are pain free!

References:

http://www.webmd.com/arthritis/what-are-cortisone-shots

Free yourself from pain with these 5 tips!

5 tips on how to relieve pain naturally

No one likes pain. Yet many of us live with it daily, accepting there is nothing we can do. There are solutions that are quick, effective and have little to no side-effects.

Dr. Mason-Wood is a Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine at Natural Terrain Naturopathic Clinic and specializes in pain management.

The reason why Naturopathic Medicine is so effective at treating health issues is because they are your best and biggest health advocate. They work with patients to develop treatment plans that fit their health goals. As well, they pin-point the cause of health issues. You wouldn’t want to fix a fence by painting it, right? You would want to look at the foundation, the source of the problem and then address it accordingly.

1. Learn to deep breathe and meditate.

Various studies have demonstrated that perception of pain can be significantly reduced by mindful meditation sessions that help calm the nervous system.

Try this simple meditation:

Find a comfortable position with your back upright and hands resting where they feel relaxed. Put the tongue to the roof of your mouth.
Try to become as relaxed as possible. Feel the sensations of your body and relax areas of tightness. Breathe through your nose.
Begin to tune into your breath. Feel the natural flow of air, in and out. Try to feel where one breath begins and the other ends – steadily slowing down your breath when it feels right while bringing your breath down to your abdomen. It is important that you match the rhythm of your in breath to your out breath.
Try to focus on only your breath. When your mind wanders, try to continuously bring it back to your breath and the present moment.
Continue for at least 5 minutes. When you feel lost in your thoughts, come back to only your breath. Repeat this exercise daily for added health benefits.

2. Use positive affirmations.

These are affirmations that you can say to yourself to help relax. Acknowledge that you are afraid, but you are not actually in danger. For example “I’m okay, this is my fear of needles but I have the power to get over it!”

3. Try acupressure.

An ancient Chinese healing method that involves applying pressure with the fingers or hands on certain points of the body. Acupressure can be used to reduce anxiety and stress prior to needle injections.

Some pressure points to use on your own:

PC 6: Measure down with three fingers from your wrist. Where your third finger touches the middle of your wrist is the acupuncture point know as PC6. Take your thumb and apply firm pressure to this point until you feel mild discomfort. Only apply enough pressure to interrupt the normal blood flow but not too much that it causes pain. Hold this pressure point and gently knead your thumb in a tight circular motion for about 2 minutes. Do this to both wrists and you will feel a reduction in anxiety.

Ears: Gently massage your ears with your thumb and forefinger. There is no exact pressure point, simply give yourself a relaxing ear massage. Pull down gently on the lobes and rub the inner surface of the ear for about 2 minutes.

4. Reward yourself.

If you managed to successfully get an injection that you would have normally missed due to fear, reward yourself! You will begin to associate the needle with a positive reward, not with pain or fear.

5. Do your research.

Learn more about injection treatments and considering the benefits that you will achieve from this form of therapy as they definitely outweigh a small needle prick.

Injection therapies involve the injection of various substances (such as homeopathics, ozone, procaine and dextrose) into areas of pain. This promotes a localized response that activates the immune system and other body systems to repair and rebuild areas that are damaged. This is the most common treatment used in pain management at Natural Terrain and we see it completely change patients’ lives. There are numerous injection therapies that can be performed as part of a pain management program such as: prolotherapy, PRP therapy, prolozone therapy, biopuncture, neural therapy, and many others.
Prolotherapy is also known as “nonsurgical ligament reconstruction” and is a treatment for chronic musculoskeletal pain. The word “Prolo” is short for proliferation as Prolotherapy treatment enhances the growth and formation of new ligaments, tendons and cartilage in areas where there is weakness or excess scar tissue.
Prolozone therapy is a non-surgical reconstructive treatment for ligament and joint damage.
Biopuncture is a natural therapy that involves the injection of dilute botanical and homeopathic substances into areas of acute or chronic pain to stimulate the natural healing response of the body. The injections are done at very specific areas of pain and inflammation to promote a local immune response that stimulates the body’s innate ability to heal itself.
Neural therapy is a simple, safe injection therapy which balances the central nervous system (CNS); specifically the autonomic nervous system. The CNS controls the entire body and disturbances of it can affect all other bodily systems. These body systems include: breathing, heart rate, body temperature, circulation, digestion, lymphatic and every other bodily function.

Common conditions treated with injection therapies:

Neck pain
Back pain
Sciatica
Ankle pain
Shoulder pain
Tendinitis
Sprains & Strains

Joint pain
Nerve pain
Arthritis
Fibromyalgia
Female gynaecological complaints
Shingles
Migraines
Irritable bowel syndrome

Are you afraid of needles?

That fear may be the barrier against healing chronic pain. For most people, a little needle doesn’t seem so bad – but for 20% of the population needle fear is a big problem. Those who are afraid of needles can benefit by learning how to manage their emotional states toward injections and move past their fears in order to live pain-free!

Why are needles so frightening?

