PRP Injections for Back Pain

PRP Injections for Back Pain in San Antonio, TX

Living with chronic back pain means an unending journey to find relief. You may have tried yoga, acupuncture, medications, or physical therapy. But none of these have provided long-lasting pain relief.

PRP Clinic at The Golab Center for Back & Joint Relief offers an alternative — platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections for chronic back pain. PRP is a revolutionary therapy that uses your own blood to stimulate healing so you can address the pain directly at the source.

Understanding Back Pain

Back pain is a common, frustrating problem for both patients and doctors. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), low back pain is responsible for more disability around the world than any other condition.¹ In one study, approximately 25% of U.S. adults reported experiencing low back pain in the prior 3 months.¹

If you suffer from back pain, your doctor may have prescribed a wide variety of treatments, including:

Pain medication
Physical therapy or chiropractic manipulations
Acupuncture
Cognitive behavioral therapy
Spine surgery
Steroid injections

These treatments are often effective at relieving pain, but the results are usually temporary.^2,3,4,5 The efficacy and safety of spine surgery is still debated, with some experts saying the majority of patients don’t benefit from it.⁵

A recently published meta-analysis also found that most pain medications are ineffective at improving function.⁶ Most come with undesirable side effects and some, like opioids, have an additional risk of being addictive.

What none of these therapies do is target the root cause of your pain – the damage or degeneration of your spinal disc.

PRP Injections: Use Your Own Body to Heal

When you’re injured, your body sets off a complex cascade of events that heal your wound and restore normal function.

A critical player in this process is your platelets.

Damaged blood vessels send out a signal to platelets, which respond by traveling to the site of injury and calling other platelets to help. To stop blood flow, they change into their “active” form, developing octopus-like tentacles that allow them to stick to one another and form a clot.

Experts believe platelets can be used for medical needs beyond blood clotting.

That’s because platelets contain bioactive proteins and chemicals called growth factors, which play significant roles in tissue regeneration and healing.^7,8

A key characteristic of platelets is that they recruit and release various chemicals, like cytokines, that control inflammatory responses.⁹ Platelets can also guide stem cells to an injury and promote their transformation into new, healthy tissue.¹⁰

These healing processes occur naturally in your body. The problem is, they don’t always occur at the intensity we need them.

This is where platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy comes in.

Like a fertilizer that fast-tracks plant growth, PRP contains high concentrations of platelets – at least 2 times the concentration found in whole blood – suspended in a small amount of plasma. The higher platelet concentration means its ability to promote healing is also much stronger.⁷

Does PRP Help with Back Pain?

Results from early clinical studies indicate immense potential of PRP injections for back pain, especially for back pain caused by disc degeneration.

One study of patients with low back pain showed that PRP treatment led to significant decreases in pain after just one month. More significantly, the pain reduction was sustained throughout the 6-month follow-up period.¹¹ Similar results were observed in other clinical trials.^12,13

Another clinical trial of patients with unresolved back pain showed that those who received two and three PRP injections experienced ~46% and ~55% improvements in their pain, respectively. They also reported being able to perform daily activities with less difficulty.¹⁴

A review of several studies found that PRP not only reduces pain but can also counteract disc degeneration.¹⁵

Other benefits of PRP therapy include:

No anesthesia required
Low risk of immune reaction or disease transmission
Increased function and range of motion
Shorter recovery time compared to surgery
Reduced inflammation
Short, outpatient procedure

How the PRP Procedure Works

The PRP procedure is simple, convenient, and quick.

Step One	Step Two	Step Three	Step Four
A technician will draw a small sample (about 15 cc) of blood from you, which will be placed in a tube.	The vial is placed in a centrifuge, which spins the blood at high speeds. This separates the platelets from the other blood components.	We remove the tube from the centrifuge and reintroduce the concentrated platelets to the plasma.	Once the PRP solution is prepared, your provider will inject it into the affected area where the healing process begins.

Step One

A technician will draw a small sample (about 15 cc) of blood from you, which will be placed in a tube.

Step Two

The vial is placed in a centrifuge, which spins the blood at high speeds. This separates the platelets from the other blood components.

Step Three

We remove the tube from the centrifuge and reintroduce the concentrated platelets to the plasma.

Step Four

Once the PRP solution is prepared, your provider will inject it into the affected area where the healing process begins.

One of the biggest benefits of PRP treatment is the ability to customize the platelet concentration to fit your needs. Your provider will discuss these options with you during your appointment.

Are PRP Injections Safe?

Because PRP is made using your own blood, the risk of an adverse reaction is very low. You may experience some discomfort for a few days following the procedure, but it shouldn’t last more than a few days. Talk to your doctor about over-the-counter pain medications you can take to minimize your discomfort.

Your doctor may also recommend avoiding certain medications that can impede the healing process.