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The UK's Leading Prolotherapy & Prolozone Therapy Clinic

Prolozone Therapy: An Advanced Form Of Prolotherapy

About Prolozone Therapy

What is Prolozone Therapy? It is an advanced form of prolotherapy in the UK which has built a reputation for achieving results when all other treatments have failed. Published research indicates that it supports the recovery of and strengthens the following structures of the body: joints, cartilage, spinal discs, muscles, ligaments, tendons, nerves, meniscus, labrum, and bursa. We treat all areas of the body, including the head, neck, jaw, back, shoulders, knees, hips, arms, legs, elbows, wrists, fingers, ankles, feet, toes, pelvis, ribs, sacroiliac joints, sacrum, coccyx, acromioclavicular (AC) joint, and sternoclavicular (SC) joint.

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What is the difference between Prolozone Therapy and standard Prolotherapy in the UK?

Prolozone Therapy uses a concentrated form of oxygen. Standard Prolotherapy in the UK uses an irritant in the form of sugar (dextrose solution) to cause an inflammatory response. This inflammatory response helps to stimulate healing but has the following limitations: Standard dextrose prolotherapy can be extremely painful and sometimes requires gas and air during the procedure. The pain experienced during a Prolozone Therapy procedure is minimal.

It takes much longer to reach the repair phase with standard dextrose Prolotherapy, meaning that Prolozone Therapy achieves results in a faster time-frame.

Standard dextrose Prolotherapy requires many appointments, whereas Prolozone Therapy only requires a few, making it much less expensive for the patient.

Prolozone Therapy also has the ability to spread further around the treatment site, meaning it not only has a positive effect on the injury itself, but also the surrounding tissues and joints that may also have been under strain due to compensation.

Our patients have reported Prolozone Therapy has helped them to achieve results where standard dextrose Prolotherapy has either failed or only provided temporary relief.

PLEASE NOTE: We do also offer standard dextrose Prolotherapy for individuals who would prefer to have it for any reason.

Why Choose Us?

  • Extensive Experience – Our award-winning clinic has been performing Prolozone Therapy longer than any other clinic in the UK. Over 10,000 injections have been performed to date. We have had the privilege of treating many elite-level athletes, including both Olympic and Commonwealth medallists.
  • Increased Safety & Comfort – Our extensive experience has inspired the development of our unique, safer injection approach called the ProloSafe® Technique, which requires the use of smaller needles compared to what is normally used by other clinics.
  • Longer Lasting Results – If deemed appropriate, we prescribe tailored exercise programs alongside the treatment to help to strengthen and stabilise the muscles around the injection site.
  • Comprehensive Examination – We use precision biomechanical scanning technology to help accurately identify misalignments, imbalances, and areas of inflammation in the body that fail to show up on MRI and X-ray scans. Spending up to 90 minutes during each appointment with our patients gives us the time to carefully identify and treat these issues during the same appointment as the injections. This combined approach significantly enhances the results achieved from the injections and prevents an individual’s symptoms from returning.
  • Trusted Technology – Much of the treatment and examination technology we use at the clinic is used by elite professional sports teams, including Manchester United FC and the Team GB Olympic Team.

Prolotherapy UK awards

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Patient Reviews

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PRACTITIONER - Mr Oliver Eaton BSc (Hons) Ost Med, PG.Cert

Having performed over 10,000 procedures, Mr Eaton is one of the UK’s leading practitioners in the field of Prolotherapy and Prolozone Therapy, with patients travelling to see him from across the UK, Europe, and the Middle East.

He first trained in Prolozone Therapy and Prolotherapy in America with the American Academy of Ozonotherapy and continued on to complete further training with the Royal Society of Medicine, Charing Cross Hospital in London, Keele University’s Anatomy & Surgical Training Centre, and the medical department of Heidelberg University in Germany.

Mr Eaton developed his treatment and examination approach through the process of treating his own chronic pain and is committed to making sure his patients experience the same life-changing effects that his treatments had on him.

Over the years he has had the privilege of treating many elite-level athletes, including both Olympic and Commonwealth medallists.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the success rate of prolotherapy and prolozone therapy?

