Journal of Prolotherapy. 2009;2:99-100.
20-Year History
of Chronic Body Pain Cured with Prolotherapy
George H. Kramer, MD
Abstract
This article discusses the case of 57 year-old Bill
B, a dentist, who suffered from chronic pain from
ligamentous laxity and degenerative disc disease in the
cervical, lumbar and thoracic spine. His headaches and
back pain were treated successfully with
Prolotherapy
even after many years of other treatments with failed
results.
Dr. William B. is a 57-year-old dentist who had a 15 or
20 year history of low back, thoracic,
neck pain and
headaches. He had surgery on his spine to relieve
pressure on the spinal cord from bone spurs but he was
left with a lot of pain below that area, to the sacrum
and the hip. He also had chronic neck and thoracic pain.
Extensive treatment over the years included attending a
pain clinic, multiple medications including OxyContin,
Percodan, and Neurontin, radiofrequency ablation of the
facets, nerve root blocks, and facet injections that
were all of little benefit. He had an SI joint injection
at the Mayo Clinic that helped him temporarily. He had a
course of acupuncture that helped some. He went through
an intensive back and neck strengthening program using
computerized strengthening that helped the strength but
did not change his pain level. He tried massage and yoga
that actually increased his pain. An inversion traction
table increased his pain. He had multiple neurology
evaluations and EMG’s that were negative. He did have
hyperreflexia in the lower extremities since his
thoracic surgery.
At the time of his first visit what was most bothersome
was low back and hip pain, right greater than left near
the SI joint. This increased with prolonged standing and
sitting. Secondly, his work as a dentist required him to
be twisted in a bent over position and turning his head
to the right causing left-sided neck pain and
right-sided headaches, which were constant for one and a
half to two months. He had chronic thoracic pain on the
left side below the area of the surgery, which was
constant. This was particularly noted with twisting and
golf. A night splint for TMJ helped his headaches
somewhat. He had difficulty sleeping, had pain in the
low back with standing, pain in the neck and thoracic
area that affected his work especially bending over
patients, and he couldn’t exercise in the gym, or play
golf without significant pain.
An MRI of the thoracic spine showed some mild disc
protrusions in the thoracic area and evidence of
surgery. A lumbar MRI showed degenerative changes at
multiple levels and some degenerative facet changes at
L4-5. His cervical MRI showed C3-4, C4-5 and C5-6 disc
degeneration with foraminal narrowing and bridging at
C5-6.
He really had no change in pain for several years before
his first Prolotherapy visit except for some increase in
his neck pain. He had shoulder surgery in the past and
multiple knee surgeries including ACL reconstruction and
medial and lateral menisectomies. He would get right
intermittent knee pain. On examination he had tenderness
typical of ligament instability and attachment pain over
the cervical facet columns, right greater than left and
at the base of the skull, and right side of the head. He
had some anterior shoulder tenderness and some limited
range of motion of the shoulder. There were degenerative
changes in the knee examination and some evidence of
loss of joint space. He had tenderness at the iliolumbar
and SI ligaments and facet columns L1 to the sacrum that
is typical for ligamentous cause of low back pain. There
was evidence of spinous processes removed from previous
surgery.
He had Prolotherapy to the head attachments, the neck
and the low back. After the first visit, one month
later, he had marked improvement that he stated was
“vast improvement or 80% improvement overall.” He had
very little pain of the vertex of his head and very
little neck pain. He started to have
 some
tightness just prior to follow up visit and the low back
was also much better. He only had some mild coccyx pain
near the tailbone and occasional spasm.
After the second treatment he noticed further
improvement. He had almost no headaches since the second
Prolotherapy treatment. He was quite pleased with his
progress. He reported having some flare in the left
lower thoracic and lumbosacral area if he over
exercised. The patient was instructed in strengthening
exercises. He had a third treatment to the neck and low
back after which he had no return of his headaches, and
had some mild right SI pain with elliptical exerciser
and high resistance training, but he was unable to do
much of any exercise before having Prolotherapy. He
noted some more left low thoracic area and right
shoulder pain. He was treated to the thoracic and right
shoulder and noticed very little pain at follow up. He
was left with some tailbone residual pain, but was
exercising 20-minutes once or twice a day and the
shoulder was much improved. He was treated additionally
with the shoulder and the thoracolumbar area. He
continued to have very little pain in the neck, the low
back and mainly pain the mid thoracolumbar junction
below his surgery. He had two more treatments on his
neck and shoulder. He was able to golf, play
racquetball, do his work as a dentist, and exercise on
elliptical, Stairmaster and lift weights without chronic
pain.
He was quite pleased with his progress and expressed
frustration that he had not found Dr. Kramer and
Prolotherapy 15 years earlier. He continues to practice
dentistry and exercises regularly managing his mild
discomfort well, which was previously incapacitating and
was not helped with any multiple medical interventions
other than Prolotherapy and exercise.
Letter to Dr. Kramer
from Dr. William (Bill) B:
Dr. Kramer,
I would like to tell you about my story. I had back
surgery about 15 years ago, along with two shoulder
surgeries in the past 10 years. I have been through
many programs, steroid injections done in the
hospital, physical therapy programs involving
strenuous exercise. Despite this therapy I still had
constant pain in my back and shoulder. I tried every
exercise to strengthen the area, but the result was
still constant pain. A Russian friend of mine
recommended Prolotherapy which I replied, “I have
never heard of it.” He was an athlete in Russia and
said it was common treatment for athletic injuries.
That’s when I did my research and found Dr. Kramer.
It took several months and repeated treatments, but
I was able to get healing and strength in the area
that was causing pain. Now I am happy to say that I
can go to the gym several times a week without the
painful after affects I used to suffer. If you have
tried many therapies and had no luck, don’t give up,
I didn’t!
Bill B., DDS
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