Non-Surgical Knee Osteoarthritis Treatment in Folsom
Regenerative injections designed to calm joint inflammation, support healthier cartilage, and help you postpone or avoid total knee replacement.
- No surgery, no general anesthesia
- Same-day, in-office procedure
- Walk out the same day
Most evaluations are scheduled within 48 hours.
What’s happening inside your knee
Cartilage wear narrows the joint space until bone contacts bone.
Does this sound like your knee?
These are the patterns patients describe most often before