C1 SYNDROME CURED WITH PROLOTHERAPY
Ross Hauser, M.D.
Numerous patients over the years have come in with what I term “C1 Syndrome”. I am sure it is called something else in chiropractic and osteopathic literature, but regardless of the name, it is a condition caused by mal-rotation of the C1 vertebrae. The first cervical vertebra is extremely important since your head sits on it. It is responsible along with C2 for the rotation of the skull. C1 is the reason we can turn our heads to the right or the left. In C1 syndrome, there is excessive movement of C1 so that it stays either rotated to the right or to the left.
Last week a patient came in for his third Prolotherapy session. He was 40% better but stated “I still get neck pain primarily very high on the left with some swelling (C1 area). When this area starts hurting I get left eye pain, I have to squint, feel nauseated and lightheaded. If I get a manipulation I feel better.” The episodes of the nausea and lightheadedness have been decreasing with each Prolotherapy session to the C1 vertebral attachments.
Over the years I have seen numerous cases of C1 Syndrome; some of them severe. There was one young lady that could not even stand up because of dizziness from C1 Syndrome. I was treating her in the office with no fluoroscopy but eventually she needed Prolotherapy under fluoroscopy with strong solutions to rid her of the problem. She went from totally disabled to totally fine with Prolotherapy to C1.
Bob Filice,
M.D.
Marion Hauser, M.S.,R.D.
Currently in the United States there are thousands of people who get periodic episodes of severe nausea and dizziness. Many of these people do get adequate relief with chiropractic care. For those who continually have C1 go out, Prolotherapy is most likely the best solution because C1 Syndrome can be cured with Prolotherapy. If someone sees a chiropractor for the condition, it is helpful to ask him/her which way specifically it goes out, so the Prolotherapist can treat it accordingly. For the above patient, C1 was rotating counterclockwise and Prolotherapy to counteract this rotation was given.
Chronic Chest Discomfort
Ross Hauser, M.D.
Costovertebral ligament laxity often refers pain from the mid-upper back to the chest. This is one of the causes for chronic chest discomfort.
Costovertebral ligament injuries are very slow to heal, or heal incompletely, because they are constantly under stress from the movement of the rib cage during breathing. The costovertebral junctions are prone to being injured any time the rib cage is jarred. This may occur from being hit in the chest, after receiving CPR, or from the effects of heart or thoracic surgery. During these types of surgeries, the sternum is opened and the ribs are spread apart, commonly causing injury to the costovertebral junctions. Chronic chest or upper-back discomfort after heart or lung surgery is almost always due to injury to the ligament support at the rib attachments in the thoracic spine or on the sternum. Prolotherapy is extremely effective at eliminating discomfort of the chest and upper back following surgical procedures such as cardiac-bypass.
THE ARTHRITIDES
Ross Hauser, M.D.
There are a lot of people with arthritis. There are two main types of arthritis; degenerative and inflammatory. Degenerative arthritis is also called osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis generally occurs when there is injury to the joint, specifically to the ligaments that stabilize it. Once the ligaments are injured, the muscles have to contract around the joint to protect it. When the muscles can no longer do this, the bones around the joint begin to grow, which are called bony spurs and are indicative of arthritis. This extra bone is the body’s attempt to stabilize the joint. Eventually, because of the ligament injuries, the menisci and articular cartilage deteriorate. When this happens, you can hear a crunching or grating sound in the joint. Eventually the joint wears down until there is ‘bone on bone’. Prolotherapy is a great treatment for degenerative arthritis because it helps repair the ligament injury that started the arthritic process in the first place. The other main type of arthritis is called inflammatory arthritis. The most common inflammatory arthritis is rheumatoid arthritis. Other types of inflammatory arthritis are psoriatic arthritis, Lyme Disease, lupus, gouty arthritis, and chondrocalcinosis or pseudogout. Characteristics of inflammatory arthritides are swelling and stiffness in the affected joint(s). In rheumatoid arthritis, the swelling typically occurs symmetrically and in the hands. Arthritides can affect all joints, including the knee joint.
