Bone marrow is much more than the soft tissue found inside bones.
It is a natural reservoir of healing biology.
Bone marrow contains a complex mixture of naturally occurring substances involved in tissue repair, including:
- Adult mesenchymal stromal (stem) cells
- Hematopoietic stem cells
- Growth factors
- Healing Proteins
- Cytokines
- Cellular signaling molecules
- Anti-inflammatory proteins
- Other healing cells involved in tissue repair
During Bone Marrow Regenerative Cell Therapy, a small amount of your own bone marrow is collected, typically from the pelvic bone.
Using advanced image guidance, Dr. Terebuh precisely places these regenerative cells into the injured joint, damaged ligament, painful tendon, or area of degeneration.
The objective is straightforward.
Rather than simply masking pain, the goal is to encourage the body’s own healing response. This regenerative approach is worthy of consideration if traditional treatments fail or if the desire is to avoid orthopedic surgical procedures.
Why Dr. Boris Terebuh Uses Your Own Healing Cells Instead of Frozen Donor Tissue Products to Harness Your Body’s Own Healing Potential
Your Body Already Contains Powerful Healing Resources
Boris Terebuh, MD believes the practice of medicine should remain personal, not corporate. When you come to his office, you will always see the same physician because every consultation, every examination, every ultrasound evaluation, every fluoroscopic procedure, and every treatment is performed personally by Dr. Terebuh. That level of continuity is becoming increasingly uncommon in modern medicine.
His personal philosophy extends to the regenerative treatment procedures offered in our office.
When Dr. Terebuh recommends Bone Marrow Regenerative Cell Therapy, he uses your own bone marrow. He does not purchase frozen donor tissue products from commercial manufacturers.
There are important reasons why.
Autologous vs. Allograft: What Is the Difference?
Understanding these two terms is important.
Autologous (Autograft)
Autologous means the tissue comes from you.
Your own bone marrow is collected and used during the same procedure.
Advantages include:
- No risk of immune rejection
- No concerns regarding donor compatibility
- No concerns regarding manufacturing quality
- No concerns regarding long-term storage
- No freeze and thaw cycle
- No exposure to preservatives
- No exposure to donor tissue
This is the technique Dr. Terebuh uses.
Allograft
An allograft is tissue that comes from another person.
Commercial regenerative products may be derived from donated umbilical cord tissue, amniotic tissue, placental tissue, or other donated human tissues. These products are collected, processed, preserved, frozen, shipped, and later thawed before being injected into another individual.
Many regenerative medicine clinics advertise these products as “stem cell injections.”
Patients deserve to understand exactly what they are receiving.
Important Questions Every Patient Should Ask About Frozen Donor Tissue Products (Allografts)
1. Does the Vial Actually Contain Living Stem Cells?
One of the biggest questions surrounding commercially manufactured regenerative products is whether living stem cells are actually present when the product reaches the patient.
Over the past decade, several manufacturers have been the subject of FDA warning letters, regulatory actions, and lawsuits alleging that products advertised as containing viable stem cells did not contain the living cells claimed or were marketed with unsupported therapeutic claims.
Independent laboratory studies have demonstrated that some commercially available birth tissue products contain few or no viable living stem cells after processing and storage, despite promotional materials suggesting otherwise.
Patients should ask:
“Has this specific product been independently tested to demonstrate that viable cells are actually present when it arrives at the clinic?”
2. Can Living Cells Survive the Freeze and Thaw Process?
Living cells are delicate.
Cryopreservation can preserve some cells when performed under carefully controlled laboratory conditions. However, viability depends on numerous variables including:
- Collection methods
- Manufacturing techniques
- Cryoprotective chemicals
- Storage temperatures
- Shipping conditions
- Thawing procedures
- Time between thawing and injection
Cell survival is not guaranteed simply because a product was frozen.
Patients should ask whether published evidence exists for the specific product being offered—not simply for cryopreservation in general.
3. Do Preservatives Affect Cell Function?
Cryopreservation commonly requires specialized preservation solutions to protect cells during freezing.
While these agents are important for storage, patients should ask:
- How are preservatives removed before injection?
- How much viable cellular activity remains after thawing?
- Has the final product been independently evaluated?
These are reasonable questions whenever purchasing a manufactured biologic product.
4. Could Manufacturing Introduce Contamination?
Any manufactured biologic product passes through multiple steps before reaching a physician’s office.
These include:
- Donor screening
- Tissue recovery
- Laboratory processing
- Packaging
- Storage
- Shipping
- Distribution
Although reputable manufacturers follow strict quality standards, contamination events have occurred within the biologics industry.
