Dr. Aryn Bartoshyk, ND

Ozone

OZONe therapy

 
 
 

What Is Ozone?

Ozone (O3) is an unstable gas molecule. It quickly converts to a stable oxygen molecule (O2) and unstable oxygen atom (O). O2 molecules feed our mitochondria, which are the “energy factories” of our cells. Thus, oxygenating impaired tissue (e.g., a knee that is not healing) can help jumpstart our cells to produce the energy required to heal. The O atom has its own benefits, acting like fly paper to free radicals which damage our cells and impair healing. O atoms can also latch to unwanted pathogens and create an antimicrobial effect. Hence, the over-arching goal of ozone therapy is to create a curative response in the body.

PROLOZONE For Pain

Prolozone® is a regenerative injection technique pioneered by Dr. Frank Shallenberger in the 1990’s. Its name is derived from the latin word “proli” which means to proliferate, regenerate, and rebuild. Ozone is the main ingredient used to help proliferate, regenerate and rebuild ligament, cartilage and joints that have become weak. It can permanently alleviate many kinds of pain including:

  • Ankle sprains

  • Back pain

  • Carpal tunnel syndrome

  • Herniated discs

  • Hip pain

  • Knee pain

  • Rotator cuff tears

  • Sciatica

  • Shoulder pain

  • Neck pain

  • Neuromas

  • Osteoarthritis

  • Plantar fasciitis

  • Tennis elbow

  • TMJ syndrome

  • Unresolved whiplash

Prolozone is a safe, natural, and often permanent treatment for chronic pain.

Injured Ligaments Cause Pain. Ligaments are the biological “elastic bands” that hold bones, joints and intervertebral discs together. Ligaments can become weak from overuse or injury leaving them weaker and more “elastic” than their original state. When no longer able to stabilize the area they once held into place so tightly, the body becomes more reliant on muscles to stabilize the compromised area. This creates tension, and can lead to pain and arthritis as other structures such as bones, discs, and joints are affected. Additionally, ligaments themselves have many nerve endings which can heighten the pain.

How Does it Work? Prolozone therapy involves the injection of ozone in and around the damaged ligaments and structures. The injected ozone stimulates the body’s innate healing response by increasing energy, blood supply, and nutrients and proteins required to synthesize new collagen and cartilage. The end result is strengthened and repaired ligament, thereby stabilizing the area and removing the cause of pain.

Treatment Course. The response and number of treatments varies, and depends on an individual’s healing ability and degree of injury. On average, one can expect from 3 to 7 treatments spaced 1 to 4 weeks apart. The treatment continues until maximum improvement is noted (i.e., pain level plateaus or resolves). The optimal goal is to alleviate all symptoms and create a permanent fix. About 75% of chronic pain sufferers who undergo this pain therapy become permanently pain free.

What can I expect? Prolozone injections can create temporary discomfort and some people feel worse before they feel better. Due to the local irritation and increased volume to the area, it is common to feel achy and sore for 2 to 3 days post injection. If injected into a more superficial area (e.g., the wrist tendons) one may also feel the sensation of gas bubbles underneath the skin. With this, the “original pain” is often masked.

Safety. Overall, prolozone has been proven to be a very safe treatment option. The main risks result from introduction of a needle, which may result in bruising, bleeding, infection, and needle trauma injury (e.g., pneumothorax if near the lung or numbness and tingling from nerve puncture). 

How IS ELSE IS OZONE administered?

At Rise Health, ozone is currently administered via a:

  • Prolozone Injection (e.g., for knee pain, frozen shoulder, herniated discs)

  • Nasal syringe (e.g., for chronic or acute congestion)

Some other clinics also administer ozone via intravenous (IV) therapy (e.g., for Lyme disease), topical oils (e.g., for skin infections), limb bags (e.g., for diabetic ulcers) and more.

Wait … isn’t ozone toxic?