The difference between degenerative and inflammatory arthritis is the fact that Prolotherapy gets at the root cause of the condition, which is ligament weakness or laxity. With regard to inflammatory arthritis, Prolotherapy often gets at the root cause of the pain but not the underlying condition. So when faced with a patient who has an inflammatory arthritide, Prolotherapy would be used in conjunction with comprehensive natural medicine.
The natural medicine approach to conditions such as Lyme Disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and lupus include doing diagnostic testing for food allergies, infections, and various nutritional factors. If an infection is found, it is treated with appropriate antibiotics or antifungal medications. If food allergies or sensitivities are found, those foods are eliminated from the diet. Nutritional discrepancies are treated by changes in diet, and vitamin and herbal supplementation. Because inflammatory arthritis can damage the joints, Prolotherapy is used to help stimulate the repair of the joints. Prolotherapy is helpful to relieve the pain of inflammatory arthritis, but if not combined with a comprehensive natural medicine approach, the pain will continue to recur
CARING MEDICAL SPORTS CENTER
Tennis Elbow
Ross Hauser, M.D.
A well-known injury to the elbow is the tennis elbow. This initially starts as an inflammation of the tendon of the forearm extensor muscles as they insert onto part of the elbow. This is often due to overuse of the muscles of the forearm and occurs not only in tennis, but also squash, racquetball, and golf. Repetitive stress on the muscles results in micro-tears through the tendon as it attaches to the bone. This is made worse if the player is not properly conditioned or improper technique is used. If the injury is not treated initially, the injured area apparently undergoes degeneration (tendinosis). In either case, symptoms occur gradually and are increased with activities like hitting backhand shots.
Icing the injured area is the typical treatment for this condition. There is a problem with this mode of treatment, because the metabolic rate in tendons is already suppressed. Ice just slows the metabolic rate even more, making complete healing for the athlete even less likely. Because the tendons and muscles are superficial to the skin, cortisone shots are often given, which will just increase the rate of tendon degeneration.
X-rays are sometimes ordered to evaluate for possible fractures, loose bodies in the joint, or arthritis. Except for acute fractures or loose bodies (cartilage) in the joint, Prolotherapy is the treatment of choice for elbow sports injuries. Prolotherapy immediately stimulates the healing process and provides pain relief. Another elbow condition occurs on the inner side of the elbow and is referred to as medial epicondylitis. This is frequently seen through repetitive stress of the flexor muscles of the forearm. This may be seen with tennis players, bowlers, and golfers. Prolotherapy can be quite useful in regard to recovering from this condition.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
ARE YOU AN IDEAL CANDIDATE FOR PROLOTHERAPY?
Prolotherapy stimulates the body to repair the painful area. For the patient who has localized areas of pain or the person who has had a recent injury from an accident, Prolotherapy is a very effective treatment to strengthen those specific areas and eliminate the pain. Realize, however, that Prolotherapy starts the growth of new healthy, strong tissue. Your body--your own immune system--grows the tissue. For the person who has terrible digestion, chronic fatigue, irritable bladder; and a host of other chronic nutritional, hormonal, allergic problems, these deficiencies and illnesses should be corrected so the body will be able to respond to Prolotherapy.
The ideal Prolotherapy candidate has the following:
1. Pain originating from a ligament or tendon
2. Strong immune system
3. Willingness to improve and receive follow-up visits
4. Healthy diet
5. Positive mental outlook
When Prolotherapy Does Not Work
The most common reasons why a person may not attain improvement with Prolotherapy are the following:
1. Inadequate (depressed) immune system
2. Nutritional deficiencies
3. Hormonal deficiencies
4. Other factors causing the pain that are not being addressed
5. Correct area being treated but repair not yet complete
6. Wrong area being treated
This last fact is often overlooked. A good example of this relates to patients with lower back pain. Typically what is needed for back pain is for the patients to receive Prolotherapy to the lower back at the sacroiliac joints. In a small percentage of the people, the sacroiliac joint remains weakened because the pelvic joint in the front (pubic symphysis) also needs to be treated. The sacroiliac ligaments, in this instance, will only maintain the strength that is attained with Prolotherapy if the pubic symphysis is also treated.
