Ozone therapy is the administration of ozone into the body for therapeutic purposes. It can be administered as a single treatment along with medications or drugs that the patient is usually taking.
Depending on the area of the body where the pain is present, the treatment is carried out by one route or another. Most frequently it is administered intra-articularly, that is, inside the painful joints. However, it can also be administered intramuscularly paravertebrally, subcutaneously, in tendon sheaths, epidurally and intradiscal.
Normally, very small gauge needles are used to administer ozone in these structures. Only the epidural and disc route require specific needles of larger caliber and length.
Benefits of Ozone Therapy
Ozone therapy has an anti-inflammatory and analgesic effect on painful areas through the reduction of prostaglandins, which are responsible for inflammatory phenomena and pain; the regulation of cytokines, involved in osteoarthritis; and the regenerative and oxidizing action by acting on free radicals. It can also improve oxygen perfusion of affected tissues.
It presents benefits over other treatments such as corticosteroids. For example:
- It does not weaken ligaments and tendons.
- It cannot form crystals that could worsen pain.
- It improves local oxygenation, which is necessary in patients with hip necrosis.
- Does not alter the stability of other medical pathologies (diabetes, hypertension, osteoporosis, obesity, anxious disorders, gastric disorders)
- There is no limit to the number of applications
- The infiltration is less painful since the needles are finer.
On the other hand, with respect to treatment with hyaluronic acid, Ozone therapy does not cause pain when injected because the needles are thinner, nor during the absorption period. In addition, it does not trigger painful reactions due to intolerance to the drug.
Ozone therapy: ozone treatment of pain
All inflammatory pain in joints, tendons or fasciae such as osteoarthritis, tendonitis or plantar fasciitis can be treated with ozone therapy.
Ozone therapy is also indicated for lumbar and radicular pain due to back pathologies (herniated discs, disc protrusions, degenerative disc disease, canal stenosis). Likewise, in pain with muscular involvement, such as rheumatic fibromyalgia, it is also a form of treatment.