Our clinical audits show that 95% of our patients experience results with our treatment.

Our success rate is higher than typically stated in studies, as we often combine the treatment with other advanced rehabilitation treatments within the same appointment as the injections to enhance the results.

For the 5% of patients who fail to experience results, we help point them in the direction of another practitioner or therapy that may be able to help.

How long does it take for the treatment to work?

The speed at which an individual starts to experience symptom relief depends on the type of condition or injury they have when they come in to see us.

Some patients experience relief after a few hours, some after a few days, and some not until a few weeks after their third appointment. 70% of our patients start to experience results after just one appointment.

What happens during a Prolotherapy consultation and examination?

Your practitioner will start by taking down a full medical case history. This will involve asking you detailed questions about your current symptoms and any previous conditions or incidents that may have had an influence.

Many individuals come to see us because they have failed to experience relief with other therapies. Sometimes, we find that the issue wasn’t necessarily with the other therapies themselves but with the practitioner performing that therapy, who may not have accurately assessed and examined the individual properly to start with and, therefore, not applied the therapy appropriately.

This is why we conduct a thorough examination using precision biomechanical technology to help identify issues and imbalances in the body that previous practitioners may not have identified. The information that our technology provides helps us to perform more targeted and effective treatment for our patients.

Is prolotherapy offered on the NHS?

Unfortunately, the treatment isn’t offered on the NHS at this point in time.

What is the recovery period after each injection?

Most patients can resume their daily activities straight away after the treatment. However, modifying any strenuous activity for a few days is advised.

Are there any side effects?

It is normal to experience pain and discomfort around the procedure site for a few days as part of the repair process, but it shouldn’t stop you from continuing your daily activities.

It is common to experience temporary bruising at the treatment site. For the first 6-12 hours after the procedure, an ice pack may help for no longer than 10 minutes at a time. Thereafter, only heat is advised.

Do I have to avoid doing anything after the treatment?

We advise you to avoid public hot tubs, swimming pools, and lakes for three days following each appointment to prevent the treatment site from being exposed to bacteria. You are allowed to shower or bathe during this time.

How safe is the treatment?

According to the International Scientific Committee of Ozone Therapy, Ozone does not cause side effects or allergic reactions and generally does not interact with other drugs.

When administered in tailored amounts by a qualified practitioner, the chances of experiencing adverse reactions are extremely small. For example, a German study on 384,775 patients evaluating the adverse side effects of over five million treatment appointments found that the rate of adverse side effects was only 0.0007 per application.

Will I get treatment on the first visit?

We always leave enough time during your first visit for treatment. If you are a complex case and multiple areas need treating, then please notify the receptionist upon booking, as you may require a double-slot appointment.

How long has the treatment been around?

The treatment has been used in Europe since the 1950s. It is most commonly used in Germany, where over 7,000 practitioners offer it to help provide chronic musculoskeletal symptom relief.

Does prolotherapy actually work?

Multiple peer-reviewed research studies have proven the effects of dextrose prolotherapy injections and prolozone therapy.

How long does prolotherapy last?

Most individuals experience permanent results, although some structures, such as cartilage, require annual single-appointment top-up treatments.

What can go wrong with prolotherapy?

As it is a non-medicinal substance, side effects are low. The most common are bruising and temporary discomfort around the treatment site.

What is the average cost of prolotherapy?

Prolotherapy injections cost as little as £245. The price will depend on how many areas you are having treatment.

Is prolotherapy a permanent fix?

This depends on your complaint, age, medical history and how well the body can heal and repair itself.

What not to do after prolotherapy?

Resting the area and avoiding swimming pools for at least 3 days after treatment is advised. This is general advice for any type of injection therapy.

Who is a good candidate for prolotherapy?

Published research indicates that it supports the recovery of and strengthens the following structures of the body: joints, cartilage, spinal discs, muscles, ligaments, tendons, nerves, meniscus, labrum, and bursa. We treat all areas of the body, including the head, neck, jaw, back, shoulders, knees, hips, arms, legs, elbows, wrists, fingers, ankles, feet, toes, pelvis, sacroiliac joints, sacrum, and coccyx.

