Is there anyone on the board that is familiar with Ozone Therapy?

[sailchef]

After a lifetime of abusive skiing, sailing, running and working in kitchens my knees are telling me I need to do something to make them feel better. I have had varying degrees of pain for 10 -15 years but have always self-medicated and tried to reduce the pain by reducing inflammation thru various techniques.

I finally went and had x-rays taken; the impression is: “Osteoarthritic changes are quite minimal and consist chiefly of joint space narrowing”. So it’s nothing too dramatic or debilitating.

The doctor I went to see specializes in Regenerative Cell Therapy, Platelet Rich Plasma Therapy, and Ozone Therapy. He came right out and told me he doesn’t feel I need the expensive stem cell or platelet therapy, and that I could probably get good results with the Ozone Therapy.

This is all very new and foreign to me and I don’t know anyone who has used these procedures. My question to those in the forum that are in the know and educated on the subject would be this; how do you feel about it, would you do it, and do you feel it is safe.

This method seems to be a more natural holistic approach when compared to steroids and cortisone.

Any information or opinions would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

[pavulon]

Is your doc an MD, DO, DCM or ??

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3312702/

[hughc]

medical marijuana.

[sailchef]

He is a MD. I spent an hour with him today and learned what I could from his Consult. I have also read what I could find on the web. Looking for any one else who may have experience with it. Their outcome, if they were satisfied with results or not etc.

[sailchef]

Originally Posted by hughc

medical marijuana.

LOL, That's pretty much what got me into this situation to start with. Although it wasn't considered "medical" at the time. I'd blow a joint on the way up the chair and shred the moguls on the way down, no pain. Windsurfing the same way. Toke up and sail a nor'easter all day, pay for it by being in pain the entire next day. Looking for a cure rather than cover up. You're on the right track though.

[Tobra]

Ozone therapy? Why don't you just rub Vick's vaporub on it, would probably do you just as much good.

What did your MRI show? Plain films don't really give you a lot of information on knees.

What symptoms do you have?

[Charles Freeborn]

What is your BMI?
The easiest way to get more life out of joints is to reduce their load i.e. lose weight....
After that, conditioning, hydration, PT, glucosamine and any number of anti-inflammatories.

[stomachmonkey]

Been on a steady regimine of glucosamine / chondroitin / msm for years.

Does not work for everyone but works for me.

Takes a month or so to build up.

Worst case it costs ya a few bucks to figure out.

[sailchef]

Originally Posted by Tobra

Ozone therapy? Why don't you just rub Vick's vaporub on it, would probably do you just as much good.

What did your MRI show? Plain films don't really give you a lot of information on knees.

What symptoms do you have?

No MRI, just X-rays. Knees are just stiff and take a while to “warm up”. They are “creaky”, if I compared them to the struts on my 911 I would say that the top support bolts were loose, sometimes they will click a bit and occasionally there is pin point pain that feels like a pinched nerve. They have taken several good hits over the years getting slammed. The right knee is worse than the left.

I’ve taken anti-inflammatory every day for 10 years, it helps but I am looking for a more permanent fix. I just stumbled onto all this Ozone therapy and stem cell regeneration. Had a consult with the MD and it sounded interesting? Trying to figure out if it’s all voodoo or the real thing. I’ve read as much as I could online.

My physical therapist has helped in the past and I do the PT exercises religiously. I can do leg presses all day long if I keep everything aligned but can twist it painful if I just twist it crawling out of bed the wrong way.

I eat healthy, cut out sugar and bacon, don’t drink alcohol, and quit cigarettes 20 years ago. I’m 5’ 8” @ 155lbs. I am the most in shape 63 year old I know, my knees just won’t keep up.

I am looking for a fix that will last and alleviate the pain. I have tried the glucosamine but it didn’t seem to work. I’ve used Mineral Ice and Absorbine Jr too. that stuff all works as a temporary fix but doesn’t last.

Haven’t tried Vicks, but I have used that stuff for just about everything else.

[Tobra]

Sounds like a meniscus to me, arthroscopy might be the way to go if that is what the problem is. My L knee has a torn meniscus, I am fairly certain it does anyway. As long as the muscles in my leg are strong, it does not give me much trouble. Cycling will be helpful, doing leg presses is maybe not the best thing for it.

The PRP stuff is pricey but it works. I can't imagine how ozone could be therapeutic.



Kidding about the Vicks

[sailchef]

Oh yeh, I forgot about the bike, at least twice a week on a stationary for 20 mins.

This office offers 3 levels of treatment , or price ranges. The stem cell replacement is around $8600, The Platelet Rich Plasma therapy is $1200 and the ozone is much less at $200, all per knee. My insurance doesn’t cover any of this so I had narrowed it down to Ozone based solely on price thinking that I could work my way up the scale if I wasn’t happy with results.

As far as the PRP is concerned, If it works and I can get back out on the slopes for a little “easy skiing” or even run a slow 10K then the $2400 sounds like a bargain. Not to mention the comfort at work.

