At the time of booking our friendly customer service team may ask you a few questions, and will provide you with all relevant information about the procedure and aftercare.

You will be asked about the use of any blood thinner medications, as well as the use of any non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen as these may affect the quality of the PRP obtained from you. You will usually be asked to withhold any NSAIDs for at least 5 days before the procedure. Some blood thinner medications (e.g.  aspirin) may also need to be withheld where it is safe to do so.

Please wear loose clothing to your appointment, preferably a shirt and pants/skirt, so we may access the treatment site easily. In some instances, you may be given a gown to wear. You may also be asked to remove objects like watches or jewellery for your scan, so consider leaving any valuables at home.

Please arrive 15 minutes before your appointment with your Medicare card and/or concession card, your referral, and any relevant previous scans. If you have a child aged 6 or under, they must be supervised by an adult other than the patient.

At the start of your PRP appointment, a team member will ask you some questions and talk to you about the procedure. You will have the chance to ask any questions you may have. You will then be asked to sign a consent form indicating that you wish to proceed with the procedure.

Your injection will be performed by a radiologist under imaging guidance - normally ultrasound or CT – with the assistance of either a radiographer, sonographer, nurse or clinical assistant. 
Your skin around the area being injected will be cleaned with an antiseptic solution. 

In some cases a local anaesthetic will be initially administered, which may cause a stinging sensation which will quickly subside. A needle will then be guided into place in the joint under imaging guidance. When the needle is in the correct position, the PRP will then be injected. You may feel some discomfort or cramping during this injection which usually settles very quickly.

The length of your appointment may vary, but generally will take 20 – 30 minutes. You may be asked to stay at the clinic for a short period following the injection to ensure that you do not have any problems.

It is common for people to feel numbness following the injection. This is caused by the local anaesthetic and usually wears off over a period of a few hours. The extent to which people experience effect this can be variable between different people, and may also vary between procedures on the same person.

People may commonly experience a ‘flare’ of their pain in the days following the procedure. This usually settles down by itself over the course of a few days. It is important to try to avoid the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) during this time as it may have some inhibitory effects on the PRP injection. 

Depending on the type of injection, you may be asked not to drive for a period of at least 6 hours following the procedure.

Most people do not report any problems following the procedure, or at most report only minor side effects from the procedure. 

However, there are some risks that you need to be aware of:

• Pain or discomfort during the procedure – It is common to feel some discomfort during any procedure involving needles, although we will try to minimise your discomfort. However, you should let us know if you are feeling pain during the procedure.
• General malaise –A feeling of general malaise is also sometimes reported. 
• Flare of pain – some patients may feel an increase in their symptoms after the injections. This is caused by the PRP itself. This will usually settle down by itself over the course of a few days, although sometimes may take longer. You may take analgesia if you experience a flare, although it is important to avoid taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) as they may affect the outcome of the injection. Most people who experience a flare report that their usual baseline symptoms improve once the flare has also settled.
• Allergic reactions – serious allergic reactions are rare for this type of procedure, although may be caused due to a reaction to the skin cleaner or local anaesthetic. If you suffer from an allergic reaction it will usually occur at the time of the procedure, and will be treated accordingly by the radiologist.
• Failure of the procedure – in some cases the procedure may not alleviate your pain, or may only partially relieve your symptoms. The reason for this may be for a variety of reasons, but is usually related to the cause of your pain rather than anything related to the procedure itself. The fact that the procedure has not alleviated your pain is still important information for your referring doctor to know, as it will help to further guide the diagnosis and management of your pain in the future.
• Bleeding – Bleeding and bruising is usually very minimal. It may be more common in people who have an underlying bleeding disorder or who are taking blood thinners. Rarely it may cause a ‘haemarthrosis” or bleeding into the joint requiring further medical or surgical treatment.
• Infection – this is uncommon and usually minor, although uncommonly may require hospital admission and treatment with antibiotics or surgery.

You may require a driver to take you home and you should not drive for at least 6 hours following the injection. We ask that you avoid any strenuous physical activity, including standing for more than one hour at a time, for 48 hours post injection.

If you develop fever with joint pain, swelling, redness and warmth in the days or week following an injection, call Qscan on 1300 177 226 or contact your GP. If you are still concerned and it is after hours, please contact your nearest Emergency Department.

Our friendly customer service team will provide you with any specific aftercare instructions at the time of your appointment. If you are still concerned and it is after hours, please contact your nearest Emergency Department.

Our friendly customer service team can advise you of all costs involved with your injection including any out-of-pocket costs, if relevant. Please contact us for a quote or to book your appointment.