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The Tempe Joint Record
The trial record, sorted by joint

The Tempe Joint Record

What do people want to know before a joint visit?

Write down your main question and ask it first. Get a plain answer about the exam, time, cost, and likely change. If the reply isn't clear, ask for common words.

What can I try before paying for more joint care?

Start with gentle movement, shorter tasks, and rest before soreness rises. Keep the exercise your doctor has said is safe. If the ache keeps returning, an exam can sort wear from an old injury. Don't buy care until someone explains why the joint hurts.

Is stem cell therapy FDA approved?

Not for joint or back care. Approval for certain blood disorders doesn't apply to your sore joint. Ask the clinic to name the product and its approved use. Registration with the agency isn't the same as an approval review.

Does Medicare cover stem cell therapy for back pain?

Medicare doesn't cover these products for joint or back use. Commercial insurers also leave the bill with you. Get the entire charge before booking a visit. It needs to cover X-rays, later visits, and repeat care.

How successful is stem cell therapy for knees?

The visit starts with your limits and an exam of the sore joint. QC Kinetix may offer regenerative treatments, meaning non-surgical care at its clinics from medical providers, the trained staff who check you. PRP, or platelet-rich plasma, is prepared by concentrating platelets from your own blood. Ask what change may be realistic in your daily life.

How much does stem cell therapy cost?

The price changes with the clinic, joint, and planned care. Insurance generally doesn't cover these joint choices. I'd get a written total that includes X-rays, later visits, and likely repeat care. Don't agree while part of the bill remains unclear.

Who is not a good candidate for stem cell therapy?

Infection, bleeding trouble, or current cancer care needs a doctor's review first. A badly worn joint that aches at rest may need a surgery talk. New weakness, fever, or a hot swollen joint needs quicker care. A planned visit can't replace emergency help.

Sources

  1. In a 480-patient, four-arm, multicenter randomized phase 2/3 trial, none of three orthobiologic cell injections - autologous bone marrow aspirate concentrate, autologous adipose stromal vascular fraction, or allogeneic umbilical cord tissue-derived mesenchymal stromal cells - was superior to any other, or to a corticosteroid injection control, on pain at 12 months.

    Mautner K, et al. — Cell-based versus corticosteroid injections for knee pain in osteoarthritis: a randomized phase 3 trial. Nat Med, 2023. DOI: 10.1038/s41591-023-02632-w.

  2. FDA states in its consumer alert that the only FDA-approved stem cell products in the United States are blood-forming stem cells derived from umbilical cord blood, approved for disorders of the blood-forming system, and that NONE of these products - stem cells, stromal vascular fraction, umbilical cord blood, Wharton's jelly or amniotic fluid - has been approved for the treatment of any orthopedic condition, including osteoarthritis, tendonitis, disc disease, tennis elbow, back pain, hip pain, knee pain, neck pain or shoulder pain.

    US Food and Drug Administration, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research — Consumer Alert on Regenerative Medicine Products Including Stem Cells and Exosomes. , 2020.

  3. MACI is FDA-licensed (STN BL 125603, Vericel Corporation) and is indicated for the repair of symptomatic, single or multiple FULL-THICKNESS cartilage defects of the knee with or without bone involvement in adults - a focal defect repair performed surgically, not a treatment for osteoarthritis and not an injection.

    US Food and Drug Administration — MACI (autologous cultured chondrocytes on porcine collagen membrane). , 2016.

  4. A meta-analysis of 14 placebo cohorts across 13 Level I trials in 1,076 knee osteoarthritis patients found that intra-articular saline - the placebo - produced pain and function improvements exceeding the minimal clinically important difference at 3 and 6 months.

    Saltzman BM, et al. — The Therapeutic Effect of Intra-articular Normal Saline Injections for Knee Osteoarthritis: A Meta-analysis of Evidence Level 1 Studies. Am J Sports Med, 2017. DOI: 10.1177/0363546516680607.

  5. In a randomized trial of 118 knee osteoarthritis patients followed for 2 years with serial MRI, a single microfragmented adipose tissue injection and a single PRP injection produced statistically and clinically similar improvement - and the imaging showed no structural advantage for either.

    Zaffagnini S, et al. — Microfragmented Adipose Tissue Versus Platelet-Rich Plasma for the Treatment of Knee Osteoarthritis: A Prospective Randomized Controlled Trial at 2-Year Follow-up. Am J Sports Med, 2022. DOI: 10.1177/03635465221115821.

  6. A 2024 systematic review of bone marrow aspirate concentrate for HIP osteoarthritis found the clinical evidence base thinner than for the knee, with most studies uncontrolled - the joint matters, and evidence does not transfer across joints.

    Chandrashekar S, et al. — Safety and Efficacy of Bone-Marrow Aspirate Concentrate in Hip Osteoarthritis: A Systematic Review of Current Clinical Evidence. Indian J Orthop, 2024. DOI: 10.1007/s43465-024-01183-7.

  7. A 2025 systematic review of BMAC in rotator cuff repair found that of the two comparative studies included, neither showed a difference in patient-reported outcomes between the biologic and control groups, and preparation and dosing varied widely between studies.

    Carola N, et al. — Bone Marrow Aspirate Concentrate May Improve Healing and Function in Rotator Cuff Repair: A Systematic Review. Arthroscopy, 2025. DOI: 10.1016/j.arthro.2024.11.060.

  8. In a Level I randomized trial of arthroscopic rotator cuff repair, augmenting the repair with concentrated bone marrow aspirate was compared against a sham incision with MRI assessment of structural healing at one year - the rare cell-therapy question asked with a proper blinded control.

    Cole BJ, et al. — Prospective Randomized Trial of Biologic Augmentation With Bone Marrow Aspirate Concentrate in Patients Undergoing Arthroscopic Rotator Cuff Repair. Am J Sports Med, 2023. DOI: 10.1177/03635465231154601.

  9. A phase I single-arm study of 10 patients with chronic discogenic low back pain found a single intradiscal injection of adipose-derived MSCs with hyaluronic acid produced no procedure-related or cell-related adverse events over 12 months - a safety signal in 10 people, not an efficacy result.

    Kumar H, et al. — Safety and tolerability of intradiscal implantation of combined autologous adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells and hyaluronic acid in patients with chronic discogenic low back pain: 1-year follow-up of a phase I study. Stem Cell Res Ther, 2017. DOI: 10.1186/s13287-017-0710-3.

  10. A multicenter crossover randomized controlled trial randomized 40 patients with discogenic chronic low back pain to saline trigger point injection, intradiscal PRP, or intradiscal bone marrow concentrate with 12-month follow-up - one of very few controlled spine trials in this field, and it enrolled 40 people.

    Navani A, et al. — The Safety and Effectiveness of Orthobiologic Injections for Discogenic Chronic Low Back Pain: A Multicenter Prospective, Crossover, Randomized Controlled Trial with 12 Months Follow-up. Pain Physician, 2024.

Would a fresh joint exam help?

QC Kinetix offers planned visits and non-surgical choices at nearby clinics. A trained member of the clinic staff examines the joint and listens to how soreness limits you. Then you'll hear which choices are offered there.

The Chandler office is on South Dobson Road. The Scottsdale office is on East Mountain View Road. One number reaches the Phoenix-area locations: (602) 837-PAIN.

Ask about the full time, cost, and likely change. The visit doesn't promise a result. It also doesn't require you to begin care.

Book a free consultation