For decades, the standard answer for advanced joint wear was "bionic", replacing human bone and cartilage with metal and plastic. Joint replacements are common and effective for advanced arthritis, but they are also invasive, carry surgical risks, and involve lengthy rehabilitation.
At Scheinberg Orthopedic Group, we focus on joint preservation where it is appropriate. By leveraging the body’s own biologic potential through bone marrow derived cell injections, we aim to help appropriately selected patients delay or avoid major knee and shoulder replacement. Outcomes vary between individuals, and candidacy is determined by examination and imaging rather than by the treatment alone.
Our approach centers on Bone Marrow Aspirate Concentrate (BMAC). This technique involves a minimally invasive harvest of your own bone marrow, which is the body’s natural reservoir for repair cells.
Once harvested, the marrow is processed in our specialized lab at the Pueblo Surgery Center. Using centrifugation, we isolate and concentrate these progenitor cells to create a treatment prepared specifically from your own tissue.
To support the joint environment more completely, Dr. Scheinberg frequently combines marrow concentrate with other biologic preparations:
The intent of this combination is to address chronic inflammation and support the natural repair of damaged tissue. The research in this area is still developing, so these treatments are best discussed as one option within a broader plan.
Because Dr. Scheinberg is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon, these injections are performed as surgical-grade procedures in our accredited center under image guidance (fluoroscopy). This is intended to deliver the preparation accurately to the site of injury.
It is a 90-minute outpatient procedure that allows you to return home the same day, without the hospital stay and longer recovery associated with joint replacement surgery.
They involve drawing bone marrow, usually from the pelvis, concentrating its cellular component and injecting it into the damaged joint. The aim is to deliver your own repair cells directly to the area of injury.
Patients with mild to moderate joint arthritis who still have reasonable joint space, and who want to postpone or avoid replacement, are the most common candidates. Severe bone on bone arthritis generally responds less well.
The harvest is performed under local anesthesia, with sedation where appropriate, and most patients describe pressure rather than sharp pain. Soreness at the harvest site typically settles within a few days.
Improvement tends to be gradual rather than immediate, and many patients report change over the weeks and months following treatment. This is a biological process rather than a mechanical repair.
These injections are frequently considered investigational and are often not covered, so verifying your benefits before scheduling is important. Our office can help you check what your plan allows.
Reviewed by Dr. Richard Scheinberg, MD, a board-certified orthopedic surgeon in Santa Barbara with 40 years of surgical experience.
