# Questions to Ask About Knee Soreness *Questions Answered | Knee Regeneration Glendale* > Knee regeneration Glendale questions answered about soreness, costs, insurance, PRP, visits, and local care. Find your main concern below and begin there. These answers can help before a doctor or clinic visit. They can't tell what's wrong without an exam. Take your own health and insurance questions with you. ## Sources 1. A cross-sectional study contacted 273 of 317 US centres offering direct-to-consumer stem-cell therapy, posing as a 57-year-old man with knee osteoarthritis. The mean advertised price of a unilateral same-day stem-cell knee injection was $5,156 (SD $2,446), and centres claimed a mean clinical efficacy of 82% (SD 9.6%) - a figure with no support in the published evidence. The gap between the quoted number and the trial data is the single most useful thing a patient can be told before a consultation. Piuzzi NS, et al. — [The Stem-Cell Market for the Treatment of Knee Osteoarthritis: A Patient Perspective.](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28738432/). *The journal of knee surgery*, 2018. DOI: 10.1055/s-0037-1604443. 2. Medicare's National Coverage Determination covers autologous platelet-rich plasma ONLY for chronic non-healing diabetic, pressure or venous WOUNDS, and only under Coverage with Evidence Development inside an approved clinical research study. There is no Medicare coverage pathway for PRP as a treatment for osteoarthritis or any other joint indication, which is why these injections are quoted as cash prices. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services — [Autologous Platelet-rich Plasma (Coverage with Evidence Development)](https://www.cms.gov/medicare/coverage/evidence/plasma). *CMS.gov*, 2012. 3. In January 2025 the Federal Trade Commission banned the co-founders of a stem cell institute and their companies from marketing stem cell treatments and ordered them to pay more than $5.1 million in refunds and civil penalties. Deceptive EFFICACY ADVERTISING, not merely unapproved manufacturing, is independently actionable - the FTC polices what a clinic promises as well as what it injects. US Federal Trade Commission — [Stem Cell Institute Co-Founders and Companies Banned from Marketing Stem Cell Treatments and Ordered to Pay More Than $5.1 Million for Refunds and Civil Penalties](https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2025/01/stem-cell-institute-co-founders-companies-banned-marketing-stem-cell-treatments-ordered-pay-more-51). *FTC Press Release*, 2025. 4. 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. 5. 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. 6. 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. 7. The 2019 ACR/Arthritis Foundation guideline makes STRONG recommendations for exercise, weight loss in people with overweight or obesity, self-efficacy and self-management programs, tai chi, cane use, tibiofemoral bracing, topical NSAIDs, oral NSAIDs and intra-articular glucocorticoid injection in knee OA. Notably it does NOT strongly recommend any biologic injectable. Kolasinski SL, et al. — [2019 American College of Rheumatology/Arthritis Foundation Guideline for the Management of Osteoarthritis of the Hand, Hip, and Knee.](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31908163/). *Arthritis & rheumatology (Hoboken, N.J.)*, 2020. DOI: 10.1002/art.41142. 8. MACI (autologous cultured chondrocytes on a porcine collagen membrane, Vericel; STN BL 125603) IS an FDA-LICENSED cell therapy - and its approved indication is narrow and specific: repair of symptomatic, single or multiple FULL-THICKNESS cartilage defects OF THE KNEE, with or without bone involvement, in adults. It is not approved for osteoarthritis. The existence of one licensed cartilage cell therapy for focal defects is the sharpest available way to show what a licensed 'regeneration' product actually looks like, and how far it is from an injection for a worn joint. US Food and Drug Administration, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research — [MACI (autologous cultured chondrocytes on porcine collagen membrane)](https://www.fda.gov/vaccines-blood-biologics/cellular-gene-therapy-products/maci-autologous-cultured-chondrocytes-porcine-collagen-membrane). *FDA*, 2024. ## What usually helps a sore knee first? Gentle exercise and sensible pacing are common first steps. Walking may also be easier with a cane or brace. Anti-inflammatory medicines, such as ibuprofen or naproxen, may ease swelling and soreness. They aren't safe with every health problem or medicine, so ask first. When the ache still limits daily life, an exam can guide the next choice. ## How much does care made from my blood cost? There isn't one reliable Glendale price for every treatment. Ask for a written total that names the care, planned visits, follow-up, and possible extras. Add travel and missed work. You'll have a fairer cost when every charge is written down. ## Can PRP made from my blood rebuild the smooth knee covering? Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) comes from blood run through a spinning machine. The machine separates the platelet-rich liquid, which goes into the knee. Studies don't show that cartilage, the smooth covering over the bone ends, grows back. Ask whether the expected change is less soreness or easier movement. ## Will insurance pay for regenerative medicine made from my blood? Health plans often treat PRP as care you pay for yourself, though plans differ. Ask your plan about the exact treatment discussed. The exam, X-ray, physical therapy, brace, or medicine may have separate benefits. A clinic price isn't an insurance decision. ## Which knee changes need quick care? Fever with a hot, badly swollen knee needs medical help that day. After an injury, seek prompt care if you can't bear weight. Don't wait on fast-growing soreness with chills, or a knee stuck bent or truly locked. ## What belongs in my knee-visit notes? Take notes from earlier care, the X-ray report, and your current medicines. Record when soreness began and the daily task that's hardest. Add your cost and insurance questions. You won't have to remember every detail once the visit starts. ## What to do next The owners of this publication also operate QC Kinetix clinics across the Phoenix area, where the medical team offers consultations at no cost. Take your X-ray report, medicine list, and one activity you'd like back. QC Kinetix can explain platelet-rich plasma (PRP), a regenerative treatment using blood drawn from you. A spinning machine separates the platelet-rich liquid, which is placed into the knee. The team can't know whether this choice suits your history until they've examined you. The Peoria office is near Thunderbird and Loop 101. If Westgate is closer, the Banner Estrella route down 91st Avenue may be easier. Call (602) 837-PAIN to check the schedule and the location that fits your trip. Book a free consultation: --- Clear help for a sore knee. Simple help with knee soreness, useful home steps, treatment choices, and nearby Glendale visits. Straight answers about a sore knee, paying for care, and Glendale visits. This Glendale guide is operated by the owners of the QC Kinetix Phoenix-area clinics, who may benefit when a visitor schedules with an office named here. © 2026 Glendale Knee Ledger. Use these pages to prepare questions, then let a qualified clinician evaluate your particular knee.