The FDA has issued numerous safety communications involving contaminated human tissue products, and outbreaks of bacterial infections associated with improperly processed regenerative products have been reported in the medical literature. These rare but notable events illustrate why rigorous manufacturing oversight is essential.
Why Dr. Terebuh Prefers Your Own Bone Marrow
Using your own bone marrow eliminates many of these uncertainties.
There is no donor.
There is no manufacturing facility.
There is no commercial processing.
There is no frozen inventory.
There is no cell or molecule exposure to preservatives.
There is no shipping across the country.
There is no question regarding whether your own healing cells belong to you.
Your bone marrow is collected immediately before your procedure and returned to the area being treated during the same visit.
It is your biology.
Your healing cells.
Your regenerative potential.
Cost: Each frozen vial has a fixed cost, so procedure prices escalate quickly when multiple sites are injected
Why Do Some Providers Still Offer Allograft Products (“Frozen Stem Cells in a Vial”)
Patients often ask why some regenerative medicine practices choose commercially manufactured donor (allograft) tissue products instead of collecting a patient’s own bone marrow.
There are several practical reasons why a provider may choose an allograft product.
The procedure is generally faster. Since no bone marrow aspiration is performed, treatment can often be completed in less time.
The procedure is technically simpler. Collecting bone marrow requires additional training, specialized equipment, and experience. Using a commercially prepared product eliminates the bone marrow collection step. The vial just needs to be thawed, and the liquid is then immediately available for injection.
Some patients may not be candidates for bone marrow aspiration. Certain medical conditions, prior surgeries, or individual patient preferences may make a donor tissue product a reasonable option for discussion.
Commercial products offer convenience. The product arrives ready for use, eliminating the need to collect and during the appointment.
While these practical advantages may make treatment more convenient for the provider or simplify the procedure, they do not answer the most important question:
Which approach provides the greatest confidence in the biological material being injected?
For Boris Terebuh, MD, the answer is your own bone marrow.
By using your own autologous bone marrow, there is no donor tissue, no commercial manufacturing process, no long-term frozen storage, no shipping, and no uncertainty about whether the cells and healing molecules originated from your own body or influenced by preservatives. The regenerative cells are collected immediately before treatment and precisely injected into the targeted area using image guidance.
For these reasons, Dr. Terebuh has chosen to build his regenerative practice around your body’s own healing biology whenever Bone Marrow Regenerative Cell Therapy is appropriate.
Experience Matters Just as Much as the Cells
Regenerative medicine is much more than simply injecting biologic material into a painful joint.
Success begins with an accurate diagnosis.
It requires understanding which tissue is actually generating pain and recognizing patterns of referred pain.
It requires selecting the proper treatment target.
It requires that certain medications and supplements be avoided temporarily to maximize regenerative results.
It requires precise image guidance with fluoroscopy or ultrasound.
Dr. Boris Terebuh has specialized in musculoskeletal medicine since completing his Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation residency in 1997.
For nearly three decades, his clinical practice has focused exclusively on understanding and treating disorders of the Musculoskeletal System, which includes:
- Bones
- Joints
- Cartilage
- Ligaments
- Tendons
- Fascia
- Muscles
- Peripheral nerves that innervate the structures above
- Spine disorders
- Sacroiliac joint disorders
This comprehensive understanding of musculoskeletal anatomy allows regenerative treatments to be directed toward the structures most likely responsible for your symptoms.
Precision Image Guidance is Critical for Success
Dr. Terebuh always performs regenerative procedures using advanced imaging guidance when appropriate to help accurately place regenerative cells into the intended treatment area. In some cases, fluoroscopic guidance is ideal and in other cases ultrasound guidance is preferred.
Precision matters. Image guidance helps improve confidence that the treatment is delivered to the targeted anatomical structure rather than relying on surface landmarks alone. The use of image guidance during injections adds value to your procedure investment.
Every Office Visit and Each Procedure is Performed Personally by Dr. Terebuh
One of the biggest differences between our practice and many national regenerative medicine organizations is who actually provides your care.
At our office:
- Every consultation is with Dr. Terebuh.
- Every examination is performed by Dr. Terebuh.
- Every pertinent imaging study is reviewed with the patient on a large screen by Dr. Terebuh.
- Every treatment recommendation comes from Dr. Terebuh.
- Every image-guided regenerative procedure is performed personally by Dr. Terebuh.
Medical decision making is never delegated to a less experienced provider.
Your procedure is never transferred to another provider after your consultation.