Ozone is often termed as an environmental toxic substance that can lead to respiratory problems. However, there is a big difference between atmospheric ozone and medical grade ozone. Atmospheric ozone, also known as smog, is derived from pollutants (e.g., combustion from engines and factories) and contains a mixture of molecules including hydrocarbons, nitrates, sulphur oxide, and ozone. The health consequences result from the contaminants (e.g., nitrates, peroxides, sulphur oxides) - not the ozone. Conversely, medical grade ozone is pure oxygen, nothing more. It is produced by passing pure oxygen through a generator to break oxygen molecules into two separate oxygen atoms. Two to three percent of these combine to form ozone which can be safely administered to patients. 

Ozone therapy has been used safely for over 50 years as demonstrated in one study of 384,775 patients treated with various forms of ozone therapy during 5,579,238 treatment sessions. A very low complication rate of 0.006% was observed with the only major complications occurring when ozone was improperly administered by untrained practitioners. The American Academy of Ozonotherapy (AAO) is now in place to standardize and promote the safe and correct medical use of ozone therapy to reduce complications. 

Resources

References

  • Biazzo, A., Corriero, A. S., & Confalonieri, N. (2018). Intramuscular oxygen-ozone therapy in the treatment of low back pain. Acta Bio-Medica De l'Ateneo Parmense, 89(1), 41-46. https://doi.org/10.23750/abm.v89i1.5315

  • Bocci, V., Borrelli, E., Zanardi, I., & Travagli, V. (2015). The usefulness of ozone treatment in spinal pain. Drug Design, Development and Therapy, 9, 2677-2685. https://doi.org/10.2147/DDDT.S74518

  • Bonetti, M., Fontana, A., Cotticelli, B., Volta, G. D., Guindani, M., & Leonardi, M. (2005). Intraforaminal O2-O3 versus periradicular steroidal infiltrations in lower back pain: Randomized controlled study. American Journal of Neuroradiology: AJNR, 26(5), 996-1000.

  • Dall'Olio, M., Princiotta, C., Cirillo, L., Budai, C., de Santis, F., Bartolini, S., Serchi, E., & Leonardi, M. (2014). Oxygen-ozone therapy for herniated lumbar disc in patients with subacute partial motor weakness due to nerve root compression. Interventional Neuroradiology, 20(5), 547-554. https://doi.org/10.15274/INR-2014-10078

  • Dernek, B., Kesiktas, F.N. (2019). Efficacy of combined ozone and platelet-rich-plasma treatment versus platelet-rich-plasma treatment alone in early stage knee osteoarthritis. Journal of Back and Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation, 32(2), 305-311. https://doi.org/10.3233/BMR-181301

  • Özcan, Ç., Polat, Ö., Çelik, H., & Uçar, B. Y. (2019). The effect of paravertebral ozone injection in the treatment of low back pain. Pain Practice, 19(8), 821-825. https://doi.org/10.1111/papr.12812

  • Paoloni, M., Di Sante, L., Cacchio, A., Apuzzo, D., Marotta, S., Razzano, M., Franzini, M., & Santilli, V. (2009). Intramuscular oxygen-ozone therapy in the treatment of acute back pain with lumbar disc herniation: A multicenter, randomized, double-blind, clinical trial of active and simulated lumbar paravertebral injection. Spine (Philadelphia, Pa. 1976), 34(13), 1337-1344. https://doi.org/10.1097/BRS.0b013e3181a3c18d

  • Shallenberger, F., & HMD, A. (2011). Prolozone™–regenerating joints and eliminating pain. Journal of Prolotherapy, 3(2), 630-638.

  • Ucar, D., Uçar, S., Özcan, Ç., Polat, Ö., Çaçan, M., & Uçar, B. (2020). Retrospective observational study of intramuscular oxygen-ozone therapy for the treatment of neck pain: Cervical paravertebral injection. Medical Gas Research, 10(4), 170-173. https://doi.org/10.4103/2045-9912.286980

  • Wang, B., Dong, G., Ju, Y., & Yan, C. (2014). Case-control study on therapeutic effects of ozone and triamcinolone acetonide on the treatment of meniscal injury. Zhongguo Gu Shang, 27(4), 295-298.