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Alternatives To Knee Replacement For Osteoarthritis

16620 North 40th Street Phoenix, AZ 85032

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Patient FAQs

If you’ve been told that knee replacement surgery is your only option for managing knee osteoarthritis, there may be another path forward. At Active Life Physical Medicine & Pain Center in Phoenix, AZ, physicians in the licensed Regenexx network offer non-surgical procedures using your body’s bone marrow concentrate and platelets to help support joint health and reduce pain.

Are You a Regenexx Candidate?

Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is one of the most common orthopedic conditions. If you are experiencing OA, you understand the pain and discomfort involved and how it can negatively impact your quality of life and enjoyment of daily activities.
Historically, many patients over 40 with knee pain due to osteoarthritis (commonly referred to as arthritis) have been advised to try physical therapy, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications (NSAIDs), hyaluronate or corticosteroid knee injections to reduce pain and inflammation. If these are not helpful, the next recommendation is often arthroscopic knee surgery to repair or remove any damaged cartilage or tissue that may be causing the pain. If the surgery doesn’t deliver the desired results, then total knee joint replacement is usually recommended.

Alternative to knee replacement surgery for osteoarthritis

16620 North 40th Street
Phoenix, AZ 85032

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Doctors

As the medical director and founder of Active Life Physical Medicine and Pain Center, Innovative Surgery Center, and Regena Spa, Dr. Lundquist has great enthusiasm toward regenerative medicines and a special interest in sports medicine and pain. She loves her work and feels blessed to be entrusted to help patients by alleviating painful ailments.

Her desire is to uncover methods that are more healing and less of a “band aid,” which has led her to become a leader in regenerative medicine technologies. She feels strongly about the importance of seeking methods to help alleviate pain on every level – holistically.

Originally a massage therapist and, later, an osteopath, she has a strong foundation to alleviate patient’s pain. She is a “hands on” physician who implements osteopathic techniques when appropriate with other tools.

She is dual board certified in physical medicine and rehabilitation along with pain management, as well as a diplomat with the American Board of Pain Medicine.

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Dr. Bonilla is a double board certified physician (Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and Interventional Pain Management) with over 20 years of experience treating musculoskeletal conditions and spine injuries in the state of Arizona. Dr. Bonilla prides himself on using the most important tools in Physical Medicine, listening carefully to his patient, and using his hands to perform a careful physical exam. He thoroughly educates his patients on their conditions and treatment options and is a very caring and personable physician, always ensuring his patients are as comfortable as possible.

Dr. Bonilla’s education includes a bachelor’s degree in Materials Science Engineering from Alfred University in New York. He initially worked as a production engineer for DuPont Electronic Materials Inc. for four years. Although he enjoyed his work as an engineer, his passion was always in medicine. As an avid and passionate skateboarder, Dr. Bonilla witnessed and suffered many injuries in his younger years. He witnessed first hand how devastating injuries could be on an active person and he decided to switch careers and study medicine to be able to help people who suffer life changing injuries. Being born and raised in Puerto Rico, Dr. Bonilla attended and graduated from University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine. He then moved to Pittsburgh, PA to complete his internship at UPMC-Mercy Hospital, followed by his residency in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University of Virginia.

Dr. Bonilla has been performing Regenerative Medicine for more than 18 years. He is trained and highly experienced in the use of ultrasound and fluoroscopy guided injections. He is also trained in the use of PRP and bone marrow concentrate, which contains your own stem cells, to promote the body’s natural ability to heal. Dr. Bonilla works part time at the Phoenix VA Hospital and enjoys helping Veterans with their musculoskeletal issues. He is married and has one son, currently serving as an US Army Honor Guard. He also has 3 step children and 2 grandchildren. As a passionate Mountain Biker for the last 20 years, Dr. Bonilla understands first hand how an injury can affect an individual’s lifestyle. He also enjoys traveling and exploring the outdoors.

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Areas Treated

Cervical Spine (Not Upper Cervical or CCI)*, Elbow, Foot & Ankle, Hand & Wrist, Hip, Knee, Lumbar Spine, Shoulder, Thoracic Spine

*This provider is NOT authorized by Regenexx to treat the C0-C1 or C1-C2 levels of the neck or CCI (craniocervical instability).

Can Knee Surgery Always Reduce Pain?

Recent research shows that common orthopedic surgeries, such as arthroscopic debridement, may not deliver improved long-term outcomes for many patients, particularly those over age 40.

Many individuals in Phoenix are unaware that surgery is not the only path forward. Procedures using Regenexx injectates may offer a less invasive approach for those seeking alternatives to knee replacement surgery.

At Regenexx, we invented a new approach to orthopedic care that we call Interventional Orthopedics. This minimally invasive alternative to knee surgery uses ultrasound-guided technology to precisely inject your bone marrow concentrate, which contains stem cells, directly where it’s needed in the joint.

