Stem Cell Therapy for Scottsdale, AZ
Your Own Cells, BMAC and MFAT, for Knee, Hip, and Joint Pain
Regenerative Performance treats patients traveling from Scottsdale for stem cell therapy at its Gilbert, AZ clinic. Stem cell therapy at Regenerative Performance uses your own cells: bone marrow concentrate (BMAC) or microfragmented adipose tissue (MFAT). Both are stem cell therapy; PRP concentrates platelets and growth factors and is not a stem cell treatment. Every injection is performed under the image guidance the structure requires, using ultrasound, x-ray, or both, and every patient begins with a comprehensive 2-hour evaluation before any treatment is planned.
What Stem Cell Therapy Is and How It Works
BMAC is obtained through a bone marrow aspiration, typically from the iliac crest, and processed the same visit into a concentrated preparation of the patient's own cells. MFAT is obtained through a lipoaspiration and mechanically processed; fat-derived (MFAT) injections are always combined with PRP at Regenerative Performance. We only use cells obtained from you; we do not use donor, umbilical, or embryonic cells. A third option, culture-expanded mesenchymal stem cells, is investigational, not FDA-approved, and offered under the federal Right to Try Act, with cells processed at an FDA-compliant cGMP facility; it is described on our culture-expanded mesenchymal stem cell therapy page.
In the United States, autologous bone marrow concentrate for orthopedic conditions is typically an off-label application, not an FDA-approved treatment.
Patients researching stem cell therapy in Scottsdale run into a crowded market of donor-derived products, marketed under names like umbilical cord tissue, amniotic fluid, Wharton's jelly, and exosome preparations, often sold with sweeping claims about cell counts and potency that are difficult for a patient to independently verify. Regenerative Performance takes a different position: every stem cell procedure uses the patient's own bone marrow or fat tissue, processed the same day, with candidacy determined by a diagnostic evaluation rather than a marketing claim. The choice between BMAC and MFAT, or whether stem cell therapy is the right fit at all, is made after a hands-on physical exam and diagnostic ultrasound identify which structure is actually generating the pain, not assumed from a product brochure. For patients who started with Regenerative Performance's PRP therapy for Scottsdale and are now asking whether stem cell therapy is a better fit, that question is answered during the same diagnostic evaluation, not before it.
The full mechanism, research, and conditions stem cell therapy treats are covered in the complete guide to stem cell therapy, and the stem cell therapy service page details the clinic's full evaluation and treatment process.
Knee Osteoarthritis, the Knee-Replacement Question, and Hip Pain
Knee osteoarthritis is one of the most common reasons Scottsdale patients look into stem cell therapy, often after a cortisone injection has stopped providing lasting relief or a surgeon has raised the subject of a knee replacement. Stem cell therapy may help some patients delay or avoid that surgery when the joint has moderate to advanced cartilage or bone damage that has not responded to conservative care, and research suggests stem cell therapy may do a better job supporting repair of the structure itself in cases involving bone marrow edema, swelling within the bone beneath the cartilage. Imaging and symptoms do not always move together: some patients feel worse even as imaging improves, and some feel little pain despite imaging that looks worse, so treatment addresses both the structure and the symptoms rather than the scan result alone. Stem cell therapy is typically not a fit for structural joint problems an injection is unlikely to address, such as severe misalignment. A fuller breakdown of when stem cell therapy is and is not a realistic alternative to knee replacement is in alternatives to knee replacement for Scottsdale patients.
Hip osteoarthritis and general joint pain, in the shoulder, ankle, or elsewhere, are worked up the same way: history first, then a hands-on physical exam, then diagnostic imaging as context, addressing the whole joint complex, cartilage, tendons, ligaments, peripheral nerves, and subchondral bone, rather than one structure in isolation. Stem cell therapy is typically not a fit for active cancer or bone marrow malignancy, active infection, or an expectation that treatment is certain to succeed. Regenerative Performance treats both long-standing chronic pain and more recent pain, and treats many structures in a single treatment session rather than one at a time.
