Regenerative Medicine and PRP for Spine Pain in Encino, CA

Drive Ventura Boulevard from Studio City through Sherman Oaks and Encino into Tarzana and you'll pass a strip-mall menu of regenerative clinics — PRP, stem cells, exosomes, peptides, ozone, prolotherapy. The marketing is loud and the menu keeps growing. If you live in Encino and have been chasing relief for chronic back, neck, hip, or knee pain, the question worth asking is not just "will this injection work" but "is this person honest enough to tell me when it won't." That second question is the one Dr. Kambiz Hannani's practice was built around.

Dr. Hannani is a board-certified spine surgeon — not a standalone regenerative clinic — and he offers platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections at his West Covina office, about 30 miles east of Encino via the 101, the 134, and the 210. We want to be straightforward about distance up front: the West Covina office is roughly 45 to 60 minutes east of Encino outside of rush hour, and there is currently no satellite office in the San Fernando Valley. The reason Encino patients still make that drive is the same reason patients drive to him from across the Westside and the SGV — a surgeon offering PRP has no financial reason to push an injection on someone who actually needs surgery, and no reason to push surgery on someone whose spine is going to do better with PRP, physical therapy, and time. The honest answer is the only product on offer.

For Encino patients the calculation is usually simple: PRP is generally a one-visit (or short-series) treatment, not something that requires frequent follow-up. One longer drive east, a 90-minute appointment, and the rest of the recovery happens at home in Encino. Many patients combine the PRP appointment with their consultation and imaging review on the same day to keep trips to one.

What is PRP (Platelet-Rich Plasma)?

Platelet-rich plasma is a concentrated preparation of your own blood. A small sample is drawn from your arm — typically 30 to 60 cc — then spun in a centrifuge to separate out the platelets, which are the cells in your blood responsible for healing and tissue repair. The concentrated platelets, suspended in a small volume of plasma, are then injected directly into the painful area under ultrasound or fluoroscopic guidance.

The platelets release growth factors that signal nearby cells to begin repair — laying down new collagen, recruiting stem cells locally, calming inflammation, and improving the local healing environment. Because PRP comes from your own body, the risk of allergic reaction or rejection is essentially zero.

What Conditions Can PRP Help?

PRP is most useful for chronic, soft-tissue, and degenerative conditions where the tissue has stopped healing on its own. In spine and orthopedic care, the most common indications include:

• Facet joint pain in the lower back or neck

• Sacroiliac (SI) joint dysfunction

• Mild to moderate disc degeneration (discogenic pain)

• Chronic ligament or tendon pain around the spine and pelvis

• Knee, hip, and shoulder osteoarthritis

• Post-surgical recovery support for selected patients

Honest Talk: What PRP Cannot Do

A surgeon who only owns a hammer sees every problem as a nail — and a clinic that only offers regenerative injections will tell you everything is treatable with PRP. That is not honest medicine. PRP will not:

• Re-grow a herniated disc that is compressing a nerve and causing severe leg or arm weakness

• Open up a severely narrowed spinal canal (advanced spinal stenosis)

• Stabilize a spine with significant instability or spondylolisthesis

• Replace surgery for patients with progressive neurologic deficits or severe pain that has failed every conservative option

Patients who fall into those categories are usually better served by a properly indicated decompression, fusion, disc replacement, or endoscopic procedure. Dr. Hannani will tell you honestly whether your spine problem is the type PRP can help — or whether you should skip the injection and consider surgery directly.

A Word on Stem Cells (Especially in the Valley Market)

Patients in the Encino, Sherman Oaks, and Tarzana area often arrive having researched stem cell injections — the local market is one of the most aggressive in California for these products. As of 2026, the FDA has not approved any stem cell product for spinal indications, and clinics that aggressively market "stem cell therapy for back pain" along Ventura Boulevard and elsewhere in the Valley are operating in a gray area that has prompted FDA warning letters and California medical board attention. PRP — which uses your own platelets, not donor or cultured cells — is well-established, defensible, and supported by a growing body of clinical evidence. We do not currently offer stem cell injections for the spine because the science and regulatory environment do not yet support doing so responsibly.

What the Procedure is Like

A PRP appointment typically takes about 60 to 90 minutes:

• A blood draw from your arm (about the same as a routine lab)

• 15 to 20 minutes to spin and prepare the PRP

• A guided injection (ultrasound or fluoroscopy) into the target area, with local anesthesia

• A short rest period before driving home

Most patients return to desk work the same or next day. Heavy activity is usually restricted for about a week. It is normal for the injected area to feel a little sore for 2 to 5 days as the inflammatory healing response activates — that soreness is the treatment doing its job. Improvement is gradual, with most patients noticing changes between 2 and 8 weeks. Some patients benefit from a series of 2 to 3 injections spaced 4 to 6 weeks apart.