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WHY PROLOTHERAPY RESULTS MAY NOT BE SEEN IMMEDIATELY
Prolotherapy in its ability to cure chronic pain is completely dependent on the Prolotherapist treating completely the injured structures. This means that all the injured structures are treated with a strong enough solution to heal the area in a reasonable peroid of time. We find that most people are cured of their pain with three to six Prolotherapy sessions. If by the sixth Prolotherapy session a person has not had significant improvement, we search for another cause of their pain like infection or allergy. People who are receiving 30 or 40 Prolotherapy sessions to cure their chronic pain are paying a lot of money that they wouldn't have to pay if they went to a physician who utilizes stronger Prolotherapy solutions then they are receiving and/or did more shots per visit.
In general with the Hackett/Hemwall/Hauser technique of Prolotherapy, a good rule of thumb in regard to the number of injections per area is 10 to 20 for an extremity (knee, ankle, shoulder) and anywhere from 30 to 60 for the neck, back, or thoracic spine.
Another reason a person gets inadequate Prolotherapy is that there was inadequate inflammation with the Prolotherapy treatment. Remember the body only heals by inflammation. In some people stronger Prolotherapy solutions are needed to get an adequate inflammatory reaction after the treatment. Until a person gets the injured structures completely treated with Prolotherapy with a strong enough solution, the person has not failed Prolotherapy. It is important that after a Prolotherapy session, that a person feels stiff for at least one to two days. If the stiffness after the treatment only lasts a few hours, then the immune reaction to the treatment most likely will not be enough to regenerate the connective tissue needed for healing. In such a situation there are two options. Figure out why the person has a poor immune response by doing metabolic, nutritional, and hormonal testing, or use a stronger Prolotherapy solution. Physicians who have a lot of experience doing Prolotherapy may have ten different solutions they use depending on the individual case.
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Why am I Sore After Prolotherapy?
A patient is generally sore for a couple of days after Prolotherapy. This is because the injections have to go through some muscles to get to the ligaments and tendons. To help the muscle soreness resolve itself sooner, massage therapy and moist heat applied to the area is recommended. Natural products to encourage soft tissue healing, such as bromelain, MSM, or products such as Prolo Max, are recommended. Gentle manipulation techniques, such as myofascial release, strain-counter-strain, or activator gun treatments, are helpful. Other modalities that improve circulation and assist the healing from Prolotherapy include acupuncture, Rolfing, electrical stimulation, magnets, infrared heat, and ultrasound.
For those who are more sensitive to pain, medications such as Tylenol and Ultram, which are not anti-inflammatory medications, are permissible. Occasionally a muscle relaxant is needed. It is very important to avoid anti- inflammatory medications, as these may decrease the effectiveness of Prolotherapy. Narcotic medications, such as Vicodin, Tylenol with Codeine, and Darvocet should also be avoided because they depress the immune system. Of course, this is not helpful because the immune system is critical for healing after Prolotherapy.
Exercising is permitted as soon as the patient feels ready. Generally, light exercise can begin two days after Prolotherapy. The general rule is if a certain activity or exercise hurts significantly, switch to a different one. A small amount of pain is expected while recovering from an injury, but not significant pain. If the patient receives one Prolotherapy treatment and feels fine, follow-up is still recommended to allow the physician to assess the area for complete healing. If it is still significantly tender, further treatments are needed because the area is still injured. Once the tenderness is gone, the patient is cured.
Patient Information:
Caring Medical and Rehabilitation Services
715 Lake Street Oak Park, IL (708)-848-7789
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