Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections are among the most convenient treatments for pain that healthcare professionals use today. Healing our bodies is something that happens in many ways. Medications and surgeries are common paths to take, but less invasive hands-on techniques also help patients find peace. One of these methods is a PRP injection, which uses our bodies’ own healing factors for treatment.
Using your body’s healing factors in tandem with physical therapy and other treatments can help you restore your body’s mobility and comfort. That said, everyone’s situation is different, so everything you need to know about post-PRP injection recovery and other key details won’t boil down to one sentence. We’re happy to help you learn what to expect from this straightforward procedure. Read this guide to learn more about what you can expect during the PRP injections and afterward.
Treatment Expectations
PRP injections are a natural option for pain relief because they use healing factors from the patient’s body. A healthcare professional extracts blood from the patient’s body and removes the platelets, which hold the natural healing factors that already help other parts of the body. Whether it’s their knee or their elbow, the patient will receive a simple injection using their own platelets to increase the concentration of healing factors in one area, promoting better healing. These injections don’t include additional medicines or other substances. A PRP injection is nothing more than the name suggests; a rich mixture of platelets from the patient’s body. By extracting these platelets from an individual’s body, the healthcare professional providing the treatment can inject them elsewhere, such as joints.
Activities like sports and even working can take a toll on joints. Thanks to PRP injections, you don’t always have to turn to surgery or medications. As mentioned above, PRP injections are straightforward, but only if you work with a trained, reliable healthcare expert. Creating injections requires extracting blood and concentrating the platelets in a centrifuge. Thus, suffice it to say that PRP injections are not a DIY at-home type of procedure. That said, knowing what to expect after the treatment is over is still important.
The Post-Injection Experience
Now that you know more about how the PRP injection treatment works, we can discuss how that may affect you in the following months. The primary goal of PRP injection therapy is to deliver effective pain relief to an inflamed or sore area. However, remember that the affected area won’t heal overnight. The first injection of the platelets is only one step toward experiencing relief. The road to recovery will look different for everyone because each case requires an individual assessment and strategy. The good news is that healthcare professionals can pull from years of research and experience to build those personalized strategies. You should always ask your healthcare provider what to expect from your specific procedure, but there are many general details we can still assess right now. After all, you shouldn’t walk out of the health clinic and get blindsided by the side effects you may feel during recovery.
For example, patients generally feel soreness and swelling around the injection area for several days to a week. However, injections in certain areas, such as the ligaments, may require about 10 days to reduce recovery symptoms. Patients should limit movement during the first days of recovery but not completely avoid it. A standard expectation is for patients to spend the first day resting and then gradually introduce more movement into their routine over the proceeding days. There is a big difference to remember between movement and heavy lifting. It’s best to avoid working out during the initial days of healing. After several weeks, working out will typically be okay but take your specific therapy into account. You may have physical therapy sessions scheduled to help with post-PRP recovery. If you’re unsure or your symptoms seem to go longer than expected, don’t hesitate to talk to your PRP specialist directly.
At Anodyne in Las Vegas, we have treatments, such as PRP injections for knee pain, that are one piece of a patient’s personal plan. Since we have experts in multiple fields under one roof, we can complete PRP injections, physical therapy, and more treatments. Although the pain should go away after about a week and a half, the target area will continue healing over several more weeks. Movement is crucial in helping the joint heal, but don’t push your body too far during the healing process. The platelets heal the damaged tissue during this process, so it’s key to support their treatment and be patient with the results. The timeline for full recovery will differ depending on details such as the extent of your initial injuries. Several months after the injections, you should start feeling back to normal, but that doesn’t always mean the end of treatment. For instance, physical therapy may begin many weeks after the PRP injection.
Moving Forward With Treatment
As you can see, discussing everything you need to know about post-PRP injection recovery isn’t as simple as listing a few key steps. The best experience relies on finding a reliable PRP injection therapy expert and talking with them about your specific needs. The guide above outlines many general details, which will help you have a clearer discussion with the expert. The discussion will even begin long before the injection even occurs. Speaking weeks in advance with the PRP specialist at a health clinic ensures you can discuss how to prepare for arrival. For example, a common requirement for patients seeking PRP injection therapy is to cease taking anti-inflammatory drugs weeks before the treatment.
Thanks to the intriguing process of providing PRP injections, it’s easy to assume that it will lead to immediate pain relief for everyone. The truth is that it is a gradual process to recovery, but an effective path, nonetheless. This gradual process ensures your body gets the support it needs to heal itself naturally and get you feeling normal again. Reach out to PRP injection specialists in your area when it’s time to explore how you can use this treatment method to live with less pain.
