My bilateral thumb joints have given me much pain over the years. I began going to a very large, well known, reputable medical facility, where my health insurance covered. The x-rays showed actual dents in my bones, which they called degenerative arthritis. I over-used and continue to use my hands and thumbs greatly on my job. Although altering my work habits did help, the constant pain was still too great.
I was recommended to have cortisone shots, but refused knowing that the shots would further deteriorate my joints. I was given hot/cold water baths, and prescribed custom thumb braces that I still wear to work daily. When I could no longer bear the pain the final step would be joint replacement, but with the type of work I do the joints would wear out every 10 years. This meant at least three replacements throughout the rest of my lifetime. Being a holistic person, plastic and metal in my body is something I wished to avoid so I decided to wait as long as possible.
After about three months the pain was too great. I had read an article about prolotherapy and went online to research it further as well as locate a doctor in my area. Even though my insurance has not paid for any treatments it has been worth it. I started out getting treatments every other month for a year. Since then, I visit Dr. Kramer about twice a year.
I believe that the cartilage has grown back within the first few treatments. The intense shooting pain that occurred when the bones collided stopped within the first two treatments. The swelling around my joints decreased so much that the continuous aching from the swelling went away. I would recommend prolotherapy for anyone with injured, swollen or degenerative joints. Go for a visit before your joints are unbearable and you’ll heal in fewer treatments.