Many regenerative medicine practices advertise heavily on television, radio, social media, and the internet. Their advertisements often feature a nationally recognized supervising physician or “Medical Director.” However, many patients are surprised to discover that the physician featured in the advertisements is not the individual performing their consultation or their injections. In fact, the supervising “Medical Director” may not even be in the building at the time of their treatment. This commonly occurs when a “Medical Director” is responsible for supervising other licensed providers in multiple office locations simultaneously. Patients should always ask who will actually evaluate them and perform their injection procedure. When choosing regenerative care, it is reasonable to ask about the training and experience of the clinician who will perform your procedure as well as who is supervising them.
At our office, there is no mystery about who is providing your care. Dr. Terebuh, the physician you trust, is the person performing your procedure.
Honest Recommendations Instead of Sales Packages
Boris Terebuh, MD practices medicine centered on one question:
What is in your best medical interest?
His goal is not to sell procedures.
Sometimes regenerative therapy is appropriate.
Sometimes physical therapy is a better choice.
Sometimes additional diagnostic testing is needed.
Sometimes a surgery consultation is the most appropriate recommendation.
Treatment recommendations are individualized rather than built around predetermined procedure packages.
Value Matters
Regenerative medicine is generally not covered by health insurance.
Patients deserve exceptional care while also receiving excellent value, especially when making out of pocket investments in their health care.
Because Dr. Terebuh is in solo practice, fees are often lower than those charged by larger national organizations.
One example of that commitment is our two joint policy.
If two joints require Bone Marrow Regenerative Cell Therapy, treatment of the second joint is included during the same procedure without an additional procedure fee.
That philosophy reflects Dr. Terebuh’s commitment to maximizing the value of your regenerative medicine investment whenever medically appropriate.
Personal Care You Already Remember
Returning patients often tell us how refreshing it is to call an office where someone answers the phone and answers questions.
As an independent, solo practice, we pride ourselves on:
- Answering the phone
- Answering questions
- Prompt scheduling
- Responsive communication
- Personal attention
- Continuity of care
- Seeing the same physician throughout your treatment
- No Facility Fees
You are never just another appointment on an assembly line. You are treated as a person – not as a sales lead. These are the advantages of receiving care from of a physician-owned, independent, solo practice, which has been providing care for almost 30 years.
Is Bone Marrow Regenerative Cell Therapy Right for You?
This treatment may be appropriate for patients with conditions involving:
- Knee arthritis
- Hip arthritis
- Shoulder arthritis
- Rotator cuff injuries
- Tendon injuries
- Ligament injuries
- Other joint symptoms in elbows, wrists, ankles, etc.
- Sacroiliac joint disorders
- Certain spine ligament conditions
- Chronic musculoskeletal pain that has not improved with conservative care
There are Many Reasons to Learn More About Bone Marrow Regenerative Cell Therapy:
If traditional treatments have not provided lasting relief…
If you are trying to postpone or avoid surgery…
If your function and independence are declining…
If you want to learn whether Bone Marrow Regenerative Cell Therapy may be appropriate for your condition…
We invite you to schedule a consultation.
Dr. Terebuh will personally examine you, review your diagnosis, discuss your imaging studies, explain your treatment options, and help you determine whether regenerative medicine is a reasonable choice for your specific condition.
There is no obligation to proceed with treatment.
The goal is to provide the information you need to make an informed decision.
Not every patient is a candidate, which is why a thorough evaluation comes first.
Schedule Your Consultation
If traditional treatments have not provided lasting relief and if you are exploring nonsurgical alternatives before considering surgery, schedule a consultation with Boris Terebuh, MD.
You will receive an honest evaluation, a thoughtful discussion of all available treatment options, and recommendations based on what is best for your specific condition.
Call Boris Terebuh, MD at the Regenerative Spine & Joint Center today.
614-389-3089
Before investing thousands of dollars at a national regenerative medicine chain, consider speaking with the physician who has personally cared for you before.
Experience the difference that comes from physician-directed care, independence from corporate sales pressure, precision image-guided procedures, and regenerative medicine built around your own healing biology—not a frozen vial from a commercial supplier. Learn more about our practice on our website at: RegenerativeSpineAndJoint.com
Selected References
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Important Patient and Consumer Information About Regenerative Medicine Therapies.
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Multiple Warning Letters to manufacturers and marketers of unapproved regenerative medicine products.
- Turner L, Knoepfler PS. Selling stem cells in the USA: assessing the direct-to-consumer industry. Cell Stem Cell.
- Pew Charitable Trusts. Reports describing infectious disease outbreaks associated with contaminated human tissue products.
- American Association of Tissue Banks. Standards for Tissue Banking.
