Procedures · Prolotherapy and PRP · Glastonbury, CT
Dr. Paul Tortland, DO, learned prolotherapy during his sports medicine fellowship and began practicing regenerative medicine in 1995. He added PRP in 2007. Patients from across New England ask which is better for joint, ligament and tendon pain. The answer depends on the diagnosis, which he confirms on live ultrasound.
Prolotherapy injects a sugar solution, usually dextrose, to irritate a weakened ligament or tendon into repairing itself. PRP injects a concentrate of your own platelets to support healing directly. Both are non-surgical and ultrasound guidance helps place them. Dr. Tortland chooses based on what your exam and imaging show.
The two are related but not interchangeable.
| Consideration | Prolotherapy | PRP |
|---|---|---|
| What is injected | A dextrose (sugar) solution | A concentrate of your own platelets from a blood draw |
| How it works | Triggers a mild healing response in a weakened ligament or tendon | Delivers concentrated growth factors to the injured tissue |
| Best fit | Ligament laxity and chronic tendon or joint pain | Partial tears, tendinitis, and mild to moderate arthritis |
| Time to benefit | Set at your evaluation | About 4 to 12 weeks |
| Main limit | Results vary, and it does not replace tissue that is gone | Results vary, and it does not rebuild a bone-on-bone joint |
| Pricing | Pending a full diagnostic workup, if recommended by Dr. Tortland | Custom-concentrate, high-dose PRP (not just PRP) from $1,800, pending a full diagnostic workup, if recommended by Dr. Tortland |
The $500 evaluation is unhurried and includes diagnostic ultrasound when appropriate. Dr. Tortland first confirms the diagnosis and the pain generators, then explains which treatment fits and which do not. About 30 percent of his patients travel from outside Connecticut.
If surgery is the better path, he says so directly and refers you to a trusted orthopedic surgeon.
Related reading: prolotherapy and prolozone, PRP injections, cellular orthobiologics (BMA and MFAT) and how to compare PRP providers.
Not always. They suit different problems. Dr. Tortland recommends one or the other, or a combination, after examining you and reviewing your imaging.
He began with prolotherapy in 1995 and added PRP in 2007, then bone marrow aspirate in 2008 and fat-derived MFAT in 2009, so he can match the treatment to the injury rather than use one for everything.
Most patients notice gradual improvement between 6 and 16 weeks overall. PRP usually shows benefit in about 4 to 12 weeks.
In most cases, start with a non-surgical specialist. A thorough evaluation makes sure surgery is recommended only when it is truly necessary.
Bring your MRI from the last year, on disc or a link that does not expire, plus the report and any x-rays.
Mulvaney SW, Tortland PD, Shiple B, Curtis K. Regenerative medicine options for chronic musculoskeletal conditions: a review of the literature. Endurance and Sports Medicine. 2018.
Candidacy is determined on ultrasound, not over the phone. Bring your imaging and get a straight answer about your joint in one visit.