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Naturopathic Physical Medicine and Prolotherapy
The quality of our daily existence is dependant on many aspects of health. As we age, we accumulate injuries to our ligaments, tendons and joints. People who are free of pain have a higher quality of life because exercise, sports and weight management are more easily accomplished and enjoyed. Fitness is having solid knees a strong back, mobile shoulders and a neck free of pain.
Physical medicine is that branch of medicine that treats back pain, arthritis, sports injuries, whiplash from auto accidents, headaches, herniated disks, foot and ankle pain, etc.
Naturopathic Physical medicine as practiced by Dr. Michael Cronin, begins with a careful assessment including the history of pain and injury, review of any x-rays and MRI.s, and a physical examination with special focus on locating the source of pain from tendonitis, ligament sprains, arthritis and joint instability.
Dr. Cronin has been practicing Naturopathic Physical medicine since 1980 when he did his residency at National College of Naturopathic Medicine in Portland, Oregon. His patients are often people who have not benefited by Physical Therapy, chiropractic, acupuncture, massage, epidurals and cortisone injections. Dr. Cronin has a "hands on" approach that is tailored to the individual and their injuries and combines several forms of treatment including Prolotherapy, spinal manipulation, platelet therapy, traction, exercise rehabilitation.
Prolotherapy also known as Regenerative Injection Therapy (RIT)
Prolotherapy is a most effective method of treating pain and rehabilitating injured and weak ligaments by injection therapy. Relief can be rapid while normalization and full repair can take 3 - 8 treatments over a 2-4 month period. Severe injuries and degenerative conditions require a longer period to heal.
The prolotherapy solution is a formula of glucosamine sulfate, glucose and procaine. It is injected around the injured ligaments. This causes a tonification of the joint capsule, release of ligament growth factors and an increase in the strength and thickness of the ligaments. The joint is stabilized, removing the source of the pain. Manipulation and acupuncture may also be used to supplement the treatment.
Prolotherapy is effective for:
- Neck pain, whiplash, headaches & TMJ pain
- Shoulder pain, Tennis elbow, carpel tunnel, wrist and thumb pain
- Low and mid Back pain, sacroiliac syndrome, sciatica and hip pain including arthritis
- Knee pain and instability, degenerative cartilage
- Ankle and foot pain, heel spurs, plantar fascistic, Achilles tendinosis.
Dr Cronin's extensive website on prolotherapy:
www.proloAZ.com
"Ask Dr Cronin" website:
www.prolotherapyaz.com/askdrcronin.aspx
For more on the scientific research go to
www.prolotherapy.com.
Spinal Manipulation
Dr. Cronin has been providing careful and effective spinal manipulation to patients for almost 30 years. The combination of prolotherapy and manipulation provides excellent results as the manipulation improves the range of movement of the spine while prolotherapy strengthens the spine.
Platelet Therapy, Prolo plus platelets, Platelet Rich Plasma
Platelet therapy is a huge advance in the treatment of the source of pain. This treatment stimulates tissue healing in areas with more severe injuries with degenerative changes. Our platelets contain "Growth Factors" that stimulates healing at a genetic level, activating the growth of ligaments, tendons and cartilage.
A patient.s blood is drawn and the platelets separated by a computerized centrifuge. The platelets are injected into ligament strains, tendinosis, and within joint capsules and around cartilage.
Neck and Back Traction
Traction works well with manipulation and prolotherapy to rehabilitate the disks and facets of the neck and low back. Patients who have postural changes that occur with aging and whiplash, improve with traction because it reeducates the tissue to better structural alignment.
Traction increases circulation and delivery of nutrients to disks by pumping the disk encouraging healing of degenerative disk disease, bulging or herniated disks.
Cold Laser
Cold laser therapy provides a gentle method of healing injured tissue. Laser therapy uses light that penetrates the tissue up-regulating the mitochondria and energy available for the tissue healing response.
Acupuncture
Acupuncture is a very helpful adjunct to Naturopathic Physical Medicine. Dr. Michael Cronin has practiced acupuncture within the Physical medicine area for 20 years.
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