It is important to appreciate how important ligament, tendon and joint capsules are to the pain picture in many patients. These “connective tissue structures” are highly innervated and may often be the main pain generators. Conventional Orthopedics often miss these. It is also true that MRI, xray and ultrasound, while identifying anatomic abnormalities also may miss these important structures. In my opinion it is very important that regenerative orthopedic specialists develop the necessary connective tissue palpation skills to properly identify all the major pain contributors and inject them all with the stem cell solution. If we miss some of the problem, the patient may not get relief and may only achieve a partial healing.

The all-in typical costs of a stem cell therapy session, including the liposculpting procedure, lab fees etc. are $7000. for a single simple joint (knee or shoulder) and $8000. for a more complex joint such as lumbar spine or hip. Many patients have two areas that require attention. In this case the second area is discounted 50%. For example two knees or a knee and a shoulder would be $10,500 etc. A third area is done for a flat fee of $1500.

Unfortunately, stem cell therapy is still too new and considered experimental by the insurance industry so it is not covered. However, we expect this to change in the future, as the industry understands how effective stem cells can be and how much money the system can save by embracing this new approach. For patients who cannot afford stem cell therapy they may very well still benefit from Prolotherapy or PRP therapy and should consider it. However, these options require at least three or four sessions over a couple of months, will be slower to work and are not as powerful as stem cells.