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Pain Relief for Pets Prolotherapy Gives Joints New Life
B
by Julie Peterson
rian Engler, involving the injection Prolotherapy offers an of Drexel Hill, of a sugar solution dieffective alternative to Pennsylvania, rectly into the affected surgery in a significant area. The body’s inwas asked to provide hospice care for a senior number of partial ligament flammation response Akita. Tadao was tears or persistent joint kicks in, resulting underweight, weak, in regrowth of new pain issues. arthritic and had been fibers in ligaments and ~Judith M. Shoemaker severely neglected. He tendons. needed a place to live Prolotherapy has out his remaining days in comfort. Even been around a long time. It was used to though Tadao was unstable with severely treat lame animals around 1350 B.C. Back limited mobility, Engler believed that the old then, a hot poker was used to induce the dog had more than a little life left in him. inflammation response. In the 1930s, injec Engler’s veterinarian tried prolothertion of an irritant solution at the site of the apy injection treatments for Tadao’s joint injury became the new method, and has pain and he soon became more comfortsince been shown in scientific studies to facilitate the repair and regrowth of conable and gradually more active. “By the time we completed the treatments, he was nective tissue, ligaments, tendons, cartilage and other joint-stabilizing structures. able to get up and down with ease and started cruising around the kitchen look Modern prolotherapy has remained basically the same for the last 80 years, ing for snacks on the counter,” says Engler. although the injected irritant solution is Prolotherapy, short for proliferative modified according to the veterinarian, therapy, isn’t just for dogs. Any animal the type of animal and the injury. Every with a joint can receive the regenerative vet uses a slightly different prolotherapy injection therapy, which relieves pain by strengthening ligaments and tendons sup- “cocktail”, which typically includes 50 perporting the joint. It’s minimally invasive, cent dextrose and possibly several other
