Regenerative Therapies

Regenerative therapies stimulate the patient’s body to create living, functional tissues to treat tissue injuries and joint conditions which heal slowly, or not at all. Regenerative therapy options currently available at Pontchartrain Orthopedics and Sports Medicine include: Prolotherapy, amniotic membrane therapy and platelet-rich plasma (PRP).

This regenerative therapy uses an amniotic membrane allograft (meaning from another person), as a non-surgical, out-patient treatment for sports injuries, repetitive trauma or arthritis.

In this procedure, naturally occurring growth factors and regulatory proteins contained in amniotic tissue are injected into the target site. The injection signals cells to come to the injury site, help the site to heal, and help the patient's own cells regenerate the damaged tissue.

Amniotic membrane therapy can be successful in stimulating healing, reducing inflammation and minimizing scar tissue for patients suffering from sports-related injuries or arthritis.

Prolotherapy, also called proliferation therapy, is a minimally invasive treatment used in treating slow to heal chronic musculoskeletal conditions. In this procedure, a sugar dextrose solution--an irritant--is injected into the affected tissue. Prolotherapy triggers growth by irritating the tissue, and this encourages natural healing of a tendon, ligaments or joints. Prolotherapy can be successful in treating conditions like Achilles tendinopathy, knee osteoarthritis, lateral epicondylosis, Osgood Schlatter disease, and plantar fasciosis.

Platelet-rich plasma, also called activated platelet rich plasma, is an innovative regenerative therapy. In this treatment, the patient’s own blood is first placed in a centrifuge. The platelets are separated, and the blood is activated with ultraviolet light. The platelets’ bio-active proteins stimulate tissue growth and repair.

PRP can be a good solution for conditions that have not responded well to traditional treatment, like lower back pain, chronic tendon problems, osteoarthritis, as well as acute joint injuries like knee and ankle injuries, tennis elbow or rotator cuff tears.