If you suffer from back and neck pain, knee pain, whiplash symptoms, and arthritis, there is a very good chance that you've heard of prolotherapy in Colorado Springs as a potential solution to your problem. There are relatively few prolotherapy doctors in Colorado Springs. This blog post is meant to help you break down what prolotherapy is, how it works, and whether it is worth exploring it further. 

If after reading this blog post, you have further questions, you can contact one of our doctors at 719.476.0873 to discuss prolotherapy further in a free consultation. 

Prolotherapy treatment is an injection into the affected joint (knee, spine, etc.). The injection is a solution of dextrose and it acts as an irritant, causing the body to react by building more connective tissue in the area. 

Prolotherapy is commonly used in chronic and acute overuse injuries such as whiplash, tennis elbow, sprains and chronic tendonitis. As in the case of whiplash, the ligaments are over-stretched and become overly elastic. The prolotherapy treatment helps rebuild connective tissue in the area to reduce the unwanted elasticity. 

Prolotherapy treatment appointments typically take approximately 30 minutes, which include prep time, the procedure and recovery. Patients often initially experience slight swelling after treatment, along with slight stiffness, before the inflammation reduces. 

Prolotherapy is a non-surgical, out-patient procedure, which means patients get to avoid the risk of surgery and general anesthesia.  

Expect to receive treatments every 2-6 weeks until you can return to normal activity. 

A similar non-surgical treatment to prolotherapy is Class IV laser therapy which is also used for chronic and acute pain conditions in joints. We here excellent reviews from both laser therapy and prolotherapy. If you are looking for a prolotherapy in Colorado Springs, we can arrange to have a doctor treat you at our office, or we can refer to a prolotherapy doctor in Colorado Springs. 

Have you noticed that allergies in Colorado Springs are pretty severe this year? Symptoms can be as simple as itchy eyes, and as severe as puking on a routine basis and asthma. If you are suffering from allergies this year, get to a Colorado Springs allergy doctor. Even as I write this, I'm sneezing:) 

Many illnesses that seem to have a vague diagnosis or seem to come and go can be the result of an allergic reaction. Allergies are one of those things that are rarely discussed or brought into the discussion of public health, but they are impacting most of us on a routine basis. 

When most people think of allergic reactions, they think of bee stings or maybe Will Smith in the hit movie Hitch, when he ate shell fish and swelled up on his first date with Eva Mendez. The are called IGE reactions. But, more often than not, allergic reactions are much more subtle and chronic causing our runny noses, chronic sinus issues, sneeze attacks, bloating, weight gain and more. These are called IGG reactions.

Consider this: Since you were a kid, you likely ate a similar diet first created by your parents, and then maintained as habit. But, what if various foods in your diet were actually making you sick? I'm sure you've heard of gluten intolerance and a gluten free diet. Most gluten free people are gluten free because they determined that gluten was in fact making them chronically ill. Dr. Molly Kallenbach is one of those people, and she discovered her gluten intolerance (mild allergy) five years ago. Her life changed dramatically for the better, just by ditching gluten from her diet. 

Gluten is only one of the common allergies. You may literally be severely allergic to everyday foods that you are not aware of: tomatoes, nuts, cucumbers, etc. Give your body a break, get tested, and find out what may be ailing you.  

On years like this one, when we get loads of wonderful rain, allergens that perhaps weren't present in past year are now in full bloom, including molds. Couple these new environmental factors with habitually consuming allergenic foods, and you've got a recipe for severe reactions. The good news is we can help. 

Dr. Kallenbach, Dr. Arter, and Dr. Malmgren (DC, PA) or medical physician assistant all test patients for allergies and treat patients by identifying allergenic foods and environmental stimulants, and eliminating exposure to the allergens. Dr. Malmgren also uses medical allergy treatments to diminish the impact of the allergen on the body over time, typically using a series of injections. If you are looking for a Colorado Springs allergy doctor, call 719.476.0873. If for some reason, we cannot help you, we can refer you to further specialists who can. 

If you are fed up with sneezing, puking, low energy, runny noses, sinus infections, mood swings, swelling, skin disorders, etc., then give us a call and get tested today to find out what you are allergic to. 

From a medical weight loss standpoint, we've helped patients identify allergens in their diet and they have lost 20 lbs in two weeks, just by eliminating a particular food!


Allergies are a big deal, and they rarely identified in a primary care setting as the cause of your symptoms, so you can end up chasing symptoms rather than addressing the cause.  

Thrive Health Systems offers Colorado Springs primary care services, but we often get asked, "What's the difference between Colorado Springs urgent care and primary care?" 

The biggest difference is the times that Colorado Springs urgent care facilities are open vs primary care facilities. Thrive Health Systems is open 9 am to 5 pm, Monday through Friday, so if you are reading this and it is within that time and day, then we are open and you can call us at 719.476.0873 or walk-in at our 4667 Centennial Blvd., Colorado Springs, CO 80919 location.  

Colorado Springs urgent care facilities are often open until 8 pm and open Saturdays and Sundays. Greater availability allows them to take stress off the local Colorado Springs hospital emergency rooms. 

We intend to extend our hours, and we will announced it when we do. 

Urgent care facilities are over staffed to account for walk-in traffic; again, to take the stress off local emergency rooms. Thrive Health Systems accepts walk-in, but it is mainly run by appointment. 

Both primary care and Colorado Springs urgent care clinics are staffed by medical doctors, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants. Click the highlighted text to read about our on-site physician assistant and medical director. 

If you are in search for an urgent care in Colorado Springs or a primary care provider, depending on the time, Thrive Health Systems may your best choice. 

Thrive Health Systems was once a Colorado Springs chiropractic clinic, but it has evolved over the past fours and now provides primary care services. If you are unfamiliar with the term "primary care," you may be more familiar with urgent care, family medicine or general practice. The real difference between family medicine, primary care, general practice and the term urgent care, is that urgent has extended hours and often open 7 days a week. Urgent care is more of a outpatient Emergency Room, while family practice or primary care is mainly by appointment.  

Our services are mainly by appointment, though we do accept walk-ins, and we are open M-F, rather than Saturday or Sunday. We also close at 5 pm, while many urgent care centers are open until 7 or 8 pm. 

Our primary care services include blood draw and blood testing, annual physicals, wellness checks, EKGs, TMI screenings, B-12 injections, bioidentical hormone replacement therapy,bone density screenings, as well as physical medicine such as trigger point injections Supartz knee injections (see also rooster comb injections). 

Health care leaders say that we do not have a health care system, we have a sick care system. Thrive Health Systems is changing this truth. We use patient education as the cornerstone of our care, and that is why every week you will find one of our doctors teaching our patients about a health care topic. 

Did you know that "doctor" means "teacher," and yet one of the biggest complaints from patients is that "Doctors don't spend enough time with the patient." Secondary complaints are that they only want to prescribe drugs and surgery. 

Drugs and surgery are crisis options and they are risky treatments with all sorts of side-effects. Our primary care philosophy is to responsibly help patients avoid, stay off, and get off medications when possible. 

Now, if you need a blood draw or need annual physical, just walk two doors down. Of course, you can call to schedule an appointment at 719.476.0873 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We are in-network with most providers and we take care of the billing for you.