Knee Surgery Alternative: PRP and BMC in Phoenix, AZ

Procedures using Regenexx injectates may provide a non-surgical option for individuals experiencing knee pain related to arthritis or injury. At Mountain View Headache and Spine Institute in Phoenix, Arizona, physicians in the licensed Regenexx network perform customized treatments designed to support the body’s natural healing process.

Regenexx platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and bone marrow concentrate (BMC) injectates are used to address common orthopedic conditions such as meniscus injuries, ACL strains or tears, and knee osteoarthritis. These procedures use your own biological materials and aim to reduce pain and improve mobility, potentially helping patients avoid or delay the need for knee surgery.

To determine whether this approach may be appropriate for your condition, your physician will assess your medical history, imaging, and treatment goals.

The Regenexx^® Alternative to Knee Surgery and Knee Replacement Surgery

Have you been told that steroid knee injections or invasive surgery are your only options to treat your knee pain? Interventional orthobiologics may offer a non-surgical alternative that uses your body’s own biologic materials to support tissue repair and reduce pain from knee injuries and arthritis.

Recent research suggests that some common orthopedic knee surgeries, including meniscectomies, may provide no greater benefit than placebo or sham procedures. Knee replacement surgery is highly invasive and involves associated risks. Even when successful, surgery typically requires months of rehabilitation to regain mobility and strength. In many cases, surgery may accelerate joint degeneration and contribute to osteoarthritis, worsening the original issue.

The Regenexx approach may help individuals with knee injuries or degenerative conditions. This method, known as Interventional Orthopedics, uses image guidance (fluoroscopy and ultrasound) to deliver concentrated doses of your body’s own cells directly into targeted joint structures. These biologic materials are placed precisely at the site of concern to support repair processes that depend on accurate placement.

Procedures using Regenexx lab processing may improve knee function and help reduce pain without surgery. In this outpatient procedure, physicians in the licensed Regenexx network use image guidance to inject customized concentrations of your body’s healing components into specific areas of damage to help stabilize and support the knee joint. This technique requires advanced training and adherence to Regenexx protocols, and cannot be replicated by providers without Regenexx certification.

Get back to the activities you enjoy without knee surgery

Imagine walking through the park, keeping up with your toddler, grandchild, or dog, when your knee suddenly catches and gives out. You fall, experiencing intense knee pain, unsure of what to do and unable to put weight on your leg.

This pattern of your knee locking or giving way has been occurring for months. You may have hesitated to seek care, uncertain whether surgery or knee replacement is the right option for you.

This is a common concern. Physicians in the licensed Regenexx network may help you better understand your condition and explore appropriate next steps.

What are some common causes of knee pain?

Knee issues frequently associated with pain include:

• Fractures or dislocations
• Knee ligament injuries
• Cartilage damage, such as a torn meniscus
• Knee bursitis
• Tendonitis or tendon tears
• General knee pain due to factors like ill-fitting footwear, iliotibial band syndrome, or hip misalignment
• Osteoarthritis or degenerative joint changes in the knee

Before discussing possible causes further, it may be helpful to review how the knee joint functions.

Knee Anatomy

The knee joint is a hinge, so think of how a door opens and closes. Although, the knee has a little more flexibility to accommodate movement patterns slightly beyond the front-to-back motion of a hinge, unlike a door. The knee joint connects the femur (thigh bone) and the tibia (shin bone) and includes a protective bony cover called the patella, also known as the kneecap.

The knee can straighten (extend) to 0 degrees and can flex (bend) to about 135 degrees. Remember, it’s a hinge. In contrast, the hip and shoulder joints are ball-and-socket joints, which allow these joints to have more freedom to move in all planes of motion. You can do arm circles and move your leg at the hip, front to bac,k and side to side normally.

Many acute knee injuries may occur due to motion outside the joint’s typical range, such as twisting forces, a hit from one side pushing into a side-to-side plane, or from factors including prolonged poor alignment caused by muscle imbalances, poorly fitting or worn footwear, or consistently elevated body weight levels.

Additionally, the knee is a weight-bearing joint. Many of the tissues in the knee joint are structured to handle a person’s body weight and absorb impact. Think of taking a step while walking versus taking a step while running. The force of those two activities is very different. There is more impact force while running. In addition, if someone’s body weight is above typical levels, the force placed on that person’s knee joint may increase compared to someone whose weight falls within normal ranges.

Over time, increased forces on the knee joint, whether from elevated weight or prolonged, repetitive impact, may contribute to joint problems. These may include cartilage changes, persistent inflammation, and/or structural wear. This may be described as osteoarthritis, or degenerative joint changes in the knee.

Therefore, pain in the knee may stem from an acute (sudden, recent) injury or from ongoing, cumulative joint loading that has not been addressed and managed in a way that supports healing.

Parts of the knee joint:

The knee joint is made of bones, cartilage, ligaments, tendons, and sacs of fluid, all working together to allow for walking forward, jumping, and squatting movements.

Bones in the knee:

The bones in the knee include the femur, tibia, and patella. The femur and tibia have ends that meet called condyles. A condyle is a rounded area at the end of the bone where it meets or articulates with another bone. The medial condyle is on the inside, or middle of the knee (medial sounds like middle). The lateral condyle is on the outside.

Cartilage in the knee:

The cartilage in the knee that many are familiar with is called the meniscus. The meniscus is a disc of cartilage positioned between the condyles of the femur and tibia. It helps limit friction, supports body weight distribution, absorbs impact, and protects the smooth cartilage that enables knee movement, such as when putting on socks.

There are two menisci in each knee: one medial (inside) and one lateral (outside).