Why Encino Patients Choose Dr. Hannani for Regenerative Spine Care

Encino patients tend to come in well-informed. Many have already seen a local Sherman Oaks or Tarzana orthopedist, a pain specialist, a chiropractor, and possibly one of the higher-volume regenerative clinics on Ventura Boulevard. The reason they make the drive east to West Covina is straightforward: they want a board-certified spine surgeon who can both do the operation if it ever becomes necessary, and tell them honestly that they don't need it yet. The patient population in Encino Hills, Amestoy Estates, Royal Oaks, and Lake Encino skews toward people who do their homework — and they appreciate that the consultation is unhurried and that the recommendation isn't preset before the visit starts.

A surgeon who can operate has no incentive to oversell injections. Dr. Hannani's recommendation will always be the one your spine actually needs — sometimes that is PRP, sometimes that is physical therapy, sometimes that is surgery, and sometimes it is reassurance that nothing dangerous is happening and you can wait.

Where the PRP is Performed for Encino Patients

PRP injections are an in-office procedure performed at the West Covina office, where the centrifuge, ultrasound, and fluoroscopy equipment are set up for it. From most of Encino, the route is the 101 East to the 134 East to the 210 East — typically 45 to 60 minutes outside of rush hour. There is free on-site patient parking. PRP does not require hospital privileges, an OR, or anesthesia, so the same appointment is the same regardless of where you live; the only variable is the drive. Should your evaluation reveal a problem that warrants surgical consideration instead, Dr. Hannani's surgical work for Encino patients is performed at Saint John's Medical Center in Santa Monica or, for outpatient cases, Advanced Surgical Center of Beverly Hills — both about 25 minutes south of Encino on the 405.

A Patient Story

A 58-year-old recently retired SFV middle-school teacher from Encino came in with two years of right-sided low back pain that radiated into her right buttock — worse on her morning walks around Lake Balboa and after long days helping her grandchildren. MRI showed mild disc degeneration at L5-S1 and moderate facet arthritis. She was not a surgical candidate, and a steroid injection at a Sherman Oaks pain clinic had given her only a few weeks of relief. After a course of two PRP injections to the right L4-L5 and L5-S1 facet joints spaced six weeks apart, she reported about a 65 percent reduction in pain that held through the following year. She was eventually able to come off daily NSAIDs and resume her full Sepulveda Basin morning walks.

Cost and Insurance — The Reality

PRP is generally not covered by insurance, including Medicare, regardless of where you have it done. This is industry-wide; it is not specific to our practice. The reason is that the FDA has not yet granted broad approval for PRP as a covered indication for spine pain. Costs vary widely across Los Angeles County depending on the joint, number of injections, and imaging guidance used. Our office will give you a clear, written cost estimate before you commit — no surprises.

Frequently Asked Questions from Encino Patients

How far is the drive from Encino to your West Covina office for a PRP appointment? Roughly 30 miles, typically 45 to 60 minutes outside of rush hour via the 101 East to the 134 East to the 210 East. Plan on about 90 minutes for the appointment itself (blood draw, prep, guided injection, brief rest). Most patients drive themselves home.

Where will my surgery be performed if I end up needing it instead of PRP? For Encino patients, surgery is performed at Saint John's Medical Center in Santa Monica (about 25 minutes south on the 405) for inpatient cases, or Advanced Surgical Center of Beverly Hills (also about 25 minutes south) for outpatient cases. Most Encino patients find the surgical locations significantly more convenient than the consultation location.

Do you have a closer office in the San Fernando Valley? No, the primary office is in West Covina. We want to be honest about that rather than pretend otherwise. Many Encino patients combine the consultation, imaging review, and PRP appointment into a single half-day to keep the number of trips low.

I have already had a stem cell injection at a clinic on Ventura Boulevard. Is PRP still worth trying? Often yes. PRP works on a different timeline and a different mechanism than what most stem cell clinics actually inject (which, in many cases, is a low-cell-count amniotic or umbilical product rather than viable stem cells). Bring records from the prior procedure if you have them and we will give you an honest opinion.

How do I schedule a consultation? Call our office at 626-939-5900 or visit our contact page. Bring any prior MRI imaging on disc — this lets Dr. Hannani give you an honest assessment of whether PRP, surgery, or continued conservative care is the right next step for your spine.