We are naturally selected to protect ourselves against danger associated with bodily harm. Our brains help us by responding to harmful situations through escape. We are programmed to do so because evolution has allowed anything that threatens our safety and health to increase activation in our amygdala; a region of the brain important in emotional reaction, decision-making, and memory.

If you felt fear or anxiety from a needle the last time you experienced it, it’s likely that you experienced a heightened-state of awareness and activation of memory formation in the amygdala.

This explains why you may have a strong association with needles and fear. Your fear is not irrational; it is simply human nature at its best! The question is can we find a way to override this evolutionary response? Absolutely, yes!

How can we override this fear response?

Before explaining how we can change our response to needle fear, it is important to give some background information on our response to pain and why we are in more control of it than we may have thought. The gate control theory of pain demonstrates how signals from pain receptors are controlled in two directions – one from the spinal cord/pain receptors toward the brain AND to our benefit, one from the brain down to the spinal cord. Through activating inhibitory fibers from the brain acting on pain neurons – emotional states and thoughts can really impact our perception of pain.

Often this is why those who are focused on an activity, like an intense basketball game, do not feel the pain of an ankle sprain until after the game. On the other hand, people who are anxious focus on the pain and find it difficult to cope. Our brain sends messages through descending fibers that can actually reduce or amplify the transmission of pain signals through the gate, depending on the thoughts and emotional state of the person.

By calming our emotions or focusing on something other than the injection, we dampen our sensation of pain and may not even feel anything at all!

Start your journey to relieve chronic pain naturally

Book with Dr. Mason-Wood today

Call the clinic

References:

http://www.spine-health.com/blog/mindful-meditation-vs-chronic-pain

http://www.spine-health.com/conditions/chronic-pain/gate-control-theory-chronic-pain-action

http://thebrain.mcgill.ca/flash/d/d_04/d_04_cr/d_04_cr_peu/d_04_cr_peu.html

http://www.mindful.org/a-five-minute-breathing-meditation/

http://www.finebalanceacupuncture.com/2011/04/acupressure-for-instant-anxiety-relief/

http://www.calmclinic.com/anxiety/stop-anxiety-quickly

Meet Dr. Michael Mason-Wood, ND

Dr. Mason-Wood is a Naturopathic Doctor who is truly passionate about helping people achieve greater health.

His philosophy is to treat every patient as a unique individual in order to design a treatment plan that will be most suited to their needs. Check out his bio for more information.

We asked Dr. Mason-Wood, ND some informal questions so you can find out more about your Naturopathic Doctor.

How long have you worked at Natural Terrain?

I started the business in November of 2003 in Whitehorse since where I was born and raised in the Yukon.

Tell us about yourself

It wasn’t until my 8th year of post-secondary school that I really knew what I wanted to do, meaning I took 12 years of post-secondary!

In my spare time I love gardening and then cooking what I’ve grown, as well as fixing things that are broken. When I have time for TV I have been watching Narcos, Riverdale, Law and Order, Hawaii 5-0, recently started InHumans. I also love watching curling.

What area of natural medicine are you passionate about?

Pain management, anti-aging, environmental medicine and hormonal problems.

Tell us about an extraordinary experience working with a patient while working as a Naturopathic Doctor

One patient in particular struggled with pain for 20 years. After treatments, he was pain free, had more energy and was able to live his life again. It was great being able to help give someone get their life back.

What is your favourite part of working at Natural Terrain?

It is a busy clinic and with that comes days going by fast, so it is never boring.

What is one thing you think customers need to know about Natural Terrain?

We strive to keep patients happy & help them feel better than when they first came in the clinic.

What is one thing you’d like people to know about Naturopathic Medicine?

It is work, there is no magic pill and to get better takes following our guidance. At the end of the day, it is the patient who is ultimately in control of their health and we are just there to guide them on this journey.

Tell us one thing you do daily to stay healthy

No processed foods, most of what we eat is made from scratch. This takes a lot of time to prepare and cook a good meal, but it is worth it. I usually spend 1 – 1.5 hours every day on our family meals.

What is one thing about living in Edmonton that makes it unique?

I love my bike ride to work in the summer. I find it relaxing as it is through the trails with a couple of nice hills to give me a challenge.

What is YOUR super power?

In school I was known as a combination of Macgyver and Martha Stewart, as I could fix or construction almost anything from scrap parts.

My philosophy is to treat every patient as a unique individual in order to design a treatment plan that will be most suited to their needs.

Preventing Falls

This article as been written by the Orthomolecular Medicine News Service and is posted with their permission. The peer-reviewed Orthomolecular Medicine News Service is a non-profit and non-commercial informational resource. Please subscribe to OMNS here http://orthomolecular.org/subscribe.html and find archived articles here; http://orthomolecular.org/resources/omns/index.shtml

Preventing Falls, a serious matter: One in four falls in the elderly proves fatal.

by Ralph K. Campbell, M.D.

