What to Expect From PRP Injections for Chronic Pain

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections have the potential to dramatically ease your chronic pain by healing the damaged tissues at the root of the problem.

But if you’re interested in this innovative procedure, you also want the advice of experts in the field. That’s where our outstanding team at Alliance Spine and Pain Centers can help.

Our board-certified physicians specialize in regenerative medicine therapies like PRP and interventional pain management, giving us the ability to evaluate your pain and determine if PRP will help.

You can also have confidence in the quality of your treatment because we have extensive experience performing cutting-edge PRP treatments in our facilities, which are fully accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO).

Let’s explore how PRP injections relieve pain and some of the conditions our team frequently treats.

How PRP relieves chronic pain

When you’re injured or develop a disease, platelets automatically travel through your blood to the injured tissues. Then they activate healing by releasing growth factors.

Growth factors communicate with injured cells, orchestrating the complex steps required for new cell growth and healing.

Growth factors ease your pain by:

• Reducing inflammation (after the first inflammatory reaction that supports early healing)
• Promoting new cell growth
• Stimulating new blood vessels
• Rebuilding damaged nerves
• Recruiting your body’s stem cells to the area
• Preventing degeneration of healthy tissues
• Building a foundation to support new tissue growth
• Detecting and neutralizing damaging bacteria and viruses

The adult stem cells called to the area are your body’s essential regenerative agents. They divide to produce new cells that develop into muscles, ligaments, tendons, cartilage, collagen, blood vessels, and bones — all the cells needed to repair and replace damaged tissues.

What to expect after your PRP injection

Your PRP injection is not a quick fix. The goal of PRP is to promote healing, which is the best possible way to ease chronic pain, but it takes at least four to six weeks. You may also need more than one injection, depending on the severity of the injured tissues.

In the days after your PRP injection, you’ll still have pain. You may also briefly experience inflammation because it’s the first phase of healing. Inflammation clears away debris and contains cells that kill bacteria, setting the stage for new tissue growth.

We give you personalized self-care instructions to follow after your PRP injection. The steps you need to take depend on where the injury is located, the type of tissue treated, and the severity of the underlying problem.

We typically recommend resting the area and avoiding strenuous activity for a period of time. Some people need medical devices to protect the area. For example, you may need crutches to support healing after a PRP injection to treat leg or knee pain. Or you may temporarily need a sling if your injection targets orthopedic conditions causing arm or shoulder pain.

Rehabilitation also has an essential role in your full recovery. Most people can begin physical therapy in the first or second week after the injection. Your physical therapist begins with gentle activities honoring your activity limitations, then gradually adds exercises to restore strength, flexibility, and full movement.

Pain conditions treated with PRP

PRP helps relieve chronic neck, back, shoulder, arm, leg, and joint pain caused by many conditions.  A few examples include:

• Osteoarthritis
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Plantar fasciitis
• Rotator cuff tears
• Achilles tendonitis
• Meniscus tears
• Muscle and tendon injuries (strains)
• Ligament injuries (sprains)
• Bursitis
• Herniated discs
• Degenerative disc disease

PRP may also help ease the pain caused by diabetic neuropathy (nerve damage).

If you struggle with chronic pain, you owe it to yourself to meet our physicians at Alliance Spine and Pain Centers. They’re leaders in the field of pain management and experts in regenerative medicine techniques like PRP injections.

We offer more than 20 convenient locations, so call the nearest office or request an appointment today.