Do Ligaments Grow Back?

Re: Do Ligaments Grow Back?


I'm no medical expert...just a regular guy, but I'll offer what I know to be true.

I tore my achilles tendon (almost completely...spaghetti strand holding it together). Soon, the tendon grew back reasonably quickly. About 8 weeks to 4 months, I'm told.

Ligaments on the hand (err...ah ... leg) grow back poorly.
Ligaments have three obstacles to healing. They have no direct blood supply. They have a slow metabolic rate ?- even slower than bone. Their structure limits their elasticity so that, like strips of leather, once stretched they are structurally compromised.

For example, I've stretched ligaments in my back that have been that way for over 20 years. Not much chance they'll improve, either, so I have to strengthen the surrounding areas to make things better...stronger tummy muscles ...and make my posture better. Yoga helps this, so I hear.

Also, when I sprained my ankle long time ago, the ligaments never healed 100% and, as a result, are compromised there too, so my ankles are weak.

On a slightly different note, there is a type of therapy from which some have been helped for ligament repair. Prolotherapy ("Proliferative Injection Therapy") involves injecting an irritant solution into the body, generally in the region of tendons or ligaments, for the purpose of strengthening weakened connective tissue and alleviating musculoskeletal pain. Prolotherapy, in combination with chiropractic manipulation and physical therapy, has been reported to alleviate chronic pain.

I can state personally I was NOT helped by this type of therapy on my stretched sacro-iliac ligaments about 23 years ago in 1984. However, my understanding is that it has come a long way and I have spoken with a few folks that HAVE been helped by it.