At our Phoenix location, physicians in the licensed Regenexx network may use:

  • Regenexx SD Injectate: A patented protocol using bone marrow concentrate that contains stem cells
  • Regenexx SCP Injectate: A proprietary formulation of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) that’s more concentrated than what a basic bedside centrifuge machine can produce
  • Regenexx PL Injectate: Platelet lysate, which is a highly specialized derivative of platelet-rich plasma (PRP)

These customized injectates are designed to support joint structure and function and may offer an option to delay or avoid surgery.

See How The Regenexx Approach Helped Stephanie

Am I a candidate?

Hear how a patient living with chronic knee osteoarthritis found relief and restored mobility through a Regenexx procedure, avoiding traditional joint replacement surgery.

Below are the outcomes of two patients with Regenexx protocol done for knee osteoarthritis. Scroll the arrow to the right to see the MRI of the knee joint before their treatment — the white/ lighter area indicates damage. Scroll to the left to see the MRI of the knee joint after their treatment.

Patient 1 MRI: 51 years old

Patient 2 MRI: 46 years old

  • Patient 1: The patient was unable to return to many activities after unsuccessful microfracture surgery. As a result, underwent percutaneous, autologous, mesenchymal stem cell implant, after which they were able to return to their daily activities.
  • Patient 2: The patient had unsuccessful arthroscopic debridement surgery, where a large 3 cm. by 4 cm. osteochondral defect on the medial femur was discovered. The patient was then treated with percutaneously implanted autologous mesenchymal stem cells 1.5 years after surgery. The patient was able to return to full functional activities.
Am I a candidate?

Patient FAQs

The knee is actually a joint — the largest one in the body. It is where the thigh (femur) and shin bones (tibia and fibula) meet. The ends of our bones are covered in a smooth, slippery material known as cartilage that helps lubricate the knee joint. This allows the bones to move against each other without friction and protects your joint from stress. Your knee also has two rings of fibrous cartilage known as the meniscus. This structure helps provide stability to the joint and distribute weight evenly.

The knee joint experiences a significant load during weight-bearing activities over a person’s life span. All joints go through normal cycles of damage and repair that can involve thinning and damaging of cartilage, bone spurs, and more, but sometimes the body’s repair process results in changes to the shape or structure of the joints. When this happens, the bones of the joint may no longer be properly aligned or lubricated, which, over time, can cause inflammation, pain, swelling, and stiffness known as osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis can be a result of being overweight, normal aging, or an injury to the joint.

Arthritis is a general term that describes joint inflammation. There are two types of arthritis

  1. Osteoarthritis (OA) – also called degenerative joint disease, is the most common type of arthritis and happens when the cartilage in your joints breaks down, often in your hips, knees, and spine.6
  2. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) – is an autoimmune disorder where the immune system identifies the lining of the joints (synovium) as a threat and attacks it.7

Yes. When we have looked at our data, patients who had less severe arthritis did no better than patients who had bone-on-bone arthritis. Other data published by other authors also confirm this.8

Both X-rays and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can show degenerative arthritis changes in the joints. However, symptoms of osteoarthritis may arise before the damage can be seen in standard X-rays. So practitioners will often use the more sensitive magnetic resonance imaging, which is superior for detecting early osteoarthritis. Also, MRIs show three-dimensional images, while X-rays do not.

While cartilage is important for maximal functioning, its loss is not what causes pain. The most consistent MRI finding associated with pain is swelling in the bone called bone marrow edema (BME) or a bone marrow lesion (BML). Current research on knee pain due to arthritis has shifted from cartilage loss to this bone marrow swelling.

No, they won’t regrow large stretches of cartilage; however, they will help:

  • Replace a worn-out stem cell reserve. The number of those cells available for repair and maintenance goes down as we age and get arthritis.
  • Reboot dying stem cells. Studies have shown that mesenchymal stem cells can give their good batteries (mitochondria) to cells that have worn-out batteries, rebooting those dying cells.
  • Treat bone lesions. Microfractures, not cartilage loss, are the source of pain.
  • Reset the environment. The environment inside an arthritic joint has a mix of inflammatory and damaging chemicals.

Considering A Regenexx Procedure In Phoenix?

If you’re exploring alternatives to knee replacement surgery in Phoenix, AZ, the team at Active Life Physical Medicine & Pain Center may be able to help. Complete the Regenexx Candidate Form to learn more.

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Please note our procedures are only covered by self-funded health plans at this time.

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What about health insurance or medical benefits? What may be covered or reimbursed depends on the details of your plan. Insurance typically covers evaluations and diagnostic testing (if recommended) but most do not cover Regenexx Procedures. Some Employer specific Regenexx Benefits plans do also cover Regenexx Procedures. Your plan’s representative can help verify your benefits, out-of-pocket costs, and coverage.

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