Prolozone

Prolozone therapy is an injection treatment using oxygen/ozone gas. This treatment is an effective natural treatment for pain including arthritis and frozen shoulder, among other conditions.

What Is Prolozone?

Prolozone therapy is an injection treatment for acute and chronic painful conditions. Prolozone is used to treat a variety of painful conditions from osteoarthritis, to tendonitis, to plantar fasciitis. This treatment involves the injection of a natural anti-inflammatory combination directly into an affected joint. The main active ingredient of the injection is an oxygen/ozone gas mixture.

How Does Prolozone Work?

The combination of oxygen and ozone when injected has a two-fold effect on the target tissue. The ozone itself increases oxygen utilization1 while the oxygen directly increases the oxygen saturation2 of the tissue. This one-two punch significantly increases the rate of healing of the affected area and typically reduces pain within a short period of time. Ozone is also a mild irritant and when injected it causes a proliferative effect on the target tissue which aides in joint repair.

What Conditions Does Prolozone Help?

The painful conditions which prolozone helps most are chronic degenerative conditions such as osteoarthritis, degenerative disc disease and degenerative joint disease. Arthritis of the knee and hip, vertebral degeneration and frozen shoulder are a few conditions which I have seen respond well to prolozone treatment.

Some of the conditions which have shown good results in clinical trials with prolozone treatment include osteoarthritis of the knee3 and spine4, hip and shoulder pain5, low back pain6, 7 and temporomandibular joint (TMJ) dysfunction8. Clinical trials have also shown very good results with prolozone in the treatment of herniated discs9.

How Will I Feel After A Prolozone Treatment?

Typically within a few hours of having a prolozone treatment people will feel an improvement in their pain. Within 24 hours of a treatment most cases show decreased pain and there may be an improved range of motion of the joint. In some cases the treated joint may feel stiff after the treatment for a few hours but this stiffness will be short-lived and is most often followed by an overall pain reduction.

Are Prolozone Injections Safe?

Yes, when administered by a properly trained practitioner prolozone injections are very safe. However, those who have had a prosthetic joint replacement can not receive a prolozone treatment into the joint.

Does Prolozone Hurt?

Prolozone injections are a bit more uncomfortable than an acupuncture needle but not much more. I was trained in the use of ozone therapy and prolozone injections with Dr. Frank Shallenberger MD, a holistic medical doctor practicing in Reno, Nevada who is a foremost educator in medical ozone. Dr. Shallenberger says that the pain is “like a mosquito with an attitude.”

How Many Treatments Will I Need?

Depending on the health issue which is being treated a different number of prolozone treatments will be required. Most painful conditions respond very well within 6 treatments at a rate of 1 treatment every 2-4 weeks. After 6 treatments a maintenance phase begins with 1 treatment being given every month to every 3 months. With advanced osteoarthritis patients will typically need ongoing prolozone treatments every 6-8 weeks to maintain optimal mobility, range of motion and to eliminate or minimize pain.

References

  1. Bocci V, Zanardi I, TravagliJ V Transl Med. Ozone acting on human blood yields a hormetic dose-response relationship. 2011; 9:66
  2. Giunta R, Coppola A, Luongo C, Sammartino A, Guastafierro S, Grassia A, Giunta L, Mascolo L, Tirelli A, Coppola L. Ozonized autohemotransfusion improves hemorheological parameters and oxygen delivery to tissues in patients with peripheral occlusive arterial disease. Ann Hematol. 2001 Dec;80(12):745-8.
  3. Melchionda D, Milillo P, Manente G, Stoppino L, Macarini L. Treatment of radiculopathies: a study of efficacy and tollerability of paravertebral oxygen-ozone injections compared with pharmacological anti-inflammatory treatment. J Biol Regul Homeost Agents. 2012 Jul-Sep;26(3):467-74.
  4. Yu Z, Luo W, Wang B. Targeted injection of ozone through the posterior approach via the spinal canal and dural sac for treating lumbar disc herniation. Nan Fang Yi Ke Da Xue Xue Bao. 2012 Feb;32(2):243-6.
  5. Paoloni M, Di Sante L, Cacchio A, Apuzzo D, Marotta S, Razzano M, Franzini M, Santilli V. Intramuscular oxygen-ozone therapy in the treatment of acute back pain with lumbar disc herniation: a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, clinical trial of active and simulated lumbar paravertebral injection. Spine. 2009 Jun 1;34(13):1337-44.
  6. Wu Z, Wei LX, Li J, Wang Y, Ni D, Yang P, Zhang Y. Percutaneous treatment of non-contained lumbar disc herniation by injection of oxygen-ozone combined with collagenase. Eur J Radiol. 2009 Dec;72(3):499-504.
  7. Bonetti M, Fontana A, Cotticelli B, Volta GD, Guindani M, Leonardi M. Intraforaminal O(2)-O(3) versus periradicular steroidal infiltrations in lower back pain: randomized controlled study. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol. 2005 May;26(5):996-1000.
  8. Daif ET. Role of intra-articular ozone gas injection in the management of internal derangement of the temporomandibular joint. Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol. 2012 Jun;113(6):e10-4.
  9. Magalhaes FN, Dotta L, Sasse A, Teixera MJ, Fonoff ET. Ozone therapy as a treatment for low back pain secondary to herniated disc: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Pain Physician. 2012 Mar-Apr;15(2):E115-29.