Now I guess I need to find out more about PRP. I wasn’t able to ask the right questions when I was in the Docs office because I didn’t know anything about any of this. I do appreciate your input.

[enzo1]

I hesitate knowing you'll laugh but have you tried essential oils? It's my wife's thing but it works for me too .. https://www.amazon.com/PanAway-Essential-Young-Living-Oils/dp/B0083I33FU%3FSubscriptionId%3DAKIAILSHYYTFIVPWUY6Q %26tag%3Dduckduckgo-osx-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165 953%26creativeASIN%3DB0083I33FU

[DanielDudley]

Originally Posted by stomachmonkey

Been on a steady regimine of glucosamine / chondroitin / msm for years.

Does not work for everyone but works for me.

Takes a month or so to build up.

Worst case it costs ya a few bucks to figure out.

This.

[IROC]

Originally Posted by Tobra

Ozone therapy? Why don't you just rub Vick's vaporub on it, would probably do you just as much good.

Agreed. Vaporub would be much better as at most it would "do no harm". "Ozone therapy" is a scam. And a potentially dangerous scam.

https://www.naturopathicdiaries.com/ozone-therapy-in-naturopathic-medicine/

From the link:

Ozone is most commonly delivered by naturopaths through a process called autohemotherapy: blood is removed from a patient’s vein, infiltrated with ozone gas, and then returned to the patient’s blood supply. I have also seen this blood-ozone mixture exposed to high-intensity UV radiation before it is re-injected.

The practice of autohemotherapy carries significant risks without any health benefit. Patients have died. Plus, autohemotherapy has been an illegal practice in Germany since 1984, but you will find naturopaths advertising ozone therapy as “commonly used in Europe.”

Is your doctor a real doctor?

[sailchef]

Originally Posted by IROC

Is your doctor a real doctor?

Not my Doctor. He is a "specialist" I went to see.

We discussed several types of therapy. Ozone Therapy was one of them. Had a consultation and left it at that. It sounded interesting, I didn't know anything about it 24 hours ago. At this point I'm just asking questions.

[sailchef]

I spent the afternoon reading up on ozone therapy and have found that there are more than two sides to every story.

The American Academy of Ozonotherapy

Ozone Therapy Is Powerful Medicine | GreenMedInfo | Blog Entry

Delaware Chronic Pain Treatment | Delaware Lyme Disease Expert

Debating an issue is probably the best way to uncover questions and answers on any given topic.

At this point I am neither for nor against it. I am just trying to learn about it and was thinking that with our expansive forum membership there may just be someone who has tried it.

There are other treatments that I am looking at as well, including Platelet Rich Plasma Therapy.

I honestly appreciate everyone's comments.

[Tobra]

It would perhaps be prudent to have a better idea what is wrong with it prior to treating it

[sailchef]

I have an appointment with my primary care physician on Monday to find out what he has to say about all this and see if he will request the MRI.

[KFC911]

I trashed my left knee playing b-ball three times 30 years ago when I was in my late 20s. Fractured Tibia, first (along with torn ACL & meniscus, but not detected due to fracture) until later. I rehabbed at a professional football facility, etc. but after two years and surgery, I don't have an ACL or most of my meniscus, but I don't notice it day-to-day, and I keep my leg muscles very strong to compensate. The last x-ray I had was already showing buildup on the bone, and doc advised me to cut it out, or I would pay dearly for it later. No more b-ball, volleyball, no way in hell I could ski anymore anyways with no ACL . At 63, you're looking for a way to roll back father time imo....you may be in great shape, but that doesn't mean your joints are . Just a layman's perspective who ain't tryin' to make a buck off of you...good luck!!!

[IROC]

Originally Posted by sailchef

Debating an issue is probably the best way to uncover questions and answers on any given topic.

Not necessarily. Unfortunately, a person can pretty much find any bit of info on the internet to support whatever position they are trying to take. There are plenty of websites that promote all sorts of "alternative" medicines and treatments, but these treatments are called "alternative" for a reason - there is no evidence that they actually work. If they did work, they would simply be called "medicine".

I do understand that it is very difficult to sort through the what is true and what isn't and the desire to find something to cure ailments/ease pain/etc. causes people to be more open to "try new things". The reality is there is a huge enterprise out there of people selling products that simply don't work and "ozone therapy" is one of them.

I have osteoarthritis in my knees from years of running (in combination with bad genetics, most likely). I would love for one of these "treatments" to help as much or more than the next guy, but they simply don't. I "researched" glucosamine on the internet a while back and thought it was odd that there appeared to be a discrepancy - clinical trials showed no evidence that it worked (or the results were ambiguous at best) yet "personal testimonies" raved about how great it worked. During one of the visits with my orthopedic surgeon, I asked him what he thought about glucosamine. He laughed.

That pretty much summed it up...

If you'd like to try ozone therapy or essential oils or glucosamine or acupuncture or whatever, that's fine - it's your money. Just be aware that there is no scientific evidence that any of these actually work - only personal testimonies.