Platelet-rich plasma is a groundbreaking, evidence-based regenerative treatment that harnesses the healing powers of your own blood to repair injuries and promote health. Top athletes have used PRP for almost a decade to accelerate healing after an injury. Dr. Silva recommends PRP to improve or repair:

- Chronic pain

- Acute pain

- Joint injuries

- Joint instability

- Sprains and strains

- Nerve pain

- Bone injuries

- Osteoarthritis

- Inflammation

You can also use PRP as anti-aging medicine to treat hair and skin.

Your blood is a mixture of liquid (plasma), red and white blood cells, and coagulants called platelets. When you’re wounded, platelets rush to the site of injury to clot broken blood vessels and to provide essential growth factors to start the healing process.

PRP contains about 30 different growth factors derived from your blood. PRP can be concentrated to various levels far beyond the baseline levels found in whole blood.

When Dr. Silva injects the PRP directly into the site of your injury, the growth factors accelerate your body’s natural healing processes. PRP injections help stimulate your cells to heal and rebuild tissues. As your tissue heals, it grows stronger, tighter, and healthier.

Dr. Silva always uses ultrasound and x-ray (fluoroscopy) guidance when administering injectable therapies to ensure that the healing agents are delivered precisely to the area of injury.

Platelet-Rich Plasma is made from your own blood, which naturally contains healing growth factors and platelets. To make PRP, Dr. Silva first draws blood from your arm. He then takes your blood into our laboratory for processing, where he separates out the healing platelets and growth factors from other components such as red blood cells, and creates a super-concentrated platelet serum that he injects into your injured tissues.

Because PRP is a regenerative therapy, it doesn’t just mask pain or subdue symptoms. It actually heals the underlying injury or condition that causes your dysfunction. After a series of PRP treatments, you can expect:

- Joint degeneration to stop or reverse

- Relief from acute and chronic pain

- Improved mobility

- More stability

- Faster healing

- Stronger nerves

- Less inflammation

Dr. Silva can in some instances recommend PRP treatments in lieu of surgery or steroid injections. Because PRP is stimulating the immune system, you may experience some temporary inflammation, pain, and swelling at the injection site.

To find out if your chronic or acute pain can be helped by PRP therapy, contact Interventional Orthopedics of Washington by phone or book an appointment online.