PRP and Prolotherapy Treatment
for Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, Hypermobility, and Fibromyalgia
I am passionate about Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS). Maybe it’s because I have this condition myself and at least half of my patients carry this diagnosis. Understanding the role of the ligaments and tendons in the body and doing extensive training in osteopathy have helped me, but my most important training was understanding my own body. I see patterns of pain and compensation that are absolutely predictable and reproducible. That is why I examine my patients so carefully, as well as consider their MRIs and reports. When meeting a patient with EDS, I focus on the ligaments and tendons and I EXPLAIN what is happening and why. I like to give simple exercises and tips for staying out of trouble. I know how lost a person with this diagnosis can be. And I really want to help!
A few years ago, a woman came to my office with pain in her upper back. When I walked into the room, she was on the floor, rolling her back with a foam roller. She had driven 45 minutes to see me, and said that her spine went out of place just from the commute. She said she was diagnosed with fibromyalgia two years previously, and only about 15 minutes into our conversation she needed to roll her back again. I checked her carefully for hypermobility and sure enough, that was her real problem, and she said she’d suspected as much. She did NOT have fibromyalgia. We began treatment with dextrose prolotherapy and occasionally PRP. Within a year she only needed to roll her back once a week. We backed off the amount of treatment she received and by two years she had no more pain in her back and resumed a normal life.
I cannot begin to tell you how often I see hypermobility misdiagnosed as fibromyalgia. And I am always amazed at how well these people respond to prolotherapy and PRP in their ligaments and tendons. This needs to be followed up with careful strengthening and tips on proper alignment.
Hundreds of thousands of people suffer from overly-flexible joints. This is called hypermobility. When the joints are loose (ligament laxity), the tendons tighten up in an attempt to stabilize the body. As a result, the patients have the mistaken impression that the issue causing the pain is tightness. This is why the problem is extremely underdiagnosed and/or misdiagnosed as fibromyalgia. The X-rays and MRIs are normal. When this situation is severe, it is called Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. When the joints are overly flexible, there is irregular pressure on the bones, which results in osteoarthritis.
As a result, when a person with hypermobility ages, the joints themselves can become tight, and this can be confusing to the patient. I ask my patients, “Were you loose-jointed when you were younger?” The NIH (National Institutes of Health) recognizes hypermobility as a cause for osteoarthritis. In addition, menopause likely increases the hypermobility.
Ligament laxity and EDS respond very well to PRP and dextrose prolotherapy injected precisely into the ligaments. In fact, it is the only treatment for the chronic pain of hypermobility other than going to the extreme measure of surgically fusing the joints.
Do you – or does anyone you know – suffer from this condition and want definitive treatment with no drugs or surgery? PRP and prolotherapy are the only effective solution for EDS that doesn’t involve the use of either drugs or surgery.
Dr. Gloria Tucker, M.D. is a Diplomat of the American Board of Sports Medicine, a physician instructor of Proliferative Therapy with the Hackett Hemwall Foundation, and practices in the Marin County, CA city of Novato. She can be reached at [email protected] or by calling (415) 506-4907.