Prolotherapy (also known as proliferative therapy) is an alternative treatment that’s been in use since at least the 1930s. Prolotherapy is one of the earliest forms of regenerative medicine and works by stimulating your body to heal itself. Dr. Silva administers Prolotherapy by injecting your soft tissues with a solution made from one or more of the following ingredients:

- Dextrose — a form of sugar

- Saline — saltwater

- Ropivicaine anesthetic

- Plasma

- And more

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.

The prolotherapy solution and injection technique acts to create a micro-injury to tendons and ligaments. This causes a mild inflammatory response that stimulates your body to repair the injured tissues. This can reduce pain, improve chronic inflammation, and stabilize joints by tightening ligaments.

Prolotherapy can be used to repair and regrow damaged tendons and ligaments and thereby stabilize joints and reduce or eliminate pain.

Dr. Silva can recommend prolotherapy to treat common conditions and injuries including, but not limited to:

- Degenerative disc disease

- Osteoarthritis

- Rotator cuff tears

- Neck and back pain

- An unstable ankle

- Tennis elbow

- Plantar fasciitis

When you have a sprain, strain, or joint pain, Dr. Silva conducts a thorough physical exam to determine the source of your pain. He might need to make ultrasound or other imaging studies to determine if you’re a candidate for prolotherapy. Based on his findings, he designs a treatment that’s best for you.

You might need a series of 3-6 treatments to significantly rebuild tissues. Dr. Silva recommends leaving at least 1 to 2 weeks between each treatment.

To find out if you can benefit from treating your soft-tissue and joint injuries with prolotherapy, contact Interventional Orthopedics of Washington today by phone or using the “Book Appointment” button.