What to expect from PRP injection for tendinopathy

Tendinopathy is a tendon problem linked with pain and reduced tolerance for load. It can affect different areas, so the exact tendon, degree of tissue change, and nearby joints matter when choosing treatment. PRP uses a processed sample of your own blood and places the platelet-rich portion at or near the affected area, sometimes with ultrasound guidance.

The aim is to support the local tissue environment, not to promise instant tendon repair. A temporary flare of soreness is possible. Progress is usually tracked by the activity that was difficult, such as gripping, walking, lifting, or running, alongside examination findings and strength.

Give the clinician a complete list of medicines and mention bleeding conditions, infection, allergies, immune problems, and previous injections. Confirm the plan for pain relief and whether you need someone to accompany you. Keep the treated area available for examination and avoid scheduling demanding activity afterward.

Early protection may mean reducing the specific movement that provokes the tendon while keeping comfortable movement elsewhere. Rehabilitation then progresses from tolerable static work to slow strengthening and finally faster or sport-specific loading. The right pace is guided by symptoms during exercise and the following day. Do not increase resistance, distance, or impact all at once.

Report increasing redness, heat, swelling, discharge, or fever around the injection site. Seek urgent help for severe or rapidly worsening pain, sudden loss of tendon function, inability to use the limb, new numbness or weakness, or breathing trouble. If the original activity remains impossible after the planned review, ask for reassessment rather than repeatedly loading through pain.

Ask which tendon structure is involved, what the injection is expected to change, which activities are restricted, when strengthening starts, and how the programme will be progressed. Discuss whether imaging or another diagnosis should be considered if pain, weakness, or swelling does not follow the expected pattern.