Written by:Howmuchisit.org Staff

Last Updated:August 9, 2018

Stem cells are the bodys main cells in charge of repairing damaged tissue and reducing inflammation. These cells can also divide and replenish the cells that have been damaged by injury, diseaseor from wear and tear. According to RealClearLife.com, these cells should be considered the bodys universal building blocks.

American clinics, on average, charge close to $10,000 per treatment, but some clinics have reduced their costs to as little as $7,000, according to Ipscell.com. While it may seem cheaper to go outside of the United States, this isnt always the cheapest route, either. In fact, it can cost as much as $20,000 to more than $100,000 in foreign countries. The costs, in the end, will depend on the type of stem cell procedure, the doctors reputation, thelocal cost of living and where you go. To budget, plan on spending $4,000 to $15,000 per treatment.

Because stem cell therapy is considered experimental and isnt FDA approved, no health insurance companies wont cover the procedure.

At the Mayo Clinic, one patient reported paying $4,650, a price which included an additional injection.

The Health Link Medical Center offers a diagram on its website, explaining the costs of stem cell therapy. Depending on the condition severity, the costs can be as little as $1,700 for a super concentrated platelet-rich plasma procedure to as much as $11,300 for a complete marrow-derived stem cell procedure.

In this NBC News article, they reported the average session can cost $6,000 to $20,000 per session.

The Smart Choice Stem Cell Institute claims a stem cell procedure for the knee starts $5,000.

Stem cell therapy refers to a non-invasive procedure where stem cells are harvested from either your own body or a donors body and then injected into the damaged portion of your body to help it heal. Damaged body parts commonly include the elbow, back, hip, knee or wrist. Unlike the past, whenembryonic stem cells of yore were used, today, only adult stem cells are used.

These stem cells can be taken from different parts of the body, including the bone marrow or from the fat by using adipose stem cells. Compared to bone marrow, your fat has hundreds, if not thousands, more stem cells from your body.

Before a doctor even considers the therapy, he or she will want to see a recent x-ray and/or MRI and your medical records to see if youre a candidate.

The entire procedure will take about an hour to complete.

As for recovery, successful patients claim they feel much better within a couple of days, especially if combined with surgery. Patients feel sore for a few days after.

All offices will have its own billing policies. You may be charged for additional follow-up appointments, braces, diagnostic testing, additional injections and/or an initial consultation. An initial consultation, for example, can cost up to $250. A CT scan or MRI, if necessary, can be another few hundred dollars to budget for.

If additional injections were needed during your appointment, the costs could drastically go down to as little as $1,500 to $4,000 each.

After the procedure, a painkiller may be prescribed to help you cope with the pain.

Many cities across the United States offer a stem cell treatment center. To find one, a search stem cell therapy and your city name on Google. For example, Regenexx has close to 30 facilities in the United States.

When choosing a facility, always be sure to visit their website and talk with your primary doctor to explore your options. As with any big purchase, pay close attention to the reputation and reviews online.

In Europe, doctors are allowed to multiply stem cells, referred to as expanding, before injecting them into you, which is something doctors are not allowed to do in the United States since the FDA forbids it. Even though this may change, the biggest advantage to expanding is the convenience because youre able to receive the stem cells from another person.

Aside from helping an injury, it has been reported stem cell therapy can help regrow hair, Alzheimers disease, muscular dystrophy, ALS, COPD, blindness, Crohns disease, and Parkinsons disease.

Since no health insurance companies will cover the procedure, consider asking if the facility either has a financing option or offers discounts to those who pay in cash up front.

Advertising Disclosure: This content may include referral links. Please read our disclosure policy for more info.

Continue reading here:
How Much Does Stem Cell Therapy Cost? | HowMuchIsIt.org