Choosing the best prolotherapy doctor requires careful consideration of a doctor’s training and experience. Since this doctor will perform injections on your musculoskeletal system with the intention of relieving pain, you will likely want to know that he has specific training with this technique as well as significant experience with performing it. Without these things, your risk of complications may be higher. Likewise, you may look for reviews and seek recommendations when choosing a professional. Additionally, you may benefit from a detailed explanation of a doctor’s treatment plan before you choose.
One important factor to consider is the training a doctor has completed. Some patients and doctors may feel that any medically licensed individual can perform this type of treatment. This is particularly true because there is usually no special licensing required for medical doctors who use it as a treatment for pain. In fact, many countries do not even have residency programs that provide this type of training. Many health experts, however, assert than an untrained physician is unlikely to produce significant or satisfactory results.
Since prolotherapy is often referred to as an alternative type of treatment, doctors may have a more difficult time finding training options in their communities. Sometimes, however, associations dedicated to spinal conditions and treatments, rehabilitation, or orthopedics provide training programs in this technique. Likewise, an organization that offers alternative medicine training programs may provide such preparation. A professional who has received training from such an organization may prove the best prolotherapy doctor.
You may also consider experience when selecting a doctor. These treatments are not without risks, and an inexperienced doctor might be more likely to make mistakes. Among the side effects you might experience with such a treatment are significant pain, swelling in the area, or a headache following a session. More serious problems aren’t common, but may be more likely to develop when a prolotherapy doctor lacks experience and makes mistakes. Possible serious effects include signs of an allergy, damage to your nerves, the collapse of a lung, or even the inability to move parts of your body after treatment.
The most likely consequence of choosing the wrong prolotherapy doctor is getting one who fails to produce results. This may occur because the doctor gives too few injections during a single treatment session or fails to place the injections in the right place. Sometimes the treatment fails because the doctor only provided one or two treatment sessions when the patient needed several. To avoid such problems, you may do well to look for online reviews of the doctor you are considering, ask your primary medical provider to recommend a skilled professional, or even check with a musculoskeletal support group for doctor referrals. In addition, you may also benefit from asking the prolotherapy doctor you are considering to carefully explain the treatment plan he has in mind before you place yourself in his care.