How painful is prolotherapy?

Depending on your pain threshold and complaint, dextrose Prolotherapy treatment can be very uncomfortable for some people as it involves the injection of an irritant solution. Prolozone Therapy, on the other hand, is much more tolerable.

Is prolotherapy a quackery?

No, an extensive number of comprehensive studies prove its effectiveness.   

Who is not a candidate for prolotherapy injections?

Individuals with acute medical conditions such as infectious diseases.

What clinic locations do you have?

We have clinics in London, Manchester and Bedford.

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Guide to Prolotherapy

This is a list of what is included in the guide:

  1. Definition of Prolotherapy
  2. Benefits of Prolotherapy
  3. Types of Prolotherapy Injections
  4. How does prolotherapy work?
  5. How is a Prolotherapy injection performed?
  6. How often do I need the treatment?
  7. Do Prolotherapy injections hurt?
  8. Prolotherapy aftercare
  9. Prolotherapy cost
  10. History of Prolotherapy
  11. How to find Prolotherapy near me
  12. Prolotherapy for Hypermobility

Definition of Prolotherapy

What is prolotherapy? It makes sense to start off with a definition according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary:

“Prolotherapy is a non-surgical regenerative treatment. Short for “proliferation” therapy, Prolotherapy works by stimulating the body’s own natural healing process to assist the repair of injured musculoskeletal tissue.”

Benefits

The use of prolotherapy involves-

Pain: Prolotherapy helps to assist the recovery of an injured structure and address the root cause of an individual’s pain, which then helps to prevent it from returning.

Repair: When an injury occurs, the body stimulates a natural process to attempt to repair the damaged tissue. Most soft tissue and connective tissue injuries will heal on their own this way. For those that don’t, outside help is needed. This is where prolotherapy helps natural healing response of the body.

Studies have indicated that Prolotherapy injection therapy helps to increase the number of healing compounds and growth factors in an injured area or joint, providing additional tools for the damaged tissue to repair.

Improves tissue strength: Both soft tissue and connective tissue structures in the body can suffer from weakness and laxity. This is often due to a lack of blood circulation, the most common being ligaments, tendons, discs, and meniscus. Research has indicated that Prolotherapy helps to strengthen the fibres within these structures which can help in pain reduction.

Improves stability: The main tissue structures involved in keeping a joint stable are ligaments and tendons. If they are weak, the laxity can cause a joint to move at angles that it wasn’t designed to. This can eventually lead to injury. Prolotherapy involves reinforcing the fibres of ligaments and tendons, ensuring that they can perform their job of stabilising a joint properly during movement. An example of a ligament is the iliolumbar ligament in the back. If this is weak, then it can lead to low back pain. An example of a tendon is the supraspinatus tendon, which is part of the rotator cuff complex.

Improve function and mobility: By repairing and strengthening the tissues within and around a joint using prolotherapy, function and mobility is therefore restored.

Reduces stiffness in muscles: The cause of muscle stiffness is often due to laxity in neighbouring ligaments as they have to work harder to compensate and stabilise a joint. Research has indicated that the prolotherapy helps to improve the strength of ligaments which then helps to take the workload of muscles and reduce stiffness as a result.

Tendon relaxation treated by prolotherapy involves the injection of a solution, often containing dextrose or other natural substances, directly into the affected tendon or ligament. This injection triggers a controlled inflammatory response, prompting the body to initiate the healing process. Over time, as the new collagen forms and matures, it effectively tightens and reinforces the relaxed tendon, improving its stability and function while alleviating associated discomfort.

Types of Prolotherapy

Dextrose Prolotherapy –   a sugar solution is used in the form of dextrose to act as an irritant. Its aim is to induce an inflammatory response in an attempt to stimulate the release of healing compounds.

Prolozone Therapy – uses an activated form of oxygen called Medical Ozone (O3) to stimulate the release of healing compounds, without having to induce an inflammatory response.

 

Types of prolotherapy showing medical ozone and dextrose

How does prolotherapy work?

