
With age and other prominent musculoskeletal problems, the chances of joint pain triggering us increase even more. Yes, there are treatments available but have you ever thought of going for a noninvasive procedure? Platelet-rich plasma therapy can help you here. It is a regenerative therapy that helps your body heal naturally. But a common question occurs in the minds of many whether these injections are safe for a critical condition like joint pain or not. Let us try to find out related answers in this blog today.
Safety Is The Topmost Priority
Like any other medical treatment, the goal of a patient is to look for safety in platelet-rich plasma therapy as well. And here is some good news for you because these injections are completely safe for most people. Why? You won’t experience any allergies or reactions from the therapy because it does not involve blood or other elements from someone else's body. The treatment uses your own blood and this is why it is called non-invasive. Overall, it is a safer approach to treat your joint pain and you can go for it without worrying about any risks from the treatment.
Potential Side-effects and Complications
Although platelet rich plasma injection is safe, they include many side effects and complications as well. Let us look at some of them below:
Infection
Although getting an infection from a platelet-rich plasma injection is very rare, there can be some possible chances if the injection is carrying a risk of infection at the injection site. That's why the professional experts perform this treatment under sterile conditions. Why? To make sure that there are less chances of risks involved.
Pain or swelling
If you experience pain or swelling after treating joint pain with the help of platelet-rich plasma injection, it's simply because of your immune system. And as everyone does not have the same level of immunity, we can't define in one go that yes, PRP will create pain or swelling in your joints after the treatment. Some of you might experience it whereas many others might not. Apart from pain or swelling, many people also experience discomfort at their injection site. Now don't think that PRP therapy is not safe. It is. You do not need to worry if you also experience pain, swelling, or discomfort because it will all go away in a short period. Just be patient with yourself and let your body respond naturally to platelet-rich plasma.
Bleeding or Bruising
In many cases, people experience bleeding or mild bruising after getting platelet-rich plasma therapy for treating joint pain. But why does it occur to them? The simple reason behind this is PRP therapy uses a needle and this is what can lead to some kind of bleeding. It's very similar to when you go for a blood test and as the needle pinches, you experience a bit of blood there. So don't you think that getting a blood test is safe? It is for sure. The blood that is coming out is because of the needle used by the doctor or the therapist.
Temporary worsening of symptoms
There is one more complication associated with platelet-rich plasma, i.e. you may experience the symptoms of pain, swelling, discomfort, and others up to an extreme level. Studies show that it generally happens to those people whose immune systems are not strong to bear what PRP is trying to do to their bodies. It can occur to you as well if you have a low level of immunity. But do not worry as this is not a sign of a PRP injection procedure failing. This is the natural response of your body towards healing your joint pain. Once you start experiencing such extreme levels of symptoms after getting PRP to treat joint pain, it's a sign of improvements beginning in your body.
After reading all these associated side effects and complications of PRP, many of you might have thought about PRP injections being not safe to treat joint pain. However, it's not the truth because the treatment is not causing any harm to your body. The symptoms that are coming up front are symbols of upcoming improvements.
Conclusion
Overall, PRP injections are safe for joint pain but there are some complications and side effects included. Infection is something you can avoid by making sure that everything is hygienic around you and you can ask your practitioners as well to perform PRP under proper sterile conditions. On the other hand, symptoms like pain, swelling, and discomfort can't be avoided if you don't have strong immunity. But even if you experience them, be assured that they are triggering just for a while. They will go away with time and congratulations, it's a sign that your body is responding properly to platelet-rich plasma therapy.
Do you still have more questions on whether you can go for platelet-rich plasma injection to treat joint pain or not? You can get in touch with Legacy Clinic of Chiropractic where we offer the best quality PRP in The Villages. Once you come here, our experts will guide you on everything from safety to PRP recovery time and make sure that you can get relief from your joint pain successfully.