Regenexx-SD in Carlsbad and Laguna Hills
A same-day bone marrow concentrate procedure for knee, hip, and shoulder damage that has not healed on its own.
You have been told the joint is bone on bone and the conversation quickly shifted to replacement as your only option, with a date somewhere in the next several months and a recovery you have already started rearranging your life around.
Or their rotator cuff is torn and needs surgery, and the year long recovery that goes with it. Or the meniscus or labrum is torn and the recommendation is to go in and “clean it up”, which means cut it out.
Most people who reach this page are in that window between being told surgery is the answer and actually going through with it, and they are trying to find out whether there is something in between. Regenexx-SD is one of the procedures that lives in that space.
What Regenexx-SD is
Regenexx-SD is a same-day procedure that uses concentrated bone marrow cells, which contain stem cells, to treat damaged joint tissue.
Bone marrow is where your body keeps its most versatile repair cells. During the procedure, Dr. Derrington draws bone marrow cells from your pelvis using a technique refined specifically to maximize cell yield, because how the marrow is aspirated determines how much repair capacity you actually get. The sample is then processed in-office through the Regenexx protocol, which concentrates more of those cells and far beyond what standard bedside systems produce. The concentrated preparation is injected directly into the damaged structure under live image guidance.
The entire process happens in a single visit. There is no surgery, no hospital stay, and no months-long recovery built around protecting a repair.
The two things that separate this from a generic bone marrow injection
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The lab process. Regenexx laboratory protocols are proprietary and are not the same as what is offered at clinics using off-the-shelf centrifuge kits.
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The needle placement. Precise placement under fluoroscopic or ultrasound guidance determines whether those cells reach the tissue that needs them.
Which is why this is a procedure where operator skill carries as much weight as the biology.
Three conversations that bring people in
The knee is the joint most often treated with Regenexx-SD, and the patients who come in for it are usually facing one of three conversations.
Osteoarthritis and cartilage loss. The joint space has narrowed, the cushioning is thinning or gone in places, and replacement has been raised as the eventual answer. Regenexx-SD is used to address the joint environment rather than remove and replace the joint. Whether it is appropriate depends heavily on how much cartilage remains and the examination, which is a determination made from your imaging and consultation.
Meniscus tears. A torn meniscus is one of the most frequently operated structures in orthopedics. A meniscectomy removes tissue that does not grow back, which changes how the joint distributes load for the rest of your life. Treating the tear without removing tissue is a different strategy.
ACL and other ligament injuries. Certain ACL, MCL, and LCL tears, depending on the pattern and location of the tear, can be treated with a precisely placed injection into the ligament itself rather than reconstructed with a graft.
Tendon tears. Quadriceps and Patellar tendon injuries that are otherwise destined for surgical repair with sutures, can often be treated with bone marrow cells and avoid that surgery.
Patients arrive later than knee patients
Hip patients tend to arrive later than knee patients, often after a year or more of being told the pain is manageable until it suddenly is not.
Hip osteoarthritis. The hip is a deep joint and reaching the right tissue requires image guidance without exception. Patients here are typically weighing whether replacement is inevitable or whether the joint can be supported for longer.
Labral tears. Hip labrum surgery has a long recovery and results that vary considerably by patient and by tear pattern. The surgical option is often cutting it out and not repairing the tissue. A non-surgical approach is worth evaluating before committing to that.
Gluteal and hamstring tendon tears. Damage to the tendons on the side or back of your hip can make running, jumping, or even walking painful. Rather than living with it or opting for surgery, your body’s own healing cells can help repair the injury and get you moving again.
Three shoulder problems worth evaluating first
Rotator cuff tears
Not every rotator cuff tear needs to be repaired surgically. Partial thickness tears and some full thickness tears can be treated with a precisely delivered injection into the damaged tendon. The size, location, and desired activities all factor into whether that is realistic.
Shoulder osteoarthritis
Shoulder replacement is a significant operation with meaningful limits on what you can do afterward. Patients evaluating it often want to know what else exists.
Labrum tears
Shoulder labral damage in active adults, particularly in people who still lift, swim, throw, or play racquet sports, is a common reason patients look for something short of surgical repair.
Who this is for, and who it is not for
Regenexx-SD tends to fit people who want to be more active and intend to stay that way and aren’t ready for the surgical option that has been placed in front of them.
