Arthritis refers to an inflammatory condition that impairs the health and mobility of your joints. The most common form of arthritis, osteoarthritis (OA), develops from trauma or when you overuse or stress your joints.

Athletes, musicians, and laborers who repeat the same motions over and over are susceptible to OA. You’re more likely to develop OA as you age because the joint becomes unstable and the protective cartilage that covers and cushions your joint bones degrades with time.

Without enough cartilage, or intact supportive joint structures, your joint becomes unstable, causing pain, swelling and inflammation. You might also feel particularly stiff first thing in the morning or after sitting or lying down for a while.

If one or more of your joints are stiff, painful, or limited in its range of motion, you could have OA. You can get arthritis in any joint in your body, from your head to your toes.

To determine if you have OA, Dr. Silva conducts a physical evaluation, discusses your lifestyle habits, reviews any prior imaging studies, and may perform a diagnostic ultrasound evaluation.

Dr. Silva’s goal is to resolve the underlying cause of your joint dysfunction to provide long term outcomes. He may recommend lifestyle changes, dietary changes and supplements, physical therapy, joint bracing, and other types of beneficial interventions to help reduce your symptoms. He can also recommend regenerative therapies such as:

- Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy that uses growth factors from your own blood to accelerate healing of your joint structures

- Prolotherapy uses irritants or proliferants to trigger the body’s innate healing mechanisms which will strengthen the joints

- Stem cell therapy uses cells and growth factors derived from your own bone marrow to regenerate damaged tissues. This is the most powerful form of the regenerative procedures

Get to the root cause of your arthritis and heal your painful joints from the inside out. Contact Dr. Silva today by calling the Interventional Orthopedics of Washington office or using the online request form.