In addition to meniscus-related conditions, degenerative joint conditions like osteoarthritis may occur when the cartilage at the ends of bones changes or breaks down. This is the most frequently observed form of arthritis.

Bursa sacs in the knee:

The knee contains fluid-filled sacs that cushion pressure points between bones and tendons and help reduce friction. During walking or running, these sacs help prevent bone-on-bone contact and protect tendons from continuous friction, similar to how rope can wear on a surface when pulled tight.

Ligaments in the knee:

Ligaments are strong bands of connective tissue that stabilize bones and cartilage. Well-known knee ligaments include the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL). Anterior refers to the front of the knee, and posterior to the back. These ligaments help maintain alignment between the tibia and femur and support knee stability.

Tendons in the knee:

Tendons attach muscles to bones. The quadriceps muscle in the thigh connects to the patella through the quadriceps tendon, and the patellar tendon connects the patella to the tibia. Tendons, along with muscles, enable knee movement.

Treatment Options for Knee Pain from Injury or Arthritis

What can I do to reduce knee pain from injury?

In order to reduce knee pain, we have to figure out what’s causing the knee pain. As you can see, the knee has a lot of parts that keep it protected, stable, and mobile. Any one of these can be the cause of knee pain. In addition, pain can be originating outside of the knee joint but still causing knee pain, in the case of iliotibial band (ITB) syndrome or poorly fitting or worn-out shoes.

Some knee conditions require rest and/or special exercises prescribed by a physical therapist. Yet, some require advanced medical attention simply because the pain is not being reduced or the function is not improving. Be careful about immediately accepting advice to undergo surgery. Research has shown that many of the most common surgeries, such as a “knee clean up,” may be ineffective for some individuals and could result in outcomes that do not meet expectations. Physicians in the licensed Regenexx network, including those at Mountain View Headache and Spine Institute in Phoenix, Arizona, are trained in evaluating and addressing knee issues with non-surgical interventional orthobiologic options. However, in some severe cases, surgery may be the most appropriate solution.

What can I do to reduce arthritis pain in my knee?

Reducing arthritis pain in the knee is not dissimilar from an acute injury; however, consider how much time this chronic condition has been going on.
Arthritis in the knee is caused by constant, uneven, undue wear in the knee without the proper environment or space for healing.

There are pharmaceuticals to help mask the pain symptoms so that you can continue with life; however, those are associated with potential side effects that can contribute to or worsen other medical conditions. An alternative approach would be to correct the uneven, undue wear and provide the environment necessary for the body to maximize its own ability to heal. And while it does take time, it often does take as long as it took for the chronic damage to develop.

And that’s where the Regenexx approach—available at Mountain View Headache and Spine Institute in Phoenix, Arizona—may be able to help you…

Ultimately, surgery may be an option for knee arthritis pain relief, in the form of joint replacement. But cutting out and removing your knee joint shouldn’t be the first thing you try. This is a serious, life-altering surgery that may be avoidable for some individuals through the Regenexx approach, which includes procedures using Regenexx lab processes that are designed to support the body’s natural healing response.

Select a body area to view outcome data:

How to promote knee joint health?

The human body has natural repair mechanisms that are constantly at work. A simple example is when a cut occurs on your finger, it may bleed, a scab forms, and under that, healing cells are sent to seal and repair the tissue.

Similarly, the body engages in ongoing maintenance to support function and recovery. These processes may not be visible, but they play a role in tissue repair throughout the body, including the knee joint.

Several factors within your control may influence your body’s ability to recover from damage and maintain joint health. These include:

• Whether or not you smoke
• The amount of alcohol consumed
• Quality and quantity of sleep
• Frequency and intensity of physical activity
• Nutrition and digestive function, which affect how nutrients reach the body’s cells
• How your body responds to stress

These lifestyle factors can influence how well your body recovers from acute injuries and long-term changes, such as those that contribute to knee arthritis.

Even when these conditions are optimized, such as avoiding smoking and excessive alcohol, maintaining good sleep habits, staying physically active, and eating a nutrient-rich diet, there may still be instances when the body benefits from additional support.

That is where the Regenexx approach, available at Mountain View Headache and Spine Institute in Phoenix, Arizona, may offer help…

What is interventional orthobiologics? How can this approach help manage knee pain?

Many traditional medical treatments rely on medications that mask pain without addressing the underlying issue. In some cases, surgical options are pursued that may not result in meaningful long-term improvements in function or pain.

Surgical procedures can be physically demanding and involve significant recovery time. Healing from such interventions, particularly joint reconstruction, can require months or more of rehabilitation to regain range of motion, strength, and balance. In some cases, the joint may not return to optimal function.

Joint replacement introduces foreign materials into the body. The immune system may recognize these materials as non-native, triggering inflammation and discomfort as a biological response. While surgery may be appropriate in certain severe cases, it is a significant step and not always necessary as an initial treatment.

The Regenexx patented protocol may help the body’s natural repair mechanisms by directing concentrated cellular elements to the site of joint damage. This process does not involve synthetic materials or pharmaceuticals but instead uses the individual’s own biological material, prepared using Regenexx lab processes, and precisely applies it to the affected area.

This field is referred to as interventional orthobiologics. Procedures using Regenexx injectates have been used to support improved joint function, mobility, and reduced pain, while potentially helping individuals avoid surgery.

Physicians in the licensed Regenexx network, including those at Mountain View Headache and Spine Institute in Phoenix, Arizona, are among the most experienced in using this non-surgical approach to orthopedic care.

Complete the Regenexx Candidate Form to learn if this approach may be appropriate for your condition.

Call Us Now 855-330-5818