What is Regenerative Medicine?

I have personally experienced chronic joint pain. For many years I suffered with a torn rotator cuff and arthritic knee. In my quest to avoid drugs and surgery, I discovered regenerative medicine to treat the cause of my pain. Did it help?

Yes, so much so that I chose to offer this service to patients. Do I have regrets? Yes, I didn't do it sooner.

There are no guarantees of full recovery with any treatment, especially drugs and surgery which often only mask the problem. Applying regenerative medicine gives you the best chance to actually correct the cause of your problem, whether it’s worn cartilage, muscle tears, or an arthritic joint.

Imaging is required to determine if Regenerative Medicine is a suitable option for your condition. X-rays and MRI’s less than one year old are accepted. If you do not have an image, the first step is to obtain an x-ray. Depending on the severity of the condition, an MRI may be needed as well.

If we determine you are an ideal candidate, recommendations will be made based on your medical history, age, and severity of the condition. We encourage patients to act sooner rather than later. Degenerative diseases, such as Osteoarthritis, do just that…degenerate. As time progresses, condition worsen. The sooner a patient acts, the better the outcome.

Will you need more than one injection? That answer is completely dependent upon the severity of your diagnosis and your lifestyle. Patients with mild degenerative changes and good lifestyle habits may only need treatment once. While others may need multiple treatments.

What if we can’t help you? We will tell you. There is no risk to exploring this option which is drug-free and surgery-free. It is important to us that your healing be successful, and as such we are selective regarding the patients and joints we treat.

An arthritic joint over a patient’s lifetime costs an average of $129,600 in medical bills. The average knee replacement is $57,000. For patients with insurance, the average deductible is $4,300 for orthopedic surgery. This leaves an average cost of $12,000 to $15,000 for the patient’s out of pocket costs. Many times, this large medical expense does not equal results.

Regenerative medicine is a small fraction compared to the medical cost of treating an arthritic joint.

Lifetime medical costs of knee osteoarthritis management in the United States: Impact of extending indications for total knee arthroplasty - PMC (nih.gov)

Annie Gorham, APRN has been trained in specific joint injections. Annie has 15 years of experience in nursing and is the owner of Graceful Changes, LLC. She collaborates with a distinguished Medical Doctor who oversees all patient cases.

Progress in the treatment of osteoarthritis with umbilical cord stem cells

Mesenchymal stem cells in knee osteoarthritis treatment: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Osteoarthritic Knee: A 5-Year Follow-up Study