# Do blood or marrow treatments ease joint soreness? *What the Evidence Says | Cellular Therapy Peoria* > Cellular therapy Peoria evidence in plain words: some people get joint relief, others do not, and human studies matter most. Can either treatment quiet the ache? Relief varies: some people move more easily afterward, while others notice little change, and no exam or study can predict your group. The result can depend on the joint and what is causing the soreness. It can also depend on how the blood or marrow was prepared. Ask for evidence about people with the same joint problem and the same treatment. ## Why don't lab results settle the question? Work done on cells in a dish can show what those cells release. Animal work can show how another body reacts. Neither can tell you how much your own joint will hurt after treatment. Studies in people give a better answer, though they still have limits. Ask whether the blood or marrow treatment was tested against exercise, medicine, another joint treatment, or no treatment. People can improve with time, so a change by itself doesn't prove the treatment caused it. What happened in people matters more than what happened in a dish or animal. ## Why don't all human studies agree? One study may use prepared blood, while another uses marrow. The people may have different joints or different amounts of wear. The comparison may be rest in one study and exercise, medicine, or another treatment in the next. Those differences can change the result. Ask whether the same joint was studied and whether the liquid was prepared the same way. Also ask how long the people were followed. A knee study may not answer a question about your shoulder or hip. ## How will I know whether it helped me? Choose something you can feel or do before treatment starts. You might want less aching at night or an easier walk. Ask when that goal will be checked, and write down how you feel now. No study can promise your result. Ask how often people get no relief and what you would try next. You'll also want the full cost in writing, since the patient often pays for these choices. A useful result should matter in your daily life. ## Sources 1. In a 480-patient, four-arm, multicenter randomized phase 2/3 trial, none of three orthobiologic cell injections - autologous bone marrow aspirate concentrate, autologous adipose stromal vascular fraction, or allogeneic umbilical cord tissue-derived mesenchymal stromal cells - was superior to any other, or to a corticosteroid injection control, on pain at 12 months. Mautner K, et al. — [Cell-based versus corticosteroid injections for knee pain in osteoarthritis: a randomized phase 3 trial](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37919438/). *Nat Med*, 2023. DOI: 10.1038/s41591-023-02632-w. 2. FDA states in its consumer alert that the only FDA-approved stem cell products in the United States are blood-forming stem cells derived from umbilical cord blood, approved for disorders of the blood-forming system, and that NONE of these products - stem cells, stromal vascular fraction, umbilical cord blood, Wharton's jelly or amniotic fluid - has been approved for the treatment of any orthopedic condition, including osteoarthritis, tendonitis, disc disease, tennis elbow, back pain, hip pain, knee pain, neck pain or shoulder pain. US Food and Drug Administration, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research — [Consumer Alert on Regenerative Medicine Products Including Stem Cells and Exosomes](https://www.fda.gov/vaccines-blood-biologics/consumers-biologics/consumer-alert-regenerative-medicine-products-including-stem-cells-and-exosomes). *null*, 2020. 3. 21 CFR 1271.10(a) sets the four criteria a human cell or tissue product must meet to be regulated SOLELY under section 361 of the Public Health Service Act: it must be minimally manipulated; intended for homologous use only, as reflected by labeling and advertising; not combined with another article beyond water, crystalloids or a preserving agent; and either have no systemic effect and not depend on the metabolic activity of living cells, or else be for autologous use, use in a close blood relative, or reproductive use. US Code of Federal Regulations, Title 21 — [21 CFR 1271.10 - Are my HCT/P's regulated solely under section 361 of the PHS Act](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-21/chapter-I/subchapter-L/part-1271/subpart-A/section-1271.10). *null*, 2004. 4. On 27 September 2024 the Ninth Circuit held in United States v. California Stem Cell Treatment Center that stromal vascular fraction produced by enzymatically digesting a patient's own fat IS a drug under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, and that the same surgical procedure exception does not apply because the removed fat and the implanted SVF are not the same thing. The district court's ruling for the clinics was reversed. United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit — [United States v. California Stem Cell Treatment Center, Inc., No. 22-56014 (9th Cir. Sept. 27, 2024)](https://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/opinions/2024/09/27/22-56014.pdf). *null*, 2024. 5. On 2 June 2021 the Eleventh Circuit affirmed an injunction against US Stem Cell Clinic in United States v. US Stem Cell Clinic, LLC, holding the clinic's adipose stem cell procedure fell outside BOTH the same surgical procedure exception and the 361 HCT/P exception - the latter because the clinic intended the cells to perform functions beyond the basic functions they performed before the procedure, which is the definition of non-homologous use. United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit — [United States v. US Stem Cell Clinic, LLC, No. 19-13276 (11th Cir. June 2, 2021)](https://media.ca11.uscourts.gov/opinions/pub/files/201913276.pdf). *null*, 2021. 6. The OARSI non-surgical management guideline evaluated 60 interventions with GRADE methodology and built its recommendations around core treatments - structured exercise, weight management and self-management education - for every patient with knee osteoarthritis, regardless of what else is added. Bannuru RR, et al. — [OARSI guidelines for the non-surgical management of knee, hip, and polyarticular osteoarthritis](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31278997/). *Osteoarthritis Cartilage*, 2019. DOI: 10.1016/j.joca.2019.06.011. 7. The 2018 AAOS/NIH consensus work group recommended that minimally manipulated mixed cell preparations be called CELL THERAPY rather than stem cell therapy, and that their untested and uncharacterised nature be clearly communicated to patients and the public, because stem cells have properties these preparations do not meet. Chu CR, et al. — [Optimizing Clinical Use of Biologics in Orthopaedic Surgery: Consensus Recommendations From the 2018 AAOS/NIH U-13 Conference](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30300216/). *J Am Acad Orthop Surg*, 2019. DOI: 10.5435/JAAOS-D-18-00305. ## What should I bring to the appointment? Bring your medicine list, old joint reports, and one daily activity you want to make easier. The office is at 13128 N. 94th Dr., Suite 205, near Thunderbird Road and west of Loop 101. Call (602) 837-PAIN. Book an appointment: --- Plain help for a joint that stays sore. Cellular therapy Peoria covers a lasting joint ache, useful home measures, and non-surgical choices a clinic may discuss. Plain Peoria help for aching joints, home relief, warning signs, and clinic visits. This site is operated by the owners of the QC Kinetix Phoenix-area clinics, including the Peoria office recommended here, and the business benefits when readers schedule. © 2026 Peoria Cellular Index. General health education, not medical advice or a personal candidacy decision.