Stem cell therapy uses your own adult stem cells to repair damaged tissue and reduce chronic pain without surgery. This minimally invasive treatment harvests cells from your fat or bone marrow and injects them directly into injured areas to promote natural healing.
Stem cell therapy offers a minimally invasive alternative to surgery for chronic pain and degenerative conditions. Instead of masking symptoms with medications or requiring aggressive procedures, this advanced treatment uses your own adult stem cells to support healing from the inside out.
Stem cells injected into the knee can reduce inflammation, stimulate cartilage repair, and improve joint lubrication. This makes it especially helpful for osteoarthritis and meniscus injuries. Many patients delay or avoid knee replacement, reporting reduced pain and improved mobility within months of treatment. The best candidates are those with mild to moderate degeneration rather than bone-on-bone arthritis. Learn more about Stem Cell Therapy for Knees.
Targeted injections into damaged tendons or cartilage help support repair and reduce pain from partial rotator cuff tears, labral damage, or arthritis. By enhancing local healing, stem cells often restore range of motion and strength for everyday activity and athletics. Complete tendon tears usually still require surgery, but regenerative therapy can be a powerful alternative for partial injuries.
Stem cells can be injected near painful facet joints, discs, or sacroiliac joints to calm inflammation and support repair of degenerative tissue. Conditions like degenerative disc disease and facet arthritis often respond well. While they cannot fully rebuild a collapsed disc, many patients see meaningful relief in pain and mobility when guided injections are placed precisely at the source of pain.
Stem cell therapy for hips can improve pain and function in arthritis, labral tears, and impingement-related injuries. Injections support cartilage and soft tissue repair, often helping patients walk longer distances or return to activity without surgery. Many choose this therapy to delay or avoid hip replacement surgery.
In stem cell protocols for multiple sclerosis, traumatic brain injury, or stroke, stem cells may release factors that reduce inflammation and promote neural repair. Some patients report improvements in balance, strength, or fatigue, although results vary widely. These uses are still considered investigational and require careful case-by-case evaluation.
Stem cells have the unique ability to calm an overactive immune system. By reducing chronic inflammation, they may help conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, Lyme disease, lupus, or Crohn’s disease. While promising, these applications remain investigational, and treatment plans are personalized to each patient’s disease activity and history.
In investigational programs, stem cells have shown potential to support blood vessel growth and reduce scarring in conditions like COPD, pulmonary fibrosis, or heart failure. Patients may experience improvements in breathing capacity or exercise tolerance. Because these are advanced applications, transparency and patient selection are essential.
Dr. Ghalili is internationally recognized for his work treating fluoroquinolone toxicity with regenerative medicine. Stem cell therapy in this setting focuses on repairing mitochondrial injury, calming nerve pain, and restoring overall function. Many patients require a series of treatments and gradual recovery, but these protocols have offered hope when conventional medicine had none.
Stem cells and growth factors can stimulate dormant hair follicles, improve scalp circulation, and encourage new growth in androgenic alopecia and thinning hair. For skin, stem cells promote collagen production and tissue repair, helping with scars, wound healing, and overall skin quality. Cosmetic improvements often require multiple treatments for best results. Learn more about stem cells for hair growth.
Stem cell injections offer a minimally invasive alternative to knee replacement, spinal fusion, rotator cuff surgery, and other orthopedic procedures. Because we use your own cells (autologous stem cells), there’s no risk of rejection and minimal recovery time compared to invasive surgery.
Most patients experience significant pain reduction and improved function within 3-6 months as stem cells reduce inflammation, stimulate cartilage repair, and promote new blood vessel formation. Unlike cortisone injections that provide only temporary relief, stem cell therapy addresses the root cause of tissue damage and may provide lasting results for 2-5 years or longer, depending on the condition and patient factors.
This regenerative approach is particularly beneficial for patients seeking to avoid the risks, costs, and lengthy rehabilitation associated with surgical intervention.
You need to choose a stem cell doctor in Los Angeles like Dr. Ghalili who has real medical expertise and and can provide honest guidance. This plays major role in how well a patient responds to treatment. Adult stem cell therapy requires extensive medical training, precise technique, and years of hands-on experience. Not every clinic offering “stem cell therapy” has this foundation. Many providers complete short courses or perform these procedures only occasionally, which can lead to inconsistent or unsafe results.
Dr. Ghalili’s practice adheres to FDA guidelines for stem cell procedures, using only same-surgical-procedure, autologous cell therapies that fall under Section 361 of the Public Health Service Act. Unlike clinics that use unproven donor cells or improperly expanded cell products, our protocols involve minimal manipulation of your own tissue, processed and reinjected during a single visit. Our facility operates under strict sterile protocols, and cell processing is performed in compliance with current good tissue practice (cGTP) standards to ensure patient safety and therapeutic quality.
At Regenerative Medicine LA, we use autologous stem cells, meaning the cells come directly from your own body. This approach is safer, more predictable, and better supported by real clinical experience than using donor, umbilical cord, or lab-expanded cells.
The adipose-derived stem cells we harvest contain high concentrations of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and stromal vascular fraction (SVF), a mixture of regenerative cells, growth factors, and cytokines that work synergistically to promote healing. One gram of adipose tissue yields approximately 5,000 stem cells, compared to just 60-100 stem cells per gram of bone marrow. This 50x higher concentration means we can collect more regenerative cells with less invasiveness. For patients with limited adipose tissue or specific orthopedic needs, bone marrow aspirate concentrate (BMAC) from the iliac crest may be used instead, though this typically involves more procedural discomfort.
For most patients, the strongest and most abundant source of adult mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) is adipose tissue. Fat contains exceptionally high concentrations of regenerative cells and can be collected comfortably under local anesthesia. Compared to bone marrow, adipose tissue offers far more MSCs with far less discomfort and a lower risk of complications.
Stem cell therapy is performed in-office, usually in a single visit. The goal is to harness the body’s own regenerative potential by concentrating your cells and delivering them precisely where they are needed. Here’s what to expect:
Every treatment begins with a thorough consultation. We review your medical history, imaging, and overall goals to confirm candidacy and create a tailored plan.
The harvested tissue is then processed using specialized techniques to separate and concentrate the stem cells from the surrounding material. In most cases, collagenase or other safe enzymes are used to release MSCs from adipose tissue.
The result is a purified and highly concentrated solution of regenerative cells that can be reintroduced into your body. This step is critical, as a higher-quality cell concentration is associated with stronger outcomes.
The concentrated cells are injected directly into the targeted joint, tendon, spine, or other affected tissue using ultrasound or fluoroscopic guidance. Imaging ensures precise placement , the closer we are to the actual site of injury or degeneration, the greater the potential benefit.
Once injected, the stem cells immediately begin interacting with the surrounding environment. They do not simply “become” new tissue. Instead, they release powerful signaling molecules known as growth factors and cytokines. These signals:
Over time, some stem cells may also differentiate into cartilage, bone, tendon, or muscle cells, directly contributing to tissue repair.
Improvements are not instant. Healing is progressive , many patients notice changes in the first few weeks, but maximum benefit is usually seen over 3 to 12 months as the regenerative process continues. During this time, stem cells continue to reduce inflammation, stimulate tissue growth, and remodel damaged structures.
The entire in-office procedure typically takes 2-4 hours from harvesting to final injection. Most patients experience mild soreness similar to a deep bruise for 3-5 days, followed by a temporary ‘flare’ period where discomfort may initially increase as stem cells trigger an inflammatory healing response. This is normal and typically resolves within 1-2 weeks. Patients can return to sedentary work the same day or next day, resume light activity within one week, and gradually increase exercise over 4-6 weeks as tolerated. We recommend avoiding anti-inflammatory medications (NSAIDs) for the first two weeks, as these can interfere with the natural inflammatory signals that activate stem cell healing.
Harvesting means collecting your own cells. In our clinic, this is usually done by taking a small sample of fat through a minimally invasive procedure under local anesthesia. The fat is then processed to isolate and concentrate stem cells. Think of it like gathering your body’s repair crew and sending them exactly where they are needed. Because the cells come from your own body, the risk of rejection is very low. Learn more about Stem Cell Harvesting.
Stem cell therapy using your own cells is generally safe when performed by experienced physicians, but all medical procedures carry potential risks that patients should understand.
When it comes to regenerative medicine, experience and outcomes matter. Dr. Mark Ghalili is a trusted leader who treats patients from Los Angeles and around the world. If you are ready to explore whether stem cell therapy can help you, call 855-437-7836 or request your consultation online today.
As someone who has personally experienced fluoroquinolone toxicity, I want every patient to understand this: there is no magic bullet or overnight cure.
Stem cell therapy is frequently used to treat musculoskeletal conditions, such as damaged cartilage; muscle, ligament, and tendon tears; and inflammatory joint conditions like arthritis and bursitis.
Facial Rejuvenation using stem cells has led to incredible transformations. Many studies are testing the efficacy of stem cell therapy for treating illnesses such as fibromyalgia, diabetes, heart disease, lung disease, inflammatory bowel disease, complex regional pain syndrome, and chronic pelvic pain.
Stem Cells from your own adipose have proven to be safe because they come from your own body. Now, umbilical cord stem cells can cause grave danger as your body may produce antibodies to attack the antigens on those umbilical cord stem cells, leading to an autoimmune reaction, inflammation, and a cascade of other problems. Since this is coming from your own body, it is your own cells, and no chance of rejection.
The stem cells are passed through multiple micron filters, and our network has had zero cases of a pulmonary embolism or blood clot. The only case that has ever gone wrong in the history of adipose tissue stem cells was when a doctor decided to inject a patient’s eye with their own stem cells. If you understand how stem cells work, they recruit growth factors and cytokines to areas of injury. When that occurs, you can have pulling of the retina which can lead to retinal detachment.
Stem Cell Therapy is registered with the Institutional Review Board as is heavily monitored by the FDA. Currently, it is legal to receive stem cell therapy in the United States.
Stem cells do not typically provide immediate results. The healing process initiated by stem cell therapy can take time as the cells begin to repair and regenerate damaged tissues. Most patients start to notice improvements within a few weeks to months after treatment, depending on the condition being treated and the individual’s response to the therapy.
