It is dangerous to have knee pain and walk into an orthopedic surgeon’s office.   Apparently, due to the ease of sticking probes into the knee joint, arthroscopic surgery is a favorite pastime of orthopedic surgeons. 

When I ask my patients the reasons for their surgery oftentimes their response is, “to shave cartilage” or “to shave off the tear” or “I don’t know.”  The best treatment as long as it is a partial tear, is to help the body repair the injured area.  Remember, removing any tissue that is in the body will have a consequence.  The tissues most commonly removed during arthroscopic surgery in the knee are parts of the meniscus and the articular cartilage.  Both of these structures are needed by the body to help the femur bone glide smoothly over the tibia.  When either of these structures are removed, eventually the bones will not glide smoothly.  Once this occurs, bone begins rubbing against bone and proliferative arthritis begins.  After a course of cortisone shots, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and several trials of physical therapy, the patient is again under the knife, this time for a knee replacement.  Once an arthroscope touches the knee, the chance of having arthritis in the knee tremendously increases.

Before letting an arthroscope touch you, it is imperative to have an evaluation by a physician familiar with Prolotherapy.  (Visit www.getprolo.com for a list of physicians).  Prolotherapy will begin collagen formation both outside and inside the knee joint depending on the structure(s) that are injected.  Prolotherapy stimulates the body to heal itself.  Surgery in the knee is appropriate when the ligament is completely torn, such as would occur in a high velocity injury.  Prolotherapy is helpful to re-grow ligaments if both ends of the ligament remain attached to bone.  98% of ligament injuries are partial tears for which Prolotherapy would be helpful.

Instability of the knee is effectively treated with Prolotherapy as well.  The following case will illustrate the point.  I saw a patient who had severe knee pain and was barely able to walk into my clinic.  She explained to me that all of her joints were hyper mobile.  As a child, she would pop her knees backwards to entertain friends.  She had recently visited an orthopedic surgeon to have her knees scoped.  The surgeon told her that the ligaments in her knees were shot and her only option was knee replacement.

I administered Prolotherapy to her unstable knees.  The next week she was back at work, but still in some pain.  After three sessions she was nearly pain free.  Due to the severity of her case she received nine Prolotherapy sessions to her knees.  Prolotherapy strengthens joints.  Even in severe case like this one, as long as two ends of the ligaments are attached to the bone, Prolotherapy has a good chance of relieving knee joint instability.

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