The effects of prolotherapy (hypertonic dextrose) in recreational athletes with patellofemoral pain syndrome.

Prolotherapy is recognized as a regenerative injection technique that stimulates the body’s healing processes to strengthen weakened ligaments and tendons. Hypertonic dextrose as an irritant agent which stimulates the healing process is widely used in in this technique. The aim of the current study is to assess the efficiency of prolotherapy injections in patellofemoral pain syndrome. The current research was designed as a retrospective clinical study. Forty-four recreational athletes with unilateral PFPS were enrolled in this study. Ten milliliters of 15% and 5 ml of 25% hypertonic dextrose were used as extra-and intra-articular injection in the knee with PFPS respectively. Extra and intra articular injections were repeated three times with 21 day intervals according to the tissue repair processing. The knee functional scores, balance and coordination scores were significantly improved in the affected knees at 6 months after treatment (p< 0.001). Prolotherapy seems to be effective and leads improvement of knee functional scores and decreasing the pain.