Surgery isn't always the right first step. Our regenerative medicine program uses your body's own healing biology — PRP, viscosupplementation, and bone marrow aspirate — to repair tissue and preserve natural joints. Backed by orthopedic evidence, delivered honestly.
Non-surgical biologic therapies at LAOSS.
Regenerative medicine is an umbrella category of orthopedic treatments that use biologic material — your own platelets, growth factors, or bone marrow cells — to stimulate healing in damaged tissue. The goal is to help you delay or avoid surgery, preserve your native joint, and get back to activity.
The main therapies in this category are PRP (platelet-rich plasma), BMAC (bone marrow aspirate concentrate, sometimes marketed as "stem cell"), prolotherapy, and amniotic-derived products. They're most commonly used for chronic tendinopathy, mild-to-moderate osteoarthritis, partial tendon or ligament tears, and soft-tissue injuries that haven't responded to rest, PT, or activity modification.
We'll say this plainly: the evidence varies a lot by therapy and condition. PRP has reasonable evidence for tennis elbow, patellar tendinopathy, and mild knee OA. BMAC and "stem cell" therapies have more limited high-quality evidence in orthopedics today and are generally not FDA-approved for these uses. Most regenerative therapies are also not covered by insurance. Our job is to tell you when biologics are a sensible option for your case — and when they're not.
If you have an injury, or if you have tendons or ligaments that have become inflamed, stem cell therapy may help. It uses your body's own stem cells to help heal damage. It may help you avoid surgery.
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PRP starts with a small blood draw — your blood is spun in a centrifuge to concentrate the platelets, which carry the growth factors that signal tissue repair. BMAC follows the same logic, but starts from a bone marrow aspirate. Either way, the prepared biologic is injected — usually under ultrasound guidance — into the injured tendon, ligament, or joint. The goal isn't a numbing effect; it's stimulating the body's own repair signal.
Regenerative medicine is best understood as a tool in the toolbox, not a miracle. For the right patient and the right condition, biologic injections can meaningfully reduce pain, improve function, and buy time before a more invasive procedure becomes necessary. For the wrong patient, they're an expensive intervention that won't move the needle.
The orthopedic literature today supports PRP as a reasonable option for mild to moderate knee osteoarthritis, lateral epicondylitis (tennis elbow), patellar tendinopathy, and select rotator cuff tendinopathy. The evidence is mixed but encouraging for plantar fasciitis and Achilles tendinopathy. The evidence is more limited — and the marketing more aggressive — for autologous stem cell or BMAC therapies in orthopedics. The FDA has been clear that most marketed "stem cell" treatments for joint pain are not approved indications.
What this means for you: we'll evaluate your case, tell you which biologic (if any) has the best evidence for your condition, give you a realistic expectation of response rate, and walk through what the cost will be before you commit. If regenerative medicine isn't the right call, we'll say so.
Almost every patient we see for chronic ortho pain has tried something already. Our job is to put the next step in context — conservative care if there's still runway there, biologic therapy when it fits, surgery only when the picture warrants it.
Most patients respond to a thoughtful conservative plan. We start here unless imaging or exam tells us otherwise.
When conservative care has plateaued and you want to avoid or delay surgery, biologics are worth a conversation.
Biologic therapy is technique-dependent. Where you inject, how you prepare the sample, and whether the patient is the right candidate all change the outcome.
We move stepwise — least-invasive option first, escalate only when the evidence and the patient call for it.
Regenerative medicine isn't for everyone, but if most of these describe you, it's worth a conversation.
These signs typically point toward an in-person evaluation for biologic therapy.
Your first visit gives you a diagnosis, an honest take on whether biologics fit, and a clear cost picture.
Biologics don't work overnight. Healing is driven by your body's response over weeks — patience and a coordinated rehab plan matter as much as the injection itself.
In the first two weeks we protect the treated tissue and let the inflammatory healing cascade get to work.
Progressive loading is what turns a biologic injection into real, durable tissue repair.
Most patients who respond to biologics see continued improvement through three to six months. We track outcomes honestly.
Biologic therapy is generally safe when delivered by experienced providers, but it's not risk-free — and the bigger consideration for most patients is cost-vs-likely-benefit.
Any injection carries a small risk set. Because biologics use your own tissue, allergic reaction is essentially nil.
These are the questions every patient should ask before paying out of pocket for a biologic.
Our regenerative medicine program is led by board-certified orthopedic, sports medicine, and pain management physicians who use biologics as one tool among many — not as a marketing pitch. Each provider has been trained in ultrasound-guided injection technique and stays current with the orthopedic literature on what's working and what isn't. We'll give you a straight read on whether a biologic is the right next step in your care, and we'll never push a treatment we don't believe in.
Dr. Acosta saved me from spine surgery. I came in convinced I was going to need an operation. He laid out a non-surgical plan that's been working. So thankful.
Book a visit with a regenerative medicine specialist at any of our eight Los Angeles–area offices.
