History of Prolotherapy
Prolotherapy derives its' name from the word Proliferation. Its' effectiveness depends on the growth, or proliferation, of new tissue that replaces damaged tissue. This is the only method in common usage that causes the body to produce "new" connective tissue.
The first Prolotherapy was performed by Dr. George Hackett, M.D., who was a general and orthopedic surgeon. In 1956 Dr. Hackett published a monograph purporting to show that many chronic joint problems were the result of stretching and tearing of ligaments and connective tissue surrounding and supporting those joints. It was Dr. Hackett's theory that in many individuals the normal healing process, following small or large injuries or strains, was inadequate to fully restore the joint's connective tissue, leaving it poorly supported. Over time these joints would become damaged as in osteoarthritis or degenerative disc disease. Dr. Hackett began experimenting with injections of non-toxic substances directly into these supposed damaged attachments on the hypothesis that mildly irritating these structures would result in new connective tissue growth. He reasoned that, like a scratch or cut on the skin, the newly irritated tissue would pull circulating repair cells to the area to provide for the eventual new tissue that was needed.
In the 1930s, electroacupuncture was born in China, building on the ancient practice of acupuncture. Fast forward to the 1940s, Dr. Voll, a German doc, took things up a notch by using electric currents to check how the body reacted at acupuncture points. This paved the way for electroacupuncture to become a diagnostic and treatment tool. And guess what? Out of all this research came the PINS-prolotherapy technique, a combination of electroacupuncture and traditional prolotherapy, which is all about rebuilding connective tissue.
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