How Much Does Stem Cell Therapy Cost? A Closer Look at Prices
Stem cell therapy gradually becomes a ‘top performer’ among the pioneering but on-demand methods of treating multiple disorders. Of course, people are interested in the price of stem cell therapy and in the benefits, they get if they spend their costs for such treatment. In our today’s post we’ve resolved to speak on stem cell treatment cost, so let’s review the prices right away.
For now, the prices of stem cell injections may vary from $5K to $25K per course, yet it might be even more expensive, depending on the type and severity of the condition. Before you opt for stem cell therapy, it would be great to understand the reasons behind such a cost and learn the components forming the price.
What is stem cell therapy?
What makes this alternative treatment so unique? First employed in the 50s, stem cell therapy is a treatment option that supposes that stem cells are taken from a patient (autologous therapy) or a donor (allogeneic therapy), processed, and then injected into the injured area on the body.
Today, such therapy is used in treating many simple, chronic, and complex conditions, where conventional approaches are not efficient. Ongoing studies continue to reveal the strongest sides of stem cell therapy, it’s not surprising that the prices for this treatment are soaring.
The Backbone of the Procedure
Stem cell injections are often confused with stem cell therapy, as the latter is a more general term but it supposes a number of shots within a full course of treatment. The notion of stem cell therapy goes broader and encompasses a set of procedures.
Even if you are ready to pay for this treatment, you should be a good candidate for this procedure. The diagnostics and consultation with a doctor allow determining whether you are able to receive the stem cell treatment. Lab evaluation usually helps to learn the true health condition of a patient.
If you are a good candidate for a procedure, stem cells are taken from your blood or tissue to be cultivated and expanded, and then transplanted to the injured tissue. Such cells are a kind of body’s raw material ’cause they are able to transform into any type of cells; they generate any cells of the body and can become either brain cells, heart muscle cells, bone cells, etc.
Once stem cells are injected into the injured tissue, they can replace the damaged ones with healthy cells thus promoting the healing process. The recovery after the procedure is simple and doesn’t suppose any specific rehab. Patients are monitored to keep the track of results and make sure they respond to the procedure in a proper way and the healing is launched successfully.
How much does stem cell therapy cost? Factors That Form the Price
While browsing the Web in search of the stem cell therapy cost, you probably admit that finding the strict numbers is pretty tough. Different clinics charge different payments and lots of patients are ready to pay the required price expecting the magical abolition. What affects the prices of this treatment?
The price of stem cells depends on the type of obtaining those cells and the function they perform. It also depends on the disease which should be treated. Typically, stem cells are obtained either from embryos or the fat and bone tissues of adults.
It was earlier considered that embryonic stem cells bring more healing potential than adult ones derived from the fat or bone tissue, however, recent research has shown that adult stem cells are quite adaptable and can heal wounds and repair the tissue on a worthy level as well.
If you are concerned about the ethics of using embryonic stem cells then please be informed they are obtained from eggs fertilized at in vitro fertilization clinics and they were never implanted into the uterus of any woman. The cells are donated with informed consent from a donor. In our clinic, we use just adult stem cells derived from the fat tissue of a patient.
Why the way of obtaining stem cells influence the price?
The fact is that the process of obtaining and cultivating these cells requires expensive equipment, long-lasting research, and scientific knowledge of the best experts. As you probably realize, this is a costly process that should be financed on a constant basis, and if a patient is not a part of the research study, they should pay for the procedure as well as pay for any other costly anti-aging treatment based on cellular approach.
Using stem cell therapy for the treatment of orthopedic disorders is quite different from that of, for instance, multiple sclerosis treatment, so the price is going to be different as well. The therapy is strictly regulated by the government, and the material for providing the therapy is very limited in amount and hard to obtain and prepare, and this also adds up to the total cost of the procedure course.
Currently, stem cell injections are announced to deal with such health issues as erectile dysfunction, back pain, arthritis, and much more, so this is a treatment that is on its path to a universal and even sensational one. The cost of the stem cell treatment course for severe disorders may reach $50K.
