Prolotherapy- Interview with Dr. Craig Jace, Director- Jace Wellness Center – N. Hollywood, CA  • www.jacemedical.com • (818) 505-8610

Dr. Craig Jace

Craig Jace CTN, DOM, L.Ac., PA-C
Dr. Jace, founder of Jace Wellness, Inc., is nationally recognized in integration of alternative and modern medicine. Early on, Dr. Jace knew the importance of alternative therapies but also the diagnostic and scientific research capabilities of modern medicine. He then studied all systems of medicine from all different medical schools, from conventional medicine at USC School of Medicine to Acupuncture in Rome, Italy.

Question: Doctor, how does prolotherapy work?

Dr. Jace:
Inflammation makes prolotherapy work. It is essentially the same method the body normally takes advantage of to trigger its own repair system. The modus operandi is like this: A liquid mixture (called a proliferant) is injected into the injury site. This results in localized inflammation which, in turn, activates the body’s own tissue repair system. The new tissues are often more robust ant sturdy than comparable tissues… sometimes more than a third stronger.

Question: Is prolotherapy difficult to administer?

Dr. Jace:
Prolotherapy is an uncomplicated, easy-to-utilize method. It accelerates the body’s own normal mechanisms for restoring injured connective tissue like tendons, ligaments and fascia. Sometimes, a little stimulation of this kind is all that is required for the body to begin to repair itself. Often, for hard-to-heal injuries, methods such as surgery will not be effective, or may even retard the body’s own repair system. The way prolotherapy works is quite straightforward. A liquid solution, injected into the connective tissue, brings about a highly localized inflammation. At the injury site, this results in new accumulation of collagen, which is the substance which forms connective tissue. As the collagen begins to mature, it both strengthens the connective tissue and restores its normal tension.

Prolotherapy has the possibility of being completely successful in stopping the discomfort of connective tissue damage, but how well it works depends to some extent on the skill of the person administering the injections. Accurately locating the exact injury site and utilizing the appropriate amount of liquid proliferant make the likelihood of a perfect outcome highly likely.

Question: Why wouldn’t the body heal these injuries on its own?

Dr. Jace:
Let’s begin by looking closer at just what prolotherapy is treating. Prolotherapy includes the care of connective tissues such as ligaments and tendons. Bones are connected to each other by means of ligaments which give the joint strength. Bones are connected to muscles by means of tendons. An overly-stressed tendon is a strain. An overly-stressed ligament is a sprain. When these tissues get injured, the body’s immune system is called into play. There is generally poor blood circulation surrounding these tissues, so it is not uncommon for these tissues to not get repaired to their original state of strength. The tissue becomes weak and too relaxed. This inefficiency at performing their task correctly can lead to frequent pain.

Question: Okay, but why do these kinds of injuries often hurt so much?

Dr. Jace:
The fibro-osseous junction is the name for where tendons and ligaments connect with bones. This is where those tissues usually encounter the most stress. The greatest amount of pain is usually experienced by an injury to the periosteum, which is the bone covering. Second most sensitive is injury to a ligament, then a tendon, then fascia and lastly the muscles. Injured cartilage is not painful per se. Cartilage does not contain pain-sensing nerves. When you have pain with cartilage damage it can usually be attributed to the connecting ligaments. With so many interacting structures, most of them very sensitive, you can see why injuries to these areas are so painful. These areas are the sites of prolotherapy injections. They can stop the chronic pain of several conditions such as sports injuries including Plantar Fasciitis, injuries to cartilage, arthritis, back pain, and disc problems.

Question: You mentioned Plantar Fasciitis in that list. Is prolotherapy usually effective for Plantar Fasciitis?

Dr. Jace:
Yes, frequently.

Question: Is there any reason a person who has just found they have Plantar Fasciitis should not seek out this treatment?

Dr. Jace:
Well for one thing, if a person uses the more conventional treatment methods for Plantar Fasciitis such as ice-packs and good shoe-inserts, prolotherapy may simply not be needed. Then again, someone like a ballet dancer may need the extra connective tissue strength that can possibly come from prolotherapy.

This has been a really informative talk. Thank you doctor- very much, for sharing this information with me and the readers of the website.

Dr. Jace:
Sure thing, Gregg!