Prolotherapy & Prolozone Toronto | Joint & Back Pain Injections

How Does It Work?

Recurring pain usually means the connective tissue itself — ligaments and tendons that healed loose, weak or incompletely after an injury. Painkillers mask that. They don't repair it.

Prolotherapy and Prolozone® take the opposite approach. A precise injection of dextrose, local anaesthetic and — in Prolozone — medical ozone gas restarts your body's own healing response inside the damaged tissue. For most patients that means less pain, better stability, and joints that hold up because the tissue is stronger, not because the nerves are numbed.

The technique was developed by Dr. Frank Shallenberger, founder of the American Academy of Ozone Therapy, and is delivered at Upper Room Clinic by physicians trained in regenerative injection therapy.

What does the research say?

Randomized trials and systematic reviews of dextrose prolotherapy report meaningful improvements in pain and function for knee osteoarthritis and chronic tendon injuries such as tennis elbow, with benefits maintained a year or more in some studies. Evidence for ozone-augmented injections is at an earlier stage but growing. We'll always tell you honestly whether your condition is one where the research — and our clinical experience — supports treatment.

Want the detail? Read our full evidence review, Does Prolotherapy Work? What the Research Shows, or see how it stacks up in Prolotherapy vs PRP.

What it costs

Prolozone — neck, back, jaw or prostate: $350 per site
Prolozone — all other sites: $270 per site
Additional site treated in the same session: $100
Most treatment plans: 3–6 sessions, spaced 1–2 weeks apart

Full details on our Services & Diagnostic Testing Price List. Prolotherapy is not covered by OHIP, though many extended health plans reimburse physician-performed injection therapy — and eligible chronic pain patients can ask about our OHIP-covered interventional pain program. No referral needed.

The Benefits

1. Stimulates tissue repair and regeneration: Prolozone activates collagen-producing cells, helping joints, ligaments, and tendons rebuild naturally.

2. Strengthens and stabilizes joints: By healing and tightening weakened connective tissue, it improves joint stability and reduces recurring injuries.

3. Improves oxygenation and blood flow: Ozone enhances oxygen delivery to damaged areas, speeding up healing where blood supply is normally poor.

4. Supports arthritis and degenerative conditions: Effective for osteoarthritis in the knees, hips, shoulders, spine, and small joints, helping preserve function and mobility.

5. Helps chronic or hard-to-heal injuries: Ideal for long-standing pain or injuries that haven't responded to other treatments, offering a non-surgical path to recovery.

Is Prolotherapy or Prolozone Right For You?

These injections work best when pain comes from weakened ligaments, tendons or joint structures. Patients most commonly see us for:

Neck and back pain — including instability and sciatica
Arthritic and degenerative joints — knees, hips, shoulders, spine, large and small
Tendon and fascia pain — tennis elbow, rotator cuff, plantar fasciitis
Sports injuries and chronic post-surgical pain
TMJ, carpal tunnel and nerve-related pain (neuromas)
Pelvic and groin pain, painful scars, non-healing fractures
Enlarged prostate

Who isn't a candidate?

Prolotherapy and Prolozone® aren't right for everyone. Active infection near the injection site, certain bleeding disorders or blood thinners, active cancer in the treatment area, pregnancy, and end-stage bone-on-bone arthritis that truly needs surgery all require careful screening — some patients are better served by a surgical referral first. Your physician will review this honestly at your consultation.

What to Expect

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Plan

Questions

Treatment

Regular Check-Ins

Schedule an Injection Therapy Consultation and upload any previous imaging, diagnostic tests, or medical documents through our secure portal so our team can review your case in advance. Every patient requires a consultation prior to receiving an injection, though the consultation and treatment can often be completed on the same day. Please be sure to review the pre- and post-treatment guidelines in advance to ensure you are eligible to receive your injection on the day of your visit.

At your first appointment, your physician will evaluate the painful area, review your medical history, assess joint stability and tissue integrity, and determine whether Prolozone® is an appropriate treatment.

You’ll receive a personalized treatment plan detailing which structures will be treated, expected improvements, and how many sessions are recommended based on symptom severity and tissue damage. Injections are typically spaced 4 to 6 weeks apart. In some cases, a single treatment may be sufficient, though most chronic injuries are best supported through a series of treatments.

We encourage questions. Your clinician will explain how Prolozone® works, what happens during treatment, how it compares to prolotherapy or PRP, and what results you can expect.

Prolotherapy involves the injection of a dextrose solution to help stimulate the body’s natural tissue repair response. Prolozone® combines prolotherapy with a second step: the precise injection of medical ozone gas to support oxygen utilization, circulation, and collagen production. Together, these therapies help promote the regeneration of damaged ligaments, tendons, and joints.

Throughout your treatment course, we track changes in pain, mobility, strength, and function, adjusting your plan based on how your body responds.

During Treatment

A Prolozone® session typically lasts 15–25 minutes. You may feel a brief sense of pressure, fullness, or warmth during the ozone injection. Mild soreness for 24–48 hours is common as the healing response is activated. Most patients can resume normal activities immediately, though strenuous exercise should be avoided for the first day. Depending on the chronicity and severity of the condition, most patients require 3–6 sessions, spaced 1–2 weeks apart. Long-standing or severe injuries may require additional treatments or combined regenerative approaches.

Why Choose Upper Room Clinic

The Upper Room Clinic is one of the leading providers of Prolozone® therapy in Toronto and Oakville, offering precise, physician-delivered injections that target pain at its source. Care is led by Dr. Biljana Kostovic, MD, who brings over 30 years of experience in integrative, regenerative and chronic pain medicine. We specialize in chronic and hard-to-treat pain, helping patients who haven't improved with standard therapies finally achieve meaningful relief — including combined regenerative approaches such as ultrasound-guided PRP. With convenient locations in midtown Toronto and Oakville, we provide compassionate, evidence-informed care that supports true healing and long-term recovery.

Serving Toronto, Oakville & Across Ontario

We proudly serve patients throughout Toronto, Oakville and the GTA, including Mississauga, Burlington, Milton, Etobicoke, North York, Vaughan, Markham, and Richmond Hill.

Frequently Asked Questions