Prolotherapy stimulates the repair of injured, damaged structures. It involves the injection of natural substances (along with anesthetics so the injections don't hurt that much) at the exact site of an injury to stimulate the immune system to repair the area. The exact term for the natural healing process that occurs after an injury is inflammation. Thus, Prolotherapy causes an inflammatory reaction at the exact site of injuries to such structures as ligaments, tendons, mensici, muscles, growth plates, joint capsules, and cartilage to stimulate these structures to heal.

Specifically, Prolotherapy causes fibroblastic proliferation (where the term Prolotherapy comes from). Fibroblasts are the cells that actually grow the ligaments and tendons. By proliferating the fibroblasts, new, strong, collagen tissue is formed which is what is needed to repair ligament/tendon sprains and other sports injuries.

Prolotherapy as a Treatment for Head and Neck Pain
The areas to be treated with Prolotherapy are determined by palpatory examination of the posterior head and neck. Again, the accuracy in diagnosing the actual pain-producing area is excellent, because the physician recreates the patient's pain by palpating the neck and posterior head carefully until a positive jump sign is elicited. This gives the patient and the physician confidence that the pain-producing structure is between the physician's thumb and the underlying bone. The structures that are typically involved are the cervical vertebral ligaments. These tender areas are treated with Prolotherapy injections. Typical areas treated during Prolotherapy sessions for chronic headaches and neck pain are the base of the skull, cervical vertebral ligaments, posterior-lateral clavicle, where the trapezius muscle attaches, as well as the attachments of the levator scapulae muscles.

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