Advanced Injectable Procedures

Prolotherapy

Prolotherapy has the ability to strengthen and repair injured joints and connective tissue by stimulating the body’s natural healing process, ultimately stabilising the injured joint or tissue and delivering long-lasting pain relief.

In simple terms, the ultrasound-guided prolotherapy injections cause additional trauma to the area, which your body attempts to heal by releasing inflammatory cells to seek out the injection site. Physiologically, the prolotherapy solution stimulates the body’s natural immune response.

Prolotherapy treatment involves the injection of a dextrose solution precisely into the weakened and damaged connective tissue. In some cases, it is necessary to have interval injections to maximise the healing and pain relief benefit.

Therapeutic Botox Injections

Although most people think of Botox as a treatment to smooth out facial wrinkles, it is also an effective method of relieving pain caused by chronic muscle spasm and contractures. Botox is administered directly into the affected muscle groups under ultrasound guidance. After receiving your injections, the pain will potentially improve within one to two weeks, with the results enduring for up to 6 months. At that point, the Botox effect will wear off and you will require an additional series of injections to extend the benefits of your treatment.

Viscosupplementation (Hyaluronan) Injections

Viscosupplementation is a novel treatment for the symptoms of osteoarthritis and joint inflammation.  It involves an injection (performed under image guidance) directly into the joint space.

It can be used in any joint in the body that is classified as ‘synovial’.

The joints of the body are lined by a synovial membrane, which produces synovial fluid. The synovial fluid in the joint has five important functions:

1. keeps the articulations slightly apart, protecting their coverings from wear and tear
2. absorbs shock
3. lubricates the joint, helping it to work freely and easily
4. acts as a filter, letting nutrients reach the tendons and cartilage, but blocking the passage of harmful cells and substances
5. eliminates harmful inflammatory proteins, reducing pain and swelling when the joint is injured

The most important component of synovial fluid is a substance called hyaluronan.  It is this substance that lets synovial fluid perform its different functions all at the same time.

Hyaluronan Injections

The principles behind hyaluronan injections are to decrease pain and improve function in patients with joint pain. Hyaluronan injections have been shown to have the following beneficial effects on joints:

• • replace some of the normal ingredients found in synovial fluid (hyaluronans) improving the lubricating ability.
  • help to stimulate the joint lining (the synovium) to manufacture more normal synovial fluid.
  • coats the lining of the damaged joint surfaces, covering pain nerve endings; this reduces pain and protects the joint surfaces from joint inflammation.
  • act directly to reduce inflammation in a joint, like a steroid, but without the harmful side-effects of steroids.

Traumeel Injections

These injections are a safe and natural alternative to steroid injections and other anti-inflammatory medications.

Traumeel may reduce inflammation and is particularly popular in the sports medicine arena. It is frequently used for athletes to aid a quick recovery time following injury.

Traumeel is a natural blend of botanical and mineral extracts with the potential ability to neutralise inflammation allowing the joint, muscle or tendon injury to heal properly.

Traumeel injections are usually injected into the area of interest under ultrasound guidance. They are an effective way to address musculoskeletal conditions associated with excessive or chronic inflammation.

The injections may be useful in the following conditions.

• Osteoarthritis
• Bursitis
• Ligament, tendon and muscle tears

Traumeel injectables need to be specially ordered. Please contact BMSR for further details .

At BMSR we use one of two types of viscosupplementation depending on your referring doctors preference – Ostenil (ostenil.trbchemedica.co.uk/products/ostenil) and Synvisc-one (www.synviscone.com). They both have similar compositions and effects.