Download Dr. Jon Trister M

Dr. Jon Trister M.D
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Back pain? Neck pain? Joint pain?
Learn to “Prolo” your Connective Tissue!
What is Prolotherapy?
Prolotherapy is a minimally invasive injection
technique that can be used to heal many causes of chronic
musculoskeletal pain such as neck pain, low back pain and
other joint pain.
The exciting aspect to recognizing that stretched or
loosened connective tissue is often the root-cause of back,
neck or joint pain is that these problems are eminently
treatable with a simple and safe technique called
Prolotherapy. This technique stimulates the body to heal
damaged ligaments and tendons and thereby permanently
cure the most common cause of chronic pain.
Prolotherapy, also known as Non-Surgical Ligament
Reconstruction, is a safe, effective, minimally invasive
injection technique that has been around for over 50 years.
Dr. George Hackett M.D., a pioneer in the field, first
coined the term “Prolotherapy” in the 50’s. The word
derives from the Latin “proles” which refers to the
stimulation of growth.
Prolotherapy involves the injection of weakened
and/or stretched ligaments with a sugar solution or
other natural “proliferant” substance. The solution,
which is injected with a very thin needle at the
precise points of tissue damage, sets up a local
proliferative reaction that increases the blood flow
to damaged ligaments. Immune cells can then
clean up the debris and fibroblasts can move in and
rebuild healthy fibroelastic tissue and restore
damaged connective tissue to its’ original strength.
Studies show an approximate 40% increase in
connective tissue strength with Prolotherapy.
Does Prolotherapy Work?
Prolotherapy has substantial evidence to prove its
effectiveness and it is currently being used in five
university centers. Nearly 100 studies over the last
60 years have demonstrated an approximate 85%
success rate in dealing with chronic pain of
musculoskeletal origin. Dr. Hackett was able to
demonstrate an amazing 82% improvement rate on a
series of 1600 patients with low back pain that he
followed from 2-12 years. Ongley, another physician, ran
a study in the 60’s where he compared prolotherapy to
placebo. Six months after the injections, 87.5% of the
Prolo group had improved 50% or more, versus 39% in
the placebo group. This is one of the only studies ever
done that shows such a dramatic difference between two
treatment approaches for low back pain.
Dr. C. Everett Koop, our former U.S. Surgeon General,
considers Prolotherapy as “an effective and useful
technique that deserves much more recognition by the
conventional medical community”. Dr. Koop had firsthand experience with Prolotherapy as he had used it to
cure his own longstanding back pain that had failed to
respond to conventional treatment modalities. He also
commented that “The nice thing about Prolotherapy, if
properly done, is that it cannot do any harm.”
What Problems can Prolotherapy treat?
A wide array of conditions can be successfully treated
with Prolotherapy. Whether the cause of the pain is an
injury such as an auto-, sports- or work-related accident or
a degenerative condition such as arthritis or degenerative
disc disease, the root-cause of these problems can often be
traced back to damaged or weakened connective tissue.
Prolotherapy has a doctor-proven track record in the
treatment of many medical conditions including back pain,
whiplash, neck pain, headaches, TMJ pain, rotator cuff
injuries, tennis/golfer’s elbow, knee or hip pain as well as
problems involving the wrist, ankle or foot.
Is Prolo safe and what are the side-effects?
As long as the Prolotherapy is done by a properly trained
medical doctor (i.e. M.D. or D.O.), Prolo is an extremely
safe procedure. Patients should make sure that the medical
doctor has had postgraduate education with either the
AAOM (American Association of Orthopedic Medicine)
or the AOAS (American Osteopathic Academy of
Sclerotherapy). In addition, patients might also inquire
who the doctor trained with. Bear in mind that although
Prolo/ Reconstructive Therapy has been around for over
50 years, there are currently only about 200 medical
doctors across the U.S. who offer this treatment.
As far as side-effects, the main concern is possible allergic
reaction to the anesthetic used in the injections
(xylocaine), which is actually quite rare. The only
common side-effect is that the shots can be sore and the
site of injection may remain sore for a couple of days after
the injections. Most patients report that this discomfort is
much less bothersome than their usual pain and even if
they have a slight increase in discomfort for a few days, it
is well worth it if they have a good chance at getting rid of
their pain once and for all. To make the shots more
comfortable, most doctors numb the skin with a topical
anesthetic.
Why is Prolo so little known?
The natural question is why should a simple, safe
treatment that has an amazing success rate of being able to
substantially improve chronic pain in about 85% of cases,
be so little known in medical circles? The reason demands
an appreciation for the politics of medicine and how it
molds the practice of medicine. Since the injected
materials are largely natural medications they cannot be
patented and therefore no large pharmaceutical concern
will support and promote the study and practice of
Prolotherapy. It is also true that Prolotherapy can often
preclude the need for surgery, not making the
treatment too popular in orthopedic surgery and
neurosurgery circles. Nevertheless, I believe that
Prolotherapy will eventually take its rightful place in
medicine. Orthopedics will treat bony problems,
Neurosurgery will treat nerve and spinal cord disorders
and Prolotherapy/Reconstructive Therapy will address
connective tissue problems.
How long does it take to get better?
Since Prolotherapy depends on the body’s healing
response, tissues can take anywhere from 6-8 weeks to
heal. On average, patients will require from four to six
sessions to treat a given area of pain and connective tissue
damage. Although patients often experience relief in the
first week or two after the shots, it may very well take
them several treatments over a two month period before
they achieve their desired level of pain relief. It is
important to bear in mind that the primary goal of Prolo is
not immediate pain relief but rather to address the rootcause of the pain and restore the natural anatomy by
stimulating the body to rebuild damaged connective tissue.
This is a natural healing process that can take Mother
Nature a couple of months to complete. However, once
this process is complete, the patient will often be painfree. Since new connective tissue is being created, the
results have to be considered as permanent.
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Dr. Jon Trister, Board Certified in Internal Medicine. Dr. Jon Trister specializes in Internal Medicine,
Orthopedic Medicine, Medical Acupuncture, & Spinal Cord Injury Medicine.
Training:
Internal Medicine- Saint Vincent Hospital, Worcester MA, USA
Spinal Cord Injury Medicine Fellowship VA Medical Center-Harvard Medical School, USA.
Orthopedic Medicine- Numerous educational courses and symposiums, USA
Medical Acupuncture- UCLA, USA
General Surgery & Orthopedic Surgery- Ukraine and Russia.
Dr. Trister is a member of:
● The American Medical Association
● American Association of Orthopedic Medicine
● The American Academy of Medical Acupuncture
The Vernon Medical Center
Dr. Jon Trister, M.D.
10 Winthrop Street Worcester MA Phone-(508)754-9950 Fax-(508)754-2592
Visit us on the web at www.jontristermd.com
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*If you have a friend or acquaintance with chronic pain, please feel free to print out this brochure and pass it on.
*For more information or to schedule a consultation please call (508)754-9950