Regenerative Medicine and PRP for Spine Pain in West Covina

If you live in West Covina and have been dealing with chronic back, neck, or joint pain, you do not need to drive into Los Angeles to find out whether platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is right for you. Dr. Kambiz Hannani offers PRP and conservative-first spine care from his West Covina practice — the same office where local families have been coming for second opinions, honest answers, and properly indicated treatment for over twenty years. The practice is just minutes away no matter where in the city you live, which matters more than people expect for a treatment like PRP, where follow-up visits and a possible series of injections are part of the plan.

There is a particular reason it makes sense to ask a board-certified spine surgeon — not a stand-alone injection clinic — about regenerative medicine. 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 physical therapy, sometimes a properly indicated surgery, and sometimes the most honest answer is that nothing dangerous is happening and you can wait. West Covina patients have come to expect that kind of straight talk from his office, and they get it.

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, 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 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

Patients often ask about stem cell injections for the spine. 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 — and being a five-minute drive from the office in West Covina makes that series much easier to commit to.

Why West Covina Patients Choose Dr. Hannani for Regenerative Spine Care

Dr. Hannani has practiced in West Covina for over twenty years. He is the local spine surgeon — the office is here, his operating privileges at Emanate Health Queen of the Valley Hospital are here, and the long, multi-generational relationships he has built with West Covina families are here too. For something like PRP — which is a series-based, follow-up-heavy treatment — that local convenience matters enormously. Local patients can have a blood draw, a guided injection, and a follow-up visit done all within their own zip code, without burning a half-day fighting freeway traffic.

Just as importantly, Dr. Hannani brings the surgeon's perspective to your conservative-care decision. He has seen the patients in whom PRP worked beautifully and the patients in whom it was simply the wrong tool for the job. He will tell you which one you are, in plain language, on the first visit.

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 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.

Getting to Our Office from West Covina

If you live anywhere in West Covina — South Hills, the BKK Park area, near Galster Wilderness Park, near Eastland Center, the neighborhoods around Westfield West Covina mall, or Plaza West Covina — you are roughly five minutes from the office. Free patient parking is available on site. For the exact address and a map, see our contact page.

A Patient's Story

A West Covina patient in his late forties — a small business owner who runs a shop near Plaza West Covina — came in with two years of nagging low back pain that flared every time he spent a long day on his feet. His MRI showed mild facet arthritis at L4-L5 and L5-S1 but no nerve compression and no instability. Surgery was clearly not the right answer. He had a series of two PRP injections into the facet joints, spaced six weeks apart. By the second follow-up he was back to a full work day without the post-shift ache that had been wearing him down. He still does the home exercise program his physical therapist gave him; the office is close enough that if the pain ever creeps back, the next conversation is a short drive away.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where exactly is your office? Our practice is located in West Covina, just minutes from anywhere in the city. For the exact address, parking information, and a map, please visit our contact page.

Where do you perform surgery if PRP does not work? Dr. Hannani's primary surgical site is Emanate Health Queen of the Valley Hospital, right here in West Covina, with additional privileges at Emanate Health Inter-Community Hospital in adjacent Covina. So even if conservative care does not get you all the way there, the next step is still local.

How fast can I get an appointment as a local West Covina patient? Local patients are typically seen within a week. Bring any prior MRI imaging on disc to the first visit so Dr. Hannani can give you an honest assessment of whether PRP, surgery, or continued conservative care is the right next step.

How is PRP different from a cortisone shot? Cortisone reduces inflammation quickly but can degrade tissue with repeated use. PRP encourages your body to repair tissue. Cortisone is fast and short-lived; PRP is slow and (when it works) longer-lasting.

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.