Knee, shoulder, elbow, tendon. Pain that has hung around for months. We tell you what PRP, your own bone marrow and prolotherapy can and cannot do, what each costs, and whether you are a fit.
YOU HAVE TRIED REST, ICE AND TIME. THE PAIN IS STILL THERE.
Regenerative therapy is a group of injections made from your own body: platelets from your blood, or cells from your own bone marrow. They are placed at the sore spot under ultrasound. None is FDA-approved for joint pain, and the evidence is still building. We show you what it says before you decide.
We draw a small amount of your blood, or bone marrow from the back of your hip, and spin it to concentrate it.
Ultrasound shows the needle and the joint or tendon in real time, so the injection goes where your pain is.
Any change usually shows over weeks to months, and some men see none. Your provider follows up, asks how it moves and how it feels, and tells you straight whether another round makes sense.
Five reasons men book a regenerative consult.
Knee and hip arthritis that limits how far you walk or how long you stand. PRP is the most studied option here, and the orthopaedic surgeons' guideline rates its evidence as limited.
Elbow, shoulder, Achilles and knee tendons that flare with training or work.
Assessed at your consult with your imaging. Some back problems need a specialist, and we will tell you when.
Knee, shoulder and hip pain that rest and physical therapy have not settled.
Ligament, tendon and muscle injuries from the gym, the course or the trail.
Your provider recommends one after reading your imaging.
Platelets from your own blood, concentrated and placed at the sore tendon or joint under ultrasound. The devices that prepare PRP are FDA-cleared. Using it in joints and tendons is off-label.
Bone marrow drawn from the back of your own hip, concentrated, and placed in the same visit. It is the treatment men search for as stem cell therapy. It is not FDA-approved for joint pain. Pricing depends on the area treated.
A dextrose injection into a loose or sore ligament, usually given as a short series. The lowest-cost place to start.
How the three compare. Your provider decides with you after reading your imaging.
| PRP | STEM CELL | PROLOTHERAPY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Made from | Your own blood | Your own bone marrow | Dextrose solution |
| Studied for | Tendon pain, knee arthritis | Knee arthritis | Loose ligaments |
| How it is given | Injection | Bone marrow draw, then injection | Injection |
| Downtime | Minimal | Minimal | Minimal |
| FDA status | Devices cleared. Joint use off-label | Not FDA-approved for joints | Approved drug, used off-label |
| Starting price | $1,500 | $5,000 | $300 |
No insurance codes deciding your care. You always know the cost before you begin.
Regenerative therapies are not typically covered by insurance, so we keep it simple and up front.
Medically reviewed by Derek Vanderburg, PA-C · Last reviewed July 1, 2026
Your plan is delivered and overseen by a real Boise team. The same providers every visit, with your number, not a 1-800 line.
Straight answers about PRP, stem cell and prolotherapy in Boise.
Injections made from your own body, platelets from your blood or cells from your own bone marrow, placed at a sore joint or tendon. At Vessel that means PRP, bone marrow concentrate and prolotherapy.
Yes. Our Boise clinic offers PRP, bone marrow concentrate (what most men call stem cell therapy) and prolotherapy, after a $200 consult. Regenerative visits are in Boise only.
The consult is $200. PRP starts at $1,500 for the first joint and $600 for each additional joint. Stem cell therapy with your own bone marrow starts at $5,000. Prolotherapy is $300 per treatment.
It has been studied most in knee arthritis and tendon pain, such as tennis elbow and rotator cuff pain. The evidence is limited and mixed, and none of these treatments is FDA-approved for joint pain.
PRP is concentrated platelets from your blood. Stem cell therapy at Vessel is bone marrow drawn from your own hip, concentrated and placed with PRP, in one visit. It costs more because it adds the marrow draw.
No. Each treatment is an injection, placed under ultrasound. Stem cell therapy adds a needle draw from the back of your hip under numbing medicine.
Both use your own body. Like any injection they carry rare risks of infection, bleeding and nerve irritation, and soreness for a few days is common. Your provider goes through your risks at the consult.
It depends on the area and the treatment. Prolotherapy is usually a short series. Your provider sets a plan with you and tells you when another round is not worth it.
Most men go back to normal days within a day or two, with soreness at the site. Your provider tells you which activities to hold off on.
Rarely. Vessel does not bill insurance.
When there is a change, it usually shows over weeks to months. Some men see none.
Book a $200 consult in Boise, or text REGEN to 208-866-1402. Bring any X-ray or MRI you have.
There is no single best. Exercise and physical therapy have the strongest evidence. Injections like PRP have limited evidence. Your provider looks at your joint and your history and tells you where you stand.
Many men manage joint pain without surgery, through exercise, physical therapy, weight change and injections. Some joints do need a surgeon, and we tell you when yours does.
Vessel Boise, 201 W. Broad Street, 208-866-1402. Regenerative visits are in Boise only.
That depends on what your imaging shows. A torn tendon that has pulled away, a locked joint, or advanced arthritis may need a surgeon. Your provider reads your imaging with you and says so plainly.
Partly. The orthopaedic surgeons' guideline rates PRP for knee arthritis as limited evidence. Bone marrow studies are small and early. No stem cell product is FDA-approved for joint pain.
Thirty minutes with Derek Vanderburg, PA-C. Bring any X-ray or MRI you have. You leave knowing which option fits, what it costs, and what the evidence says.
Book a $200 consult →Or text REGEN to 208-866-1402.
201 W. Broad Street, Boise, ID 83702
Open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm
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