🌿 Adipose-Derived Stem Cell Therapy

Healing with the Power of Your Own Fat Cells

What Are Adipose-Derived Stem Cells?

Your body stores stem cells in different places—including your fat (adipose) tissue. These adipose-derived stem cells are powerful because they have the ability to:

  • Reduce inflammation
  • Stimulate healing
  • Repair damaged tissue
  • Support regeneration of cartilage, muscle, and bone¹

During this therapy, a small amount of fat is gently removed from your body (usually from the abdomen or flank), processed in-office, and then re-injected into the damaged area—whether that’s a joint, tendon, or spine.

How It Works

  1. Harvesting: A doctor uses a local anesthetic and performs a small liposuction procedure to collect fat.
  2. Processing: The fat is carefully processed to isolate and concentrate the stem cells.
  3. Injection: The stem cells are then injected into the injured or painful area using ultrasound guidance for precision.

These stem cells go to work by calming inflammation, helping tissue repair itself, and restoring function over time².

Conditions Treated with Adipose-Derived Stem Cells

At Johnson Medical Center, we use this therapy to treat both orthopedic and soft tissue conditions such as:

  • Knee, hip, and shoulder arthritis
  • Tendonitis and ligament injuries
  • Degenerative joint disease
  • Chronic low back pain and disc problems
  • Soft tissue injuries that haven’t healed with rest or physical therapy

This therapy is especially helpful for patients who want to avoid surgery, steroid injections, or long-term medication use.

Why Use Fat Instead of Bone Marrow?

Both fat and bone marrow are excellent sources of stem cells—but fat actually contains more stem cells per volume than bone marrow³. It’s also easier to harvest and less painful for most patients.

In fact, studies show that adipose tissue can yield up to 500 times more mesenchymal stem cells per gram than bone marrow⁴.

A Safe and Natural Approach

Because the cells come from your own body, this procedure is considered autologous, meaning it’s natural, safe, and highly compatible. The risk of rejection or allergic reaction is extremely low.

Stem cell therapy is not a quick fix, but it offers long-term benefits by helping your body heal from the inside out.

🔗 Sources
  1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7588385/
  2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2767027/
  3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3932936/
  4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7787429/