Prolotherapy For Hypermobile Neck?

[EqTrainer]

I went to see an osteopath (he is also an internist) to discuss my fibromyalgia and some other things today.

He pointed out something that I have been told by every doctor and PT person who has ever seen me - that my neck is hypermobile. However, he was the first doctor who has ever identified it as being separate from the fibro.

He suggested that he treat my neck separately from the fibro (gave me an interesting plan for that also) with prolotherapy.

Has anyone ever had this done before? I understand the theory and it makes sense to me but I would like to hear some feedback from people who have actually had it done. I am pretty freaked out about needles so have to get my mind around that although he assured me that he would give me enough valium/percocet that I would care less that I was getting about 12 injections in one visit :eek:

I am relieved to report that while he also noted that I have a chronically inflamed trigger point at the back of my head that is incredibly painful, he actually plan to do something about it - my PCP won’t touch it. That is getting injected, too, but with something else.

Of interest from the horsie perspective is that he said that my neck issues have probably been caused by the many tiny whiplash movements I have sustained from riding young horses for so many years.

He also noted two other hypermobile joints in my upper body that incidentally have never been pointed out other than by an osteopath in France, who told me 12 years ago that they were going to cause me much suffering in the future. Guess he was right

Anyway, it was a scary but hopeful visit.

[whicker]

Come on in, the water is fine

I just saw your post.
I am impressed that you have such a great dr!

I have posted about prolo, PRP, and Bmac, so if you want to search, there is quite a lot on the forum. There are several of us who have done it, with good to great results.

best quick intro is Dr. Mayo Friedlis’s site:
www.treatingpain.com
lots of info and links
I have loved what it has done for me.
Please pm me if you want to talk about it in detail.

[Eventer55]

I saw your post and it caught my attention becasue I have what’s called Torticollis which is in layman’s terms a “hypermobile neck”

IMHO you should go to a neurologist to get a diagnosis and if you’re interested you can Pm me. Torticollis is usually hereditary, not very common, but becoming more easily to diagnosis and thus Drs are seeing more of it. It can come from an accident or whiplash, but usually is hereditary.

Torticollis is a form of Dystonia as well and it varies greatly in it’s severity. And lastly, I did receive prolo for a while and it helped for a while.

Best of luck

[EqTrainer]

Eventer55, thanks I have been to one and it was diagnosed at that time as acquired torticollis, my collarbone was broken and is now because of the way it healed almost 2 inches shorter than the other one. I was there for my migraines and he mentioned it :lol:

The funny thing is, I work so hard to stay symmetrical most doctors don’t catch it right off. But it is obviously wreaking havoc w/the rest of my body.

Everyone until now has lumped my neck pain in w/my fibro pain, in spite of the collarbone injury and resulting issues.

I’ll PM you later

[Leather]

I’m glad you posted this–I hadn’t thought of looking in this forum for info on prolotherapy!

I’m looking into it for a hypermobile SI joint as a result of a riding fall 6 years ago. Time to search the forum!

[Medicine_Wheel_Ogilv]

Prolotherapy

EqTrainer,
I haven’t had it done, but I have a colleague who swears by it for her neck and I’ve seen a few other people who have had it done (often without sedation). It is usually at least temporarily successful, tho the underlying cause of the hypermobility needs to be addressed - if it is from hypomobile areas elsewhere in the body. In your case, it may very well just be local if it is from chronic microinjuries, (and a major one - collarbone).

There is a prolotherapy journal that you could search. I believe publication just started last year. Some information on different doctor/osteopathic/chiro sites. I think there are a few studies starting up that you could find on pubmed.

Glad you are getting your TP injected. Might stop or even reverse upregulated pain cycles and allow you to get to the origin of the tension.

MW

[EqTrainer]

Thanks what is funny is that yesterday he very mildly manipulated the TP. I thought he did nothing at all to it. But by the end of the day it was screaming at me, all the way into my eyeball and sinus on that side of my face. I spent most of last night awake due to it.

This morning it just.stopped.screaming. It hasn’t been this cold in probably over a year. I think what I thought was him just checking out the TP was him doing something to it which resulted in it getting worse before it got better. Which is not to say I am not having it injected, what I am trying to say is that I am more impressed if that is really what happened - because I really didn’t think he did anything but check it out. But I know that when I have had PT people work on TP before, they become intensely painful before they improve and I suspect that is what happened.

Not sure that all made sense!

I have had some time today to check into the prolotherapy and I am pleasantly surprised… I figured I would be having to make a decision about something akin to voodoo :lol: but it seems that it’s pretty well known and acknowledged as being valid/often helpful.

So I guess after the TP gets injected we will start on that. Definately signing up for the valium and percocet tho’ as I am a wimp about needles.

[Medicine_Wheel_Ogilv]

Sorry to hear about the pain… There are a number of techniques of manipulation that can stimulate changes in muscle tone, as well as neuro sensory tone and autonomic NS changes.

Have you heard of Bowen technique? Works wonders much of the time. The mechanism is just guessed at in so many of these techniques. But heck, if they work, more power to them

Good luck with the therapy!
MW

[Eventer55]

Hi OP, I have a few minutes to write, so I’ll give you my 411 and maybe some of it will apply to you or not.

I tried PT and it actually made me worse, due to the manipulations. My muscles do not like to be manipulated as in deep tissue massage or electostim, or anything that is forceful.

I did prolo 6 years ago and it was the first time my neck was pain free. I found it was mostly the anestetic part of prolo that stopped the pain and allowed the muscles to relax. After my Dr left for a University job, I went on by myself to find that Advil taken before a stressful event and after is great. I have a massage therapist that knows exactly how to work my neck and a prescription for Valium once in a while to get total body relaxation as well.

Dealing with the pain is a vicious circle, you get pain and the muscles tighten, the muscles tighten and you have more pain and more tightening. Break the cycle and you have relief.

I’ll stop here, hope something helps.

Judith

[Bicoastal]

Prolo and Hypermobility

I see that I’m way late to this thread but thought I should share about hypermobility and prolo.

I have hypermobility throughout my joints (EDS symptoms). I have a lot of hypermobility in my SI and was told riding puts a lot of concussive force on your lower vertebrae and SI. A nurse practicioner spent time discussing riding, hypermobility, and the constant shifting of my SI. She said riding is the worst thing I can do! Adding that it’s not surprising I have pain given the hypermobility and years and years of daily riding.

Prolo makes a lot of sense for those with hypermobility as, via scar tissue, it tightens the tendons and ligaments. That’s exactly what I needed around my SI!

So on to prolo. I use the same Dr. Friedlis Whicker posted contact info for. He’s quick and calm so it’s over way before you expect it. From other people’s experiences I thought prolo would be my magic bullet. Tragically, it hasn’t been thus far. After the first session of prolo I was diagnosed with two, then eventually three, ruptured discs. Now I am combining prolo and disc regeneration therapy. If disc regeneration helps heal the ruptured discs, I go back to prolo to stabilize around the discs (and SI again).

For some, the benefits of prolo will be felt the very same week! I hope that is the case for you! Heads up: insurance does not want to cover it. Good luck with whatever you choose :yes:!