To first understand how prolotherapy works, it’s important to understand why many chronic musculoskeletal pain conditions struggle to heal on their own and why physical therapy or other injection protocols fail to provide pain relief.

One of the most common reasons is that the ligaments and tendons around an injured area are weak and aren’t able to provide a stable environment for the injury to heal properly. That injured area may be a joint, muscle, spinal disc, or even a ligament and tendon injury. Whether it’s low back pain, neck pain, Achilles tendinopathy or knee pain, if those structures neighbouring ligaments and tendons are weak, then that structure will struggle to heal properly.

As previously explained, the reason why ligaments and tendons can become weak is because they both have a poor blood supply. On top of that, as we age, general blood circulation becomes less efficient due to the thickening and stiffening of our blood vessels. This means that over time, ligaments and tendons don’t have the capacity to stay as strong as they once were, as they aren’t receiving the same level of oxygen and nutrients from their blood supply anymore.

Collagen fibres of ligaments and tendons

Ligaments and tendons are made of collagen. Collagen is the most abundant protein in the body and is a core component of many different structures in the body.

Prolotherapy helps to stimulate the production of fibroblasts, which then brings about the deposition of new collagen fibres. When new collagen matures, it shrinks. This shrinking process helps tighten ligaments and tendons, resulting in increased strength and stability and reduced joint pain.

Treating these structures around the site of an injury using prolotherapy helps to create a stable environment for the injury to heal properly. It fixes the main issue that was preventing the injury from healing on its own or with physical therapy.

How is a Prolotherapy injection performed?

There are two types of areas in the body where prolotherapy can be performed: intra-articular or extra-articular.

An intra-articular injection is an injection performed into the middle of a joint. It is typically used to treat joint and muscle pain caused by internal structures, such as cartilage with knee osteoarthritis or a sprain of an internal weakened ligament. Examples of internal ligaments are the cruciate ligaments in the knee.

 

Diagram of internal ligaments that an injection can treat

Meniscus injuries in the knee can also be treated with an intra-articular injection.

Extra-articular injections are performed into connective tissue structures outside of a joint, such as external ligaments, tendons, muscles, and bursa. An example of external ligaments is the capsular ligaments of the spine, which wrap around the outside of each spinal joint. Weakness in these ligaments can lead to neck discomfort and low back pain. An example of a tendon is the Achilles tendon. When it becomes inflamed, it is referred to as Achilles tendinopathy.

 

Prolotherapy doctor pointing towards the ligaments of the spine

Do prolotherapy injections hurt?

It is normal to experience a brief, sharp scratch as the needle first pierces the skin during prolotherapy. To reduce this sensation, many practitioners will use a cold spray to numb the prolotherapy injection site.

The sensation experienced during the procedure differs from patient to patient. Some experience no pain at all, and others can experience a bee-sting-type sensation that can last for up to a couple of minutes. That sting is then likely to turn into a dull ache, which subsides within five minutes. The sensation is different for different body areas. An individual with low back pain, for example, can experience a sensation of pressure as the prolotherapy injection is performed. In comparison, an individual with neck discomfort can experience more of a sting.

The usual pattern is, the more inflamed an injury is, the more discomfort an individual is likely to experience during the procedure. As mentioned previously, Dextrose prolotherapy is known to be considerably more painful than prolozone injections.

It is important to be aware that there are many ways that your practitioner can reduce the pain of the prolotherapy injections if needed. This will be discussed during your consultation.

Treatment Aftercare

The following information is advised after each appointment:

  • If the injection site is sore, then you can use an ice pack during the first 6-12 hours after the procedure. Do not use it for any longer than 10 minutes at a time.
  • We advise our patients to modify any strenuous sports and fitness activities for two weeks after each procedure to give the injected site a chance to repair, regenerate, and strengthen.
  • If your practitioner gives you any exercises, it is advised to perform them as suggested, and stop any previous pain management activities unless instructed otherwise.
  • Keep the injection sites clean and avoid hot tubs, swimming pools, and lakes for 3 days following the procedure. Showering on the same day is fine.
  • It is fine to carry on with your daily activities immediately after your appointments.