Stem Cells vs PRP and More Types of Treatment
Once stem cells are injected into the required part of the body and start the process of division, they become the types of cells that are meant to heal the damaged tissue and replace the ill cells becoming the healthy ones instead of them. Such nature of these cells allows them to treat almost any disorder starting from alopecia and up to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
In one of our recent articles, we’ve been talking about platelet-rich plasma which also has wide healing properties and contains growth factors that allow it to be useful for treating almost any type of disorder. Many folks out there try to compare these two treatments but they are completely different.
PRP has a more generalized approach because platelets are not customized to treating a specific condition while stem cells are turned into the specific healing cells that are meant to treat a certain disorder.
Platelets are perfect for promoting overall healing of the tissue while stem cells are required for hitting a target and influence the reason for why this disorder has occurred while replacing the damaged cells with healthy ones.
Injections with stem cells derived from adipose or bone marrow are great when treating some orthopedic conditions, yet they are not popular when treating chronic inflammatory problems or autoimmune diseases.
The other type of stem cell is allogeneic stem cells. This is a stem cell therapy where mesenchymal stem cells are derived from the umbilical cord of a donor. Allogeneic stem cell therapy may cost from $15K to $30K.
Exosome therapy is also considered to be a type of stem cell therapy, but it’s mostly referred to as stem cell secretome therapy. Unlike stem cell therapy where treatment is done mainly with stem cell injections, in the case of exosomes, the main focus is on the vesicles transporting the contents of the cells to the targets with the purpose of reprogramming or changing cell behavior.
Stem cell therapy represents the latest outbreak in regenerative medicine, and lots of patients receive excellent results from the treatment confirming its high potential.
Cost of Stem Cell Therapy: Disorders to Be Treated
There are some disorders that may require one course of stem cell injections without a need to continue the treatment. However, not every health condition is treated so easily. Here are some disorders that stem cell therapy is able to treat:
- erectile dysfunction;
- different types of arthritis;
- issues with knees;
- rotator cuff tendinitis;
- cartilage problems and defects;
- other complex diseases.
Not every disease is possible to be treated with stem cell injections, as in the case of treating some types of cancer, there can be a need for stem cell transplants, the cost of which may be too high. Transplanting is used in the cases like:
- Myeloma;
- Leukemia;
- Lymphoma.
The number of stem cell injections required may be the main concern for the patients. Actually, it’s hard to come up with some standard number of procedures, as much depends on the disorder type, medical history of a patient, and the way a patient responds to the treatment. The number of stem cell injections in treating erectile dysfunction may be different from the number of shots when treating neurodegenerative disorders.
Cost of Stem Cell Injections: Treating Erectile Dysfunction
Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a disturbing condition mainly caused by aging or cardiovascular issues. The approximate price of stem cell therapy for treating ED varies from $5K to $20K. The difference in price is mainly explained by the number of shots and the severity of the erectile disorder. Patients report unrivaled improvements after the first course of stem cell treatment for ED.
Cost of Stem Cell Therapy for Back Pain
It’s hard to find someone who has never experienced back pain. There are so many reasons that cause this pain and the circumstances that result in it. Such pain can be caused by trauma, spine issues, disc deformation, and more. Treating back pain with stem cells may cost about $5K to $7K.
Treating Knee Injuries
Another harmful disorder that may come with aging is a pain in the knees. If you need to treat orthopedic problems or relieve chronic pain in the knees, the cost of the therapy will vary from $3K to $5K per one knee.
Post-Stroke Treatment
Stroke is a threatening condition that can result in partial or complete paralysis of the body or some parts of it. Stem cells are considered to be a promising treatment for stroke consequences which means they can be helpful for post-stroke rehabilitation.
As stem cells replace the damaged cells with healthy ones, people with stroke complications can benefit from this therapy and recover faster as well as return to daily activities and overcome all movement restrictions caused by stroke. The cost of such stem cell therapy is higher as compared to other options, and it’s about $25K.
Injury of Spinal Cord
Spinal cord injury is another condition that causes back pain. The stem cell injections cost for treating the spinal cord may be up to $7K. The price might be even higher depending on the severity of the injury. The main approach to treating spine issues supposes taking stem cells from your bone marrow or adipose tissue. The good point about this option is that the recovery is very quick as compared to surgery.
Arthritis & Hips Treatment
One of the main disturbing problems causing unbearable pain in joints is arthritis. There are mainly two types of this condition, rheumatoid or psoriatic arthritis. The price for treating this type of disorder will vary from $3K to $5K per knee while treating the pain in the hips may cost up to $5K per hip.
Complex Diseases
Stem cell injections cost gets different when treating more serious conditions. The complex disease category is quite a broad one and it includes the illnesses like:
- MS (multiple sclerosis);
- Alzheimer’s disease;
- dementia;
- Crohn’s disease;
- congestive heart disease;
- diabetes;
- cerebral palsy.
Prices for treating these conditions may vary substantially depending on the location of your clinic and its particular price policy. High prices for such stem cell treatment are explained by the need for constant research required to learn more capabilities and potential of the cells and a complex approach to treating complicated diseases.
How much does stem cell treatment cost? Legal Aspects
Stem cell therapy is strictly regulated in the US and clinics should obey those regulations to keep to the safety, and guarantee the best results to their patients. Insurance doesn’t cover the therapy yet, and its high cost makes the treatment unaffordable for most citizens of the United States cities.
Actually, the only case when insurance can cover expenses for stem cell therapy is in treating cancer. In this case, the transplantation is implemented to replace the reduced cells of the patient undergoing chemotherapy or radiotherapy.
The strict regulations monitoring the use of stem cell therapy options are critical when it comes to ensuring ultimate safety. There are countries where stem cell treatment is not strictly regulated, and patients go there to save their costs and try the cheap and less regulated alternatives which are potentially harmful.
When you resolve to try the therapy, your results are going to vary based on the term of the course, the number of injections, the type of your disorder, the approach to monitoring your health condition, and even the responsibility of the clinic’s staff. If the clinic complies with strict regulations and guarantees the professionalism of its medical staff, the therapy is going to be successful and safe.
Stem Cell Injections Cost
The cost for stem cell shots may vary from $4K to $8K per shot. This is a rough calculation because the price depends on the type of injured tissue to treat, type of disorder, number of injections, and some more factors. You can contact our team if you’d love to learn the approximate cost of treating your particular issue. To learn the price for your treatment more precisely, a doctor should see the results of your lab evaluation which you can undergo in our clinic as well.
Le’s review some of the key benefits brought by stem cell therapy:
A solution to chronic conditions and pain: Like in the case of bone and spine disorders, the unbearable pain and limited movements can be significant trouble affecting the quality of living. Stem cell therapy brings a new solution to these issues without the need to take drugs that can potentially cause some side effects.
A safe treatment option: Generally, the cells are derived from the patient themselves to be injected back into the specific site on the body that needs treatment. This means that the therapy is very safe because it doesn’t cause any immune rejection or allergic response.
A non-invasive alternative: Stem cells are a non-invasive treatment supposing the faster recovery that goes much quicker than from any other injections and, of course, it takes less time than the recovery from surgery.
A promising solution to other diseases: Ongoing studies show there is a host of health conditions that can be treated with stem cells. The promising effects of the therapy are regularly discovered by scientists, and the list of treatable conditions is getting more impressive day by day.
The Bottom Line
Stem cell therapy is a game-changer in the world of medicine. It’s expected that stem cell injections will replace drugs prescribed to alleviate the pain, treat chronic conditions, and more. The range of medical uses of stem cells is being expanded. The quality ensured by this treatment is worth its prices.
For more concerns or suggestions, you are still very welcome to contact our team for a free consultation!
