# Straight answers to common joint-care questions *Straight Answers — Regenerative Medicine Tempe* > Regenerative medicine Tempe answers about platelet-rich plasma (PRP), cost, insurance, badly worn joints and questions for a clinic. Your joint may be stiff before breakfast, while the advice online runs on for pages. These are the questions people ask when soreness sticks around. The answers name the treatment and say what isn't known. I’d still take a personal question to someone who can examine you. ## Sources 1. A meta-analysis of 14 placebo cohorts from 13 Level-1 knee OA injection trials (1,076 patients, KL 1-4) measured what the SALINE arms did. Intra-articular normal saline produced a statistically significant VAS pain improvement at 3 months (MD 12.10) and a larger one at 6 months (MD 16.62), reaching clinically meaningful thresholds. Any uncontrolled report of 'my injection worked' has to clear this bar before it means anything about the injectate. Saltzman BM, et al. — [The Therapeutic Effect of Intra-articular Normal Saline Injections for Knee Osteoarthritis: A Meta-analysis of Evidence Level 1 Studies.](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28027657/). *The American journal of sports medicine*, 2017. DOI: 10.1177/0363546516680607. 2. A network meta-analysis in Annals of Internal Medicine showed that placebo treatments in osteoarthritis trials are not equivalent to one another: the delivery route itself changes the response, with intra-articular placebo producing larger effects than oral placebo. This is a structural reason to distrust any comparison of an injected product against a pill, or against no treatment. Bannuru RR, et al. — [Effectiveness and Implications of Alternative Placebo Treatments: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-analysis of Osteoarthritis Trials.](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26215539/). *Annals of internal medicine*, 2015. DOI: 10.7326/M15-0623. 3. A Mayo Clinic single-blind placebo-controlled trial used each patient as their own control: 25 patients with BILATERAL knee OA received bone marrow aspirate concentrate in one knee and saline in the other. Pain fell significantly in BOTH knees at 1 week, 3 months and 6 months - and the relief, described by the authors as dramatic, did NOT differ significantly between the BMAC knee and the saline knee. No serious adverse events occurred. Shapiro SA, et al. — [A Prospective, Single-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial of Bone Marrow Aspirate Concentrate for Knee Osteoarthritis.](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27566242/). *The American journal of sports medicine*, 2017. DOI: 10.1177/0363546516662455. 4. The RESTORE trial - a participant-, injector- and assessor-blinded RCT of 288 adults aged 50+ with symptomatic medial knee OA (Kellgren-Lawrence 2-3) - compared three weekly intra-articular PRP injections against saline placebo, with co-primary endpoints of 12-month knee pain and medial tibial cartilage volume on MRI. PRP did not beat placebo on either. It is the single best-designed test of the specific claim that PRP changes joint structure, and it was negative. Bennell KL, et al. — [Effect of Intra-articular Platelet-Rich Plasma vs Placebo Injection on Pain and Medial Tibial Cartilage Volume in Patients With Knee Osteoarthritis: The RESTORE Randomized Clinical Trial.](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34812863/). *JAMA*, 2021. DOI: 10.1001/jama.2021.19415. 5. FDA states plainly that no stem cell, exosome, stromal vascular fraction, umbilical cord blood, Wharton's jelly or amniotic-fluid product has been approved for the treatment of ANY orthopedic condition - it names osteoarthritis, tendonitis, disc disease, tennis elbow, back pain, hip pain, knee pain, neck pain and shoulder pain individually. The only FDA-approved stem cell products in the United States are cord-blood-derived blood-forming stem cells for disorders of the hematopoietic system, and there are currently no FDA-approved exosome products. 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). *FDA*, 2020. 6. The AAOS third-edition clinical practice guideline for non-arthroplasty management of knee osteoarthritis is the orthopedic profession's own GRADE-style appraisal of the same options a regenerative clinic sells; it is the benchmark against which any 'regenerative' claim on this topic should be read, and it rates the strongest support for exercise, weight loss and self-management rather than for injectables. Brophy RH, et al. — [AAOS Clinical Practice Guideline Summary: Management of Osteoarthritis of the Knee (Nonarthroplasty), Third Edition.](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35383651/). *The Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons*, 2022. DOI: 10.5435/JAAOS-D-21-01233. 