Your treatment provider will give you an aftercare sheet with this health information during your first appointment.

Two seniors stretching as part of their prolotherapy aftercare

Prolotherapy cost UK

The cost of prolotherapy at our clinic is considerably lower than most other clinics. The main reason for this is that we feel the treatment should be accessible to as many people as possible.

Prolotherapy UK cost – Each appointment costs £285 and includes the following:

The consultation and examination fee is £95. Treatment for additional areas is charged at £70 per area.

History of the treatment

Prolotherapy and proliferation therapy has a long history and dates back to ancient times, with the Egyptians using it to treat crippled animals. It was performed using a hot iron cautery.

The use of Prolotherapy and proliferation therapy in humans dates back to 400 BC when Hippocrates developed a way to repair a dislocated shoulder by using a hot poker as an irritant in the armpit.

Fast-forward to 1835. Dr. Alfred Velpeu was known as the father of Prolotherapy and started using iodine and saline injections to heal his patients. Later in that century, Dr. Rene Lerich started piloting the first research into the treatment of ligaments and painful areas.

From the 1940s onwards, practitioners such as Dr. Earl Gedney and Dr. George Hackett revolutionised the treatment into what it is today. Dr. Hackett was a trauma surgeon based in Ohio. He began studying the effects of dextrose solution as an irritant to help increase the thickness of ligaments in order to provide long term pain relief.

One of his students, Dr.Gustav Hemwall, then developed the library of scientific data further by making important discoveries that are still recognised today. He treated more than 10,000 patients worldwide and reported his clinical trials in a study on 8,000 of those patients.

In 1974, Dr. Hemwall presented a survey of 2,007 patients to the Prolotherapy Association. Long-term Pain relief was noted in a staggering 99% of those patients.

How to find Prolotherapy near me

We offer the treatment at two different clinics in the UK. London and Bedford.

Unfortunately, the treatment isn’t that common elsewhere in the UK at the moment. One of the reasons may be due to there not being many prolotherapy training courses available in Europe.

There used to be Prolotherapy NHS orthopaedic doctors that performed the treatment in a primary care practice, but cuts to NHS funding over the years has meant that they don’t offer it in a primary care practice anymore. They mainly used it for the treatment of low back or sacroiliac pain. Unfortunately, it is unlikely that prolotherapy procedure in primary care practice will be on offer anytime soon on the NHS.

If you would like to go ahead and book an appointment or would like to ask us a question, then head over to our contact page for more information on how to do so.

Prolotherapy versus (PRP) Platelet Rich Plasma injections

Prolotherapy techniques should not be confused with platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections or stem cell therapy. Both PRP injections and stem cell therapy involve using components derived from your own blood. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and dextrose prolotherapy involve a very similar healing process and healing response when it comes to repairing connective tissue. They are both irritants that aim to decrease pain through stimulating growth factors. Prolozone Therapy has a much faster natural healing response. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP), endorsed by the mayo clinic, tends to be the most expensive out of the three treatments and hasn’t got much research proving its effectiveness for certain conditions such as low back pain. The Mayo Clinic has published a study for the treatment of TMJ pain which is a condition that can also be treated.

Prolotherapy for Hypermobility

Hypermobility is a term used to describe joints that move beyond the range that they are supposed to. There are different severities on the hypermobility spectrum and it can be present in just a few joints or the whole body. It most commonly causes neck and lower back pain.

The most common hypermobility condition is called Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS). It is a group of genetic connective tissue disorders that effect the strength of the structures that surround blood vessels, joints, and organs. Individuals suffering from this condition are at the severe end of the hypermobility spectrum.

A newsletter published by the famous mayo clinic talk about the effectiveness of Prolotherapy for strengthening the ligaments around the joints in order to improve stability and take pressure of the muscles, which often have to compensate.

Sports Medicine

Prolotherapy has been used in sports medicine for many decades to treat a variety of ligament and tendon conditions. It is known that Tiger Woods has used the treatment for low back pain. Below is a comprehensive list of reviews, studies and a randomized controlled trial from PubMed studies which help to dismiss the effects of the treatment as being placebo.