# Start with the care that matches your joint *Stem Cells Gilbert: Joint Care Options and Value* > Compare stem cells Gilbert choices: care you can try yourself, medicines, blood-based procedures, and surgery for a sore joint. You have several ways to ease a sore joint. The right care depends on the cause and your daily limits. It doesn't have to begin with a procedure. Many people start with changes at home. An exam can then guide medicines, physical therapy, or other care. Surgery isn't the first choice, but it may help when joint damage is severe. One choice won't fit every joint. ## Movement and support often come first Gentle exercise can strengthen the muscles around your joint. Physical therapy can teach safer ways to move. A brace or cane may take away some strain. Don't use support that makes you less steady. Your daily routine matters too. Split a long chore into shorter parts. Change any motion that brings the soreness back. Your doctor can help you set safe limits. ## Medicines can help but still need care Some pain medicines go on the skin. Others are pills. They may ease soreness for a time, but they aren't safe for everyone. Other medicines and health problems can raise the risk. Tell your doctor about every pill and cream you use. Don't take extra when the first dose feels weak. Call if a medicine upsets your stomach or makes you dizzy. Your doctor may have a safer choice. ## Non-surgical care can be discussed before surgery Some people want another choice before surgery. QC Kinetix offers biologic therapies such as PRP, a procedure where a clinician gathers platelets from your blood and puts that liquid into your aching joint. The clinician should tell you why PRP fits the exam. You'll also need the full cost and recovery time. Ask what change you might notice during normal tasks. Ask when that change may begin and wear off. If the procedure doesn't help, ask what care comes next. Severe damage may still call for a surgery visit. ## Sources 1. The OARSI non-surgical management guideline evaluated 60 interventions with GRADE methodology and built its recommendations around core treatments - structured exercise, weight management and self-management education - for every patient with knee osteoarthritis, regardless of what else is added. Bannuru RR, et al. — [OARSI guidelines for the non-surgical management of knee, hip, and polyarticular osteoarthritis](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31278997/). *Osteoarthritis Cartilage*, 2019. DOI: 10.1016/j.joca.2019.06.011. 2. In a 480-patient, four-arm, multicenter randomized phase 2/3 trial, none of three orthobiologic cell injections - autologous bone marrow aspirate concentrate, autologous adipose stromal vascular fraction, or allogeneic umbilical cord tissue-derived mesenchymal stromal cells - was superior to any other, or to a corticosteroid injection control, on pain at 12 months. 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/). *Nat Med*, 2023. DOI: 10.1038/s41591-023-02632-w. 3. In 96 patients, concentrated bone marrow aspirate contained a mean of 26.3 million nucleated cells per mL but only about 1,422 colony-forming units of connective tissue progenitors, and the nucleated cell count had negligible predictive value for how many progenitor cells were actually present (r-squared 0.28). Muench LN, et al. — [Nucleated Cell Count Has Negligible Predictive Value for the Number of Colony-Forming Units for Connective Tissue Progenitor Cells (Stem Cells) in Bone Marrow Aspirate Harvested From the Proximal Humerus During Arthroscopic Rotator Cuff Repair](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33581306/). *Arthroscopy*, 2021. DOI: 10.1016/j.arthro.2021.01.064. 4. Mesenchymal stromal cells make up only about 0.001 to 0.01 percent of the nucleated cells in bone marrow, so the harvesting and processing technique - aspiration site, syringe size, centrifuge speed and time - materially determines what ends up in the syringe, and no consensus protocol exists. Jeyaraman M, et al. — [Impact of the Process Variables on the Yield of Mesenchymal Stromal Cells from Bone Marrow Aspirate Concentrate](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35200410/). *Bioengineering (Basel)*, 2022. DOI: 10.3390/bioengineering9020057. 5. A laboratory study of three commercially available amniotic fluid products marketed for orthopedic use found no viable mesenchymal stem cells in any of them when compared against unprocessed amniotic fluid and bone marrow-derived MSC samples - products sold as 'amniotic stem cell therapy' contained no living stem cells. Panero AJ, et al. — [Are Amniotic Fluid Products Stem Cell Therapies? A Study of Amniotic Fluid Preparations for Mesenchymal Stem Cells With Bone Marrow Comparison](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30844295/). *Am J Sports Med*, 2019. DOI: 10.1177/0363546519829034. ## Talk through your joint soreness The Chandler team can examine your joint and explain its blood-based, non-surgical care. You'll have time to ask about cost, recovery, and other choices. Call (602) 837-PAIN to confirm the address and schedule. Book a free consultation: --- Clear answers for a sore joint Plain help for joint soreness, things to try, signs needing care, treatment choices, and nearby care from Gilbert. Plain information about joint soreness, treatment choices, and nearby care from Gilbert. This site is operated by the owners of the QC Kinetix Phoenix-area clinics, including the Chandler location promoted here, and those owners may benefit when a reader books a consultation. © 2026 Gilbert Cell Ledger. General health education only; not medical advice, a diagnosis, a price quote or a coverage determination.