A well-established safety record
Prolotherapy has been used for decades and, in trained hands, has a strong safety profile. The solution Dr. Hric injects is primarily dextrose — a simple sugar-water — usually combined with a small amount of local anesthetic. Unlike a corticosteroid, it is not a drug that spreads through your body or carries the tissue-weakening risks that come with repeated steroid shots. The aim is to gently prompt your own body to strengthen loose or worn ligaments and tendons, which is exactly why Dr. Hric offers it as an alternative to cortisone that only masks symptoms.
Side effects you should expect
Most side effects are mild, temporary, and actually expected. Because prolotherapy works by triggering a controlled healing response, it is normal to feel soreness, stiffness, mild swelling, or bruising around the injection site for a day or a few days afterward. That temporary ache is often a sign the treatment is doing what it is meant to do, and it usually settles on its own. A short series of visits is common, and this brief post-injection soreness can follow each session.
As with any injection, less common risks exist and are worth naming honestly: infection, bleeding, an allergic reaction, or temporary nerve irritation. These are uncommon, especially when injections are placed carefully by an experienced physician, but no procedure is entirely without risk. Prolotherapy is also not right for everyone, and results vary from person to person — Dr. Hric will tell you plainly if you are not a good candidate rather than proceed anyway.
How we keep prolotherapy safe and honest
Dr. Hric performs every treatment himself, drawing on more than 40 years of medical experience. He reviews your history, examines the area, and places each injection with care. Just as important, he practices Conservative First: he starts with the least invasive option that has real evidence behind it, and he will tell you plainly when prolotherapy is not likely to help or is not worth your money.
If you are weighing prolotherapy, the surest way to know is a consultation, where Dr. Hric can give you a straight read on the likely benefits, the real risks for your situation, and whether it is the right fit at all.
Reviewed by Dr. Jerry Hric, Great Physician Regenerative Medicine · Updated July 15, 2026. Educational information, not a substitute for an in-person evaluation.