If one looks around, it is easy to observe that aging is an individual thing, many times without a direct relationship to chronological age. Mental stress is a big factor in developing what we call aging. When we get worse in associating names with faces, this might foretell a need to think about the gradual decline in physical and mental functions. We say, “He is losing his grip”; yes, in muscles but also in ability and often in attitude. It is easy to observe problems that derive from diminishing sex hormone levels: hot flashes in women and some rearrangement of body fat around the waist, and an overly-emphasized diminished libido in men. The less obvious, but more significant, effect in men is diminished muscle strength and muscle wasting when testosterone levels fall. A similar effect of muscle weakening with age exists in women.[1] But we know that using muscles is an excellent way to slow the wasting process.

Nutrients help

It has been shown that, with age, one has a diminished ability to make creatinine, a precursor of ATP, responsible for muscle strength. Fortunately there is creatinine in supplement form; so it can be used in conjunction with the “use it or lose it” principle. [2-5] Other supplements of essential nutrients may also help, including the B vitamins, vitamin D, and omega-3 fatty acids. Excellent nutrition including adequate amounts of vitamins and essential nutrients is known to be important for maintaining weight, muscle mass, and cardiovascular health. [6-8] Vitamins C and E are necessary, especially in older people, to maintain skin, joints, muscles, blood vessels, and many organs including nerves and the brain. [9] And to get the most improvement with exercise, it’s important to eat enough protein.

Muscle sense

Proprioception is a kind of muscle sense through nerve endings in muscles that are stimulated by contraction. With age, we gradually lose the sense of proprioception. We have difficulty going down stairs while carrying a load that obscures our vision as we wonder “where did that next step go,” or “just where is my foot?” In our youth, proprioception automatically did the “looking” for us. Just walking on an uneven surface now can cause confusion. A substitute for healthy proprioception is a must for those experiencing aging, and that is having – and using – a hand rail next to steps. With one hand on a railing, one can feel better oriented in space. The ease of negotiating steps may vary. There will be times in which we are only comfortable when taking baby steps. So be it. After all, we are in our second childhood.

The eyes have it

Cataract formation (opacity of the lens of the eye) is common in older folks. We have enjoyed eye-dominance — the brain’s reliance on seeing the world around us — all our lives. When we change our focus from one object to the other, we almost instantaneously zero in with our dominant eye as the other eye follows. The greater the difference in visual acuity between the eyes, the longer the lag time that provides a moment of “where am I?” Proper depth perception depends on eyes, with similar acuity, working together. When vision is quite poor in one eye, we lose stereoscopic vision or depth perception. Again, an irregular surface can present a problem, as one might not detect the irregularity in time to avoid it. Adequate doses of essential nutrients from an excellent diet and supplements, including the B vitamins, and vitamins C, D, and E, omega-3 fatty acids, zinc, and magnesium, are essential to maintain health of the eyes as we age. [10]

Ears, brain and balance

An easy test to demonstrate that balance “ain’t what it used to be” is to try standing on just one leg. Since you might not do too well, try this in a place where you have something to grab onto if you start to fall. This deterioration of balance is made worse by a sudden change in position, probably due to deterioration of function of the semi-circular canals of the inner ear. These act like gyroscopes to tell you just where you are in space—something automatic that we often don’t think about. There may be a connection between hearing loss and the workings of the inner ear. So if you have hearing loss, it might be better to be checked out by an ENT doctor, who can also evaluate inner ear function, before being fitted with a hearing aid.

Blood circulation

Arising from a sleeping position too quickly may cause hypotension or even fainting. There are sensors in the carotid arteries (in the neck) that are designed to immediately kick in to avoid even momentary inadequate blood supply to the brain. However, these sensors don’t function as well in the elderly, and often the carotid arteries are not as open as they used to be. So make that position change more slowly. Take stock of what you safely can do and what you can’t. If you feel hesitant to get on a ladder, don’t.

Maybe you think like I do: I don’t as much fear falling as I do landing. I might slip on the ice. But I would much rather fall forward and risk breaking a wrist, than backwards and hit my head which can produce a concussion or, more subtly, cause bleeding entrapped by the covering of the brain (cephalohematoma) which may amount to real neurological trouble soon after. This problem develops much more readily in those on a daily aspirin regimen. The rigid, boney skull, of course, stops suddenly as it hits the hard surface, but the brain inside moves abruptly, which might cause blood vessels to tear. The bleeding may rapidly come to a stop unless enhanced by aspirin, which inhibits the first step in coagulation of blood—clumping of platelets.

Dietary recommendations

Eat a lower-carb diet, which will prevent bone mineral loss from too high sugar intake
Try intermittent fasting to increase growth hormone levels
Do squats and other weight-bearing exercises.

Summary

Your balance will be better sometimes than at others. Don’t worry about being slow, since the alternative spells trouble. Rather, just give full attention to the task at hand and be thankful for what you can do. You can focus on eating an excellent diet, which means eating colorful vegetables, nuts, unprocessed whole foods, moderate amounts of meat and fish, and adequate doses of supplements of essential nutrients. And you can get adequate, appropriate exercise.

“We get too soon old and too late smart,” says the old proverb. Movement with healthy awareness and healthy nutrition can help us get smarter a lot sooner and older maybe a tad later. Let us help you! Call 587-521-3595 to schedule an appointment today!

References:

References are available online at http://orthomolecular.org/resources/omns/v14n24.shtml