Perineural Injection Therapy (PIT) for Pain

Perineural Injection Therapy (PIT) targets painful and swollen peripheral nerves with buffered dextrose 5% in sterile water (D5W) resulting in instant analgesia, reduced swelling and improved functional mobility.

What is Perineural Injection Therapy (PIT)?

Perineural Injection Therapy (PIT) is a safe and effective, non-pharmaceutical injection therapy for the treatment of acute and chronic pain.  Perineural injection therapy (previously known as Neural Prolotherapy - NPT) was discovered and developed by the clinical observations of Dr. John Lyftogt, MD in Christchurch, New Zealand.   PIT therapy is based on anatomical palpation of swollen and painful peripheral nerves.  If the peripheral sensory nerves are swollen and painful on palpation, this is an indication to treat with PIT.

What solution is injected?

PIT involves the injection of a low concentration sugar solution around inflamed pain sensitive nerves that are causing chronic pain.  Dr. Moss uses buffered D5W (dextrose 5% in sterile water) with a neutral pH of 7.4.

What happens during a PIT treatment?

Dr. Moss begins your treatment by taking a thorough history of your condition. This is followed by a physical exam to further identify the areas involved with your pain.  The treatment consists of a series of small injections, using a very fine needle, near the nerves that transmit pain.  Pain relief is often felt within seconds.   

How many injections can I expect to receive?

If you have a large area of pain, then more nerves are involved and you will receive more injections in order to resolve your pain.

What is the goal of each treatment?

The goal of each treatment is pain resolution and restoration of normal functional movement.  You should be pain free for 4 hours to 4 days after your initial PIT treatment.  After additional PIT treatments you will need fewer injections and your pain relief will last longer.

How often are PIT treatments recommended?

PIT treatments are most often given once a week.  

How many PIT treatments will I need?

The number of treatments will depend on the specifics of each case, however the average number of treatments is 4-8. 

How does Perineural Injection Therapy work?

PIT does not target tendons, ligaments or joints, but treats the nerves associated with painful areas.  Dr. Lyftgot’s working hypothesis is that glucose solutions help to repair inflamed nerves.  These inflamed nerves under the skin are known to cause chronic painful conditions called ‘neuralgias’ or ‘neuropathic pain’ or commonly known as ‘chronic pain’.  There is evidence that the nerves responsible for muscle, ligament and tendon are inflamed and swollen, and therefore are preventing the healing of these structures.  

What conditions may benefit from Perineural Injection Therapy?

Headaches, migraines, post-herpetic neuralgia, fibromyalgia, neck pain, shoulder pain, elbow pain, wrist pain, hand pain, lower back pain, hip pain, knee pain, foot pain, ankle pain; tendonitis, achilles tendinopathy, osteoarthritis, bursitis, muscle strains, ligament sprains; whiplash injuries and sports injuries.

How can I learn more about PIT?

Learn more from the following resources:

• Neural Prolotherapy article in the Journal of Prolotherapy

• The founder of PIT - Dr. John Lyftogt's website

• Dr. K. Dean Reeves, MD - PIT and Prolotherapy information

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PIT RESEARCH - Here are links to Perineural Injection Therapy research:

• Dr. Lyftogt has compiled a list of PIT research papers (RCT's), case histories and relevant research articles.   You may link to his web page here to read more.

• Effect of Perineural Injection Therapy in moderate and severe knee Osteoarthritis; a comparative study

• Perineural Injection Therapy in the Management of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome: a sweet solution to pain published in Pain Medicine October 2017

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