Ozone & Platelet Therapy
What Is An Ozone Injection?
We use medical-grade oxygen (O2) combined with an ozone generator to make O2/O3. We fill a syringe with it and inject it into a selected area to treat painful, injured, and damaged tissues.
Typically ozone is combined in our office with a homeopathic solution but it does well on its own and we see the BEST results when combining it with platelet therapies.
Our chiropractors don’t inject into the joints, but in this case, close is good enough. Most of the time someone says they got an injection it is into a joint. However, we focus on injections that are subcutaneous (under the skin) and intramuscular (in muscles). One would think that these routine types of injections would not be good enough. Yet there is great evidence to show that a joint can be benefited without having to go inside of it. We love it because it’s easy and much safer.
If we can get close we can get results and the surrounding area is benefited as well.
What About Cortisone?
Have you ever wondered why you’re told after getting a cortisone injection that you are not eligible to receive another one for around 3-6 weeks?
Is it because that’s how long it stays effective? That may be what they want you to believe but the biggest reason is that it’s dangerous to do too much too soon. Corticosteroids like cortisone kill 3 things:
- Pain
- Inflammation
- Tissue
That’s great until you get to number 3. I find it interesting that thousands of these injections are given every day for conditions that are degenerative in nature.
Many patients talk about conversations similar to this: “Mrs. Jones, you will need to return to repeat this injection 3 or 4 times this year to help with the pain. We can do it until the point where you will need to have it replaced.” In addition, they were given the caution that more frequent injections would lead to faster degeneration. How convenient that the treatment for your degenerating arthritic knee is to inject it with a substance that will lead to further degeneration until surgery is required. Both treatments are often given by the same entity.
What Are the Side Effects?
Pretty much none – – it’s oxygen!
The most dangerous form of ozone therapy is safer than Aspirin!
Getting injected can leave you feeling sore though. We try to make our injections as comfortable as possible but there can be some pain. Mainly in the form of a deep feeling of pressure or sometimes burning that will begin to dissipate within minutes and be completely gone within 48 hours.
How Long Does It Last? / How Many Do I Need?
Truthfully ozone can turn things around and create a permanent solution but more often than not it takes some repetition. Occasionally we do see one-and-done situations, but a good rule of thumb is to expect 3-5 treatments.
What Is Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) And What Are PRP Injections?
Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy uses injections of a concentration of a patient’s own platelets to accelerate the healing of injured tendons, ligaments, muscles, and joints. In this way, PRP injections use each individual patient’s own healing system to improve musculoskeletal problems.
PRP injections are prepared by taking anywhere from one to a few tubes of your own blood and running it through a centrifuge to concentrate the platelets. These activated platelets are then injected directly into your injured or diseased body tissue. This releases growth factors that stimulate and increase the number of reparative cells your body produces.
Are The Injections Safe?
Yes, very. There are no foreign substances being injected into your body. No drugs. Nothing manufactured or processed. However, all medical procedures carry risks – and that includes PRP. The only possible complications are those of needle insertion, and they include bleeding, bruising, infection, and soreness.
Many people are wary of PRP simply because it’s so new. The entire arena of regenerative medicine is new. But it is also an extremely fast-growing field in medicine. There have been many publications in national and international journals that have proven over and over the safety and efficacy of these procedures.
What Conditions Can Be Treated With PRP?
PRP can be used to treat conditions from head to toe. Below is a short list of some conditions that are treated well using PRP:
- Spine issues (neck, lower back, and mid-back) such as arthritis and disc problems
- Muscle strains and tears
- Acute and Chronic tendinopathies
- Tennis elbow
- Rotator cuff
- Patellar tendon
- Achilles tendon
- Ligament injuries
- Elbow (little league elbow)
- Knee (MCL, LCL, PCL, ACL)
- Ankle sprains
- Osteoarthritis
- Spine, shoulder, knee, and hip pain, even if you are “in need of surgery”<
Why Use PRP Injections To Treat These Injuries?
It’s natural, safe, and helps the body to heal on its own! Here are just a few points to answer ‘why PRP?’:
- It’s medicine specific to YOU because YOUR body makes it!!!
- It can help you avoid surgery.
- It’s minimally invasive.
- It’s easy and safe.
- It offers a fast recovery time and quicker / deeper healing than surgery.
- It’s less painful than surgery.
- It’s less expensive than surgery.
- It’s more effective than surgery because it can help to heal – surgery does not heal.
- You can always turn to surgery later if it doesn’t work, but you cannot undo surgery.
What Should I Do After My Treatment? Can I Resume Normal Activities?
Your doctor will go over this with you, but we can give you a quick summary here:
- Drink plenty of fluids after the treatment.
- Don’t baby the area but also don’t overdo it. The body is made to move.
- Stay away from NSAIDs.
- Continue your treatment plan.