It is not right for everyone. Joints with severe alignment issues, certain soft tissue tear patterns, and some structural problems are beyond what any injection-based approach can address. Those cases exist and we see them.
Part of the comprehensive evaluation is finding out which category you are in. Dr. Derrington will tell you directly if Regenexx-SD is the right procedure for your joint or if a surgical approach is more appropriate.
What the day looks like
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The bone marrow aspiration takes a portion of the visit and is done with local anesthetic. Most patients describe pressure.
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Processing happens on site while you wait.
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The injection is performed under live imaging so placement can be confirmed rather than assumed.
You go home the same day. Most patients are walking out under their own power and driving within a day, though that varies by joint and by what was treated. Recovery is measured in weeks of gradual improvement and activity progression rather than months of protected healing. There is a specific activity protocol afterward, and following it matters, because the cells need the right mechanical environment to do their work.
More than 100,000 procedures, tracked
Every Regenexx procedure performed anywhere in the network is tracked in a patient outcomes registry that now holds data on more than 100,000 procedures.
That registry is the reason a conversation here is different from one at a clinic that does not track anything. When Dr. Derrington reviews your imaging, he is drawing on outcome data from patients with comparable joints, comparable damage, and comparable goals, rather than offering a general impression based on the cases he happens to remember.
It also means we can tell you when the data does not support treating your particular problem. That is a conversation we would rather have during an evaluation than after a procedure.
Why patients come here
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Dr. Steve Derrington is an instructor with the Interventional Orthopedics Foundation and is part of the Hands-On Training and Curriculum Committee. He also teaches with OrthoSono, the longest running private MSK Ultrasound and Regenerative Medicine course.
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He trains other physicians in the precise, image-guided injection techniques these treatments depend on. Precision placement is a large factor in the outcome. A well-formulated solution in the wrong tissue plane does very little.
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Derrington Orthopedics is a Regenexx affiliated practice and the largest Regenexx provider in Southern California, with offices in Carlsbad and Laguna Hills.
You can read what patients have said about their treatment on the testimonials page, including video from people who were facing the same decision you are facing now.
Regenexx-SD, Regenexx SCP, or prolotherapy?
If you found this page while researching bone marrow procedures specifically, it is worth knowing that Regenexx-SD is one of three non-surgical options here, and it is not automatically the right one.
Regenexx-SD
Uses concentrated bone marrow, which contains stem cells, processed through the Regenexx protocol, and placed into damaged tissue under precise image guidance. It is generally the choice for more advanced joint damage, larger tissue defects, and situations where a platelet-based approach has not produced enough change.
Regenexx SCP
A proprietary version of PRP, or platelet rich plasma. This platelet formulation is processed in the Regenexx lab, and it is not the same as the platelet injections offered at most clinics. The process concentrates platelets and growth factors well beyond what standard bedside centrifuge systems produce. For many arthritis, tendon and ligament problems that have not improved with appropriate rehabilitation, SCP is often the appropriate procedure.
Prolotherapy
Uses a dextrose solution to create a controlled healing response. There is no blood draw, which makes it the most straightforward of the three, and it can be the right starting point for ligament laxity, early tendinopathy, and joints where the structural damage is mild.
This is not a ladder you climb in order.
The decision depends on which structure is injured, your imaging, and what you are trying to get back to doing. That determination happens during your comprehensive evaluation, when Dr. Derrington examines the joint and reviews your imaging. You will leave knowing which procedure fits your specific problem, or if other options are better for you.
Find out whether Regenexx-SD fits your joint
If you have imaging already, upload it before your visit and Dr. Derrington will review it ahead of time. That makes the evaluation considerably more useful.
Our patient coordinator will answer your questions about the process, timing, and cost on the phone, before you commit to anything. If Regenexx-SD is not the right procedure for your joint, we will tell you that during your evaluation, and we will tell you what is.
Send your imaging ahead
If you already have an MRI or X-ray, upload it before your visit and Dr. Derrington will review it in advance.
Two offices
Carlsbad and Laguna Hills, serving San Diego and Orange County.
Or call us directly at (760) 721-4000 - Carlsbad Office or (760) 721-4000 - Laguna Hills Office
Ready to find out if Regenexx-SD fits your joint?
Call us to schedule an in-office or telehealth appointment, or fill out the form and our team will reach out. We will ask about your condition, explain which options may apply, and tell you honestly whether an evaluation makes sense.
If we are not the right fit for your condition, we will tell you — and try to point you in the right direction.
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