What to Do After Your
PRP or Prolotherapy Treatment
Rest is important during the first 24 hours after your PRP or prolotherapy treatment. Spend the day and evening after your PRP or Prolotherapy treatment quietly. Relax by resting, sleeping, listening to soothing music, meditating, etc. … whatever you find quietly relaxing. Wearing a boot or brace to restrict movement is not recommended, as mobility – if you don’t overdo it – can help with the healing process. There is no “one-size-fits-all” recommendation for stretching and strengthening after treatment.
Below are the recommended steps for best results, as well as a description of what you can expect to feel during the various stages of recovery over the two to six weeks follwing your PRP or prolotherapy treatment.
What to Do – and Not to Do – for Best Results After Your PRP or Prolotherapy Treatment
- Do not wash the affected area for at least 24 hours after the procedure.
- Do not do any heavy activity for at least 24 hours – and up to 48 hours – after your procedure.
- Avoid anti-inflammatory medications, such as Advil, Aleve, Clinoril, Feldene, ibuprofen, Motrin, Naprosyn, naproxen, Nuprin, Relafen, Voltaren, and regular (325mg) aspirin.
- You can take two 325mg tablets of Tylenol (acetaminophen) every six hours for pain relief, and one enteric-coated 81mg low-dose aspirin (“baby aspirin”) at bedtime is also okay.
- Avoid anti-inflammatory herbs and minerals, such as ginger, green tea, lavender, magnesium, peppermint, rosemary, tulsi (holy basil), and turmeric.
- Avoid alcohol and cannabis products, and all caffeine (including coffee, tea, and chocolate) for at least ten days afterward (avoiding them for two weeks is ideal). Keep in mind that we want to create an inflammatory response.
- You can ice the area for 20 minutes every hour for pain relief.
- If your foot or ankle was treated, use an Ace wrap or other soft elastic wrap on the foot or ankle daily for six weeks.
- For any emergency or other problems, Dr. Tucker can be reached at (415) 763-9694.
What to Expect During the Healing Process After Your PRP or Prolotherapy Treatment
In the first few days after your PRP or prolotherapy treatment, you’ll probably be sore. If you have a physically-demanding job, you might want to take a few days off after your treatment. The discomfort from the treatment might limit the amount of activity that you feel like doing. Trust that feeling. Essentially, let pain be your guide. In this phase, you’ll likely feel stable. If your issue is instability, the pain from your instability should be better, even though you might have pain from the injections. This phase typically lasts about a week.
In the next phase, many of the symptoms you had before treatment might temporarily return. This is normal, and is commonly referred to as the “prolo-coaster”.
After four to six weeks, things should be noticeably better. We’ll call you at six weeks to check in with you. If your condition hasn’t improved, or hasn’t achieved your goals, it might be wise to consider continuing treatment.