Serving Scottsdale and the North Valley
Regenerative Performance's clinic is in Gilbert, and many patients make the trip from Scottsdale and the rest of the north Valley because an autologous, evaluation-first stem cell option is worth the drive when the closer alternative is a donor-product clinic or a med-spa offering exosome injections. The evaluation and the procedure are scheduled as two separate visits: the 2-hour evaluation establishes the diagnosis and the treatment plan, and the bone marrow or adipose harvest is scheduled for its own day so the preparation can be processed without rushing the visit.
Patients weighing whether the drive from Scottsdale makes sense for their situation are welcome to call and ask questions before scheduling anything.
What Every Stem Cell Treatment Includes
Every injection is performed under the image guidance the structure requires, using ultrasound, x-ray, or both, by Dr. Drew Timmermans, ND, RMSK, who completed a residency in Pain Management and Regenerative Medicine at Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine and has been performing bone marrow concentrate and microfragmented adipose procedures since 2017. Outcomes tracked since 2021 in partnership with DataBiologics.
Procedures that include a bone marrow or adipose harvest are typically done under twilight sedation with a dedicated anesthesia provider monitoring you, while simpler injection-only visits are usually done awake and are well tolerated.
Most patients have increased soreness for 3 to 7 days. Some feel a significant drop in pain in the first 7 to 14 days because the injected cells release natural anti-inflammatory compounds; that early relief wears off after a few weeks, and losing it does not mean the procedure failed. Most patients who respond start to see it within the first 4 weeks, the majority of improvement arrives in the first 6 months, and healing typically continues out to a year.
Frequently Asked Questions About Stem Cell Therapy for Scottsdale, AZ
Are stem cell clinics in Scottsdale using donor or umbilical cord cells?
Some stem cell clinics in Scottsdale and the surrounding Valley use donor-derived products, marketed as umbilical cord tissue, amniotic fluid, Wharton's jelly, or exosome preparations. Autologous stem cell therapy is a different category: it uses only the patient's own bone marrow or fat tissue, processed the same day and reinjected without any donor material. Ask any clinic directly whether the cells or product being used come from your own body or from a donor source, since the two approaches carry different origins, processing, and regulatory status.
Can stem cell therapy be an alternative to knee replacement?
Stem cell therapy can help some patients with knee osteoarthritis delay or avoid a joint replacement, particularly when the joint has moderate to advanced cartilage or bone damage that has not responded to conservative care such as physical therapy or anti-inflammatory treatment. It is not a substitute for surgery in every case: end-stage bone-on-bone arthritis with significant joint misalignment typically still needs a replacement, so candidacy depends on the stage and pattern of the damage rather than a preference to avoid surgery.
Does Regenerative Performance offer stem cell therapy for Scottsdale patients?
Yes, Regenerative Performance offers stem cell therapy for patients traveling from Scottsdale, with every ultrasound-guided orthobiologic procedure performed at the Gilbert clinic by Dr. Drew Timmermans, ND, RMSK. Scottsdale patients regularly make the drive across the Valley for both the 2-hour evaluation and the treatment visit, and many are looking for an autologous, evaluation-first option they have not found closer to home.
Can stem cell injections treat hip osteoarthritis?
Stem cell injections, using a patient's own bone marrow concentrate, are used for hip osteoarthritis when the joint has moderate to advanced cartilage damage that has not responded to conservative treatment. As with knee arthritis, candidacy narrows in end-stage hip disease with significant joint misalignment, where a hip replacement is typically the more appropriate option, so an imaging-based evaluation is the only reliable way to determine whether a hip is still a good candidate for a regenerative approach.
Ready to Find Out If Stem Cell Therapy Can Help?
Dr. Timmermans performs every stem cell injection, using your own bone marrow or fat tissue, under image guidance at Regenerative Performance in Gilbert. For Scottsdale patients dealing with knee osteoarthritis, hip pain, or joint damage that has not responded to conservative care, the drive across the Valley is worth it for an autologous option that supports healing without donor material.
More than 1,500 orthobiologic cases since 2015.
726 N Greenfield Rd, STE 101, Gilbert, AZ 85234