7. A GRADE-rated systematic review and meta-analysis of 16 randomized trials (807 participants) found that MSC therapy for chronic knee OA pain PROBABLY RESULTS IN LITTLE TO NO DIFFERENCE in pain relief at 3-6 months (WMD -0.74 cm on a 10 cm VAS against a minimally important difference of 1.5 cm) or physical functioning (WMD 2.23 on the SF-36 100-point subscale against a 10-point MID), both moderate certainty; at 12 months pain was again probably little-to-no-different (WMD -0.73 cm). The measured effect is real but sits BELOW the threshold at which a patient would notice it. Sadeghirad B, et al. — [Mesenchymal stem cells for chronic knee pain secondary to osteoarthritis: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials.](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38777213/). *Osteoarthritis and cartilage*, 2024. DOI: 10.1016/j.joca.2024.04.021. 8. A four-arm, multicentre, single-blind phase 2/3 randomized trial of 480 knee OA patients (KL II-IV) compared autologous bone marrow aspirate concentrate, autologous adipose stromal vascular fraction and allogeneic umbilical-cord-tissue mesenchymal stromal cells against a corticosteroid injection control. At 12 months NONE of the three orthobiologic injections was superior to another, or to the corticosteroid control, and none of the four groups showed a significant change in MRI osteoarthritis score from baseline. No procedure-related serious adverse events occurred. 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/). *Nature medicine*, 2023. DOI: 10.1038/s41591-023-02632-w. ## Why compare platelet-rich plasma, or PRP, with a placebo shot that has no PRP? PRP is made by drawing your blood and spinning it to gather platelets into less liquid, then placing that prepared liquid into the sore joint with a shot. A placebo is a comparison treatment without the part being tested. In these studies, the placebo may be saline, which means salt water. If both groups improve alike, the study can't give PRP the credit. ## If a saline, or salt-water, shot helps, did the visit do nothing? No, it isn't that simple. The joint may settle, you may move differently, or the visit may change your routine. Your relief still matters. The study just can't say that the PRP blood treatment caused it. ## What is regenerative medicine? Regenerative medicine is a broad name for care meant to help the body repair tissue. For sore joints, it can include a PRP shot made after a small blood draw and a spinning step. The name doesn't prove that cartilage grows back. Research on soreness relief is mixed. ## Does insurance pay for regenerative medicine? There isn't one rule for coverage, and many patients pay for PRP themselves. When you call your plan, name the treatment as platelet-rich plasma made from your blood and given as a joint shot. Ask the clinic for the full written price too. A visit being covered doesn't mean the shot is covered. ## Can regenerative treatment still be considered once a joint is bone on bone? It can be discussed, but a very worn joint may respond differently. Non-surgical care can't promise to rebuild the worn surface. A joint-replacement opinion can explain what an operation would involve without committing you to it. Your exam, daily limits, and health guide that talk. ## What questions should I ask a regenerative medicine clinic? Ask whether the care is PRP or something else. Ask what is taken from you, how it is prepared, and where the shot goes. QC Kinetix can discuss its regenerative treatment options after examining your joint. You can ask about risk, price, follow-up, and driving limits before choosing. ## Bring your questions to the visit At its Chandler location, QC Kinetix provides regenerative treatment options such as platelet-rich plasma, or PRP, a joint shot made after your blood is drawn and spun to gather platelets into less liquid. Tell the provider which joint is sore, how the trouble began, and what care you've tried. The clinic's full address is 1100 S. Dobson Rd., Suite 210, Chandler, AZ 85286; the shared number is (602) 837-PAIN. Book a free consultation: --- Why the joint aches, what may help, and when to have it checked. Clear help with joint soreness: urgent signs, simple steps, blood-based treatment, and Tempe clinic details. Clear facts about joint aches, care choices, and reaching a nearby clinic. This site is operated by the owners of the QC Kinetix Phoenix-area clinics, including Chandler, Scottsdale, Peoria and Banner Estrella, and those owners benefit when a reader books a consultation. © 2026 Tempe Outcome Lab. This is general education only; a qualified clinician should guide personal medical decisions.