Regenerative Medicine and PRP for Spine Pain in Pasadena, CA

There is no shortage of clinics in and around Pasadena willing to inject something into your sore back. PRP, stem cells, exosomes, ozone, prolotherapy, peptides — the menu keeps growing, and the marketing has gotten louder than the science. If you live in Pasadena 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 16 miles southeast of Pasadena via the 210 East and the 605 South. The reason a surgeon offering PRP matters: he 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.

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 Pasadena Market)

Patients in the Pasadena area in particular often arrive having researched stem cell injections — there are several aggressive marketers in the region. 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" 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 Patients in Pasadena Choose Dr. Hannani for Regenerative Spine Care

Pasadena patients tend to come in well-informed. Many have already seen a Huntington Hospital orthopedist, a pain specialist, a chiropractor, and possibly one of the high-volume regenerative clinics along Lake Avenue or in Old Pasadena. The reason they make the 25-minute drive down to West Covina is straightforward: they want a board-certified surgeon who can both do the operation if needed and tell them honestly that they don't need it yet. The patient population in San Marino, Altadena, South Pasadena, and the Bungalow Heaven and Hastings Ranch neighborhoods 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.

Getting to Our Office from Pasadena

From Pasadena, take the 210 East to the 605 South to the 10 East, exiting at Citrus Avenue or Barranca in West Covina. The drive is typically 25 to 30 minutes outside of rush hour. There is free on-site patient parking, so you can park steps from the front door rather than circling a hospital garage.

A Patient Story

A 61-year-old retired Caltech researcher from San Marino came in with two years of right-sided low back pain that radiated into his right buttock — worse when he stood for long periods at the Huntington Library where he volunteered. MRI showed mild disc degeneration at L5-S1 and moderate facet arthritis. He was not a surgical candidate, and steroid injections had given him only short-term relief. After a course of two PRP injections to the right L4-L5 and L5-S1 facet joints spaced six weeks apart, he reported about a 70 percent reduction in pain that held through the following year. He was eventually able to come off daily NSAIDs.

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 Pasadena Patients

How long is the drive from Pasadena to your West Covina office for a PRP appointment? Typically 25 to 30 minutes via the 210 East to the 605 South to the 10 East. Plan on about 90 minutes total for the appointment itself (blood draw, prep, guided injection, brief rest). Most patients drive themselves home.

My primary care doctor is in the Huntington Hospital network — can you coordinate with them? Yes. We routinely send consult notes and procedure summaries to primary care physicians and pain specialists across the Huntington and USC Verdugo Hills networks. Bring the name and fax/portal information for your PCP at the first visit and we will keep them in the loop.

Can I get the PRP injection done at Huntington Hospital instead of driving to West Covina? Dr. Hannani performs PRP injections at our West Covina office where the centrifuge, ultrasound, and fluoroscopy equipment are set up for it. He does not perform PRP at Huntington. Most Pasadena patients find the 25-minute drive a reasonable trade-off for one appointment, especially since PRP is generally a one-visit (or short-series) treatment rather than something requiring frequent follow-up.

I have already had a stem cell injection at another clinic. 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.