What to Expect After a PRP Session

Our bodies have a pretty remarkable innate healing power. You’ve probably marveled as a cut has healed or been relieved as your body repairs a strained muscle. You’re not alone in that. Medical researchers increasingly look to our own healing capabilities to drive better outcomes.

You can see evidence of that in regenerative medicine at large and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) in particular. With PRP, Dr. Jonathan D. Carlson harnesses healing components in your body and applies them right where you need them. What’s more, he offers PRP right here at Hawai’i Pain and Spine, on the Windward side of Oʻahu in Kailua.

If Dr. Carlson recommends PRP for you, you’ll want to know what to expect. Before we get into what happens after your session, here’s a quick lesson on PRP in general.

What PRP can do for you

To get the PRP, Dr. Carlson takes a tiny sample of your blood. Using a centrifuge, he separates out the platelets to make the PRP. Your blood’s platelets are rich in growth factors that your body uses to heal injuries.

By injecting the PRP into targeted areas, Dr. Carlson can support faster, more thorough healing for:

• Muscle strains
• Tendon and ligament injuries
• Joint pain, including arthritis
• Back pain

To ensure you’re comfortable, Dr. Carlson can apply an anesthetic before your PRP injection.

What happens after PRP treatment

There’s no recovery period with PRP. You might have a little soreness at the injection site, but it should fade within a few days. 

While Dr. Carlson might recommend that you rest after your appointment, that’s generally because he doesn’t want you to further injure the area. The PRP itself doesn’t come with any downtime. That means you won’t need to schedule any time off work or cancel any plans after your appointment. 

Plus, because the PRP comes from your own body, you don’t have to worry about an allergic reaction or any surprise side effect that could take you out of commission.

Once Dr. Carlson applies the PRP, the platelets go to work supporting healing in the area. While PRP can speed your natural healing process, it doesn’t happen overnight. Most people start to see the results from their PRP session after a few weeks. It might take several months to achieve your full results — but your pain should continually get better over that time. 

Some injuries or conditions only need a single PRP injection, but others benefit from a series of PRP treatments. Dr. Carlson personalizes a treatment plan for you based on what your body needs.

To learn more about what to expect with PRP or to find out if this naturally derived treatment could help with your discomfort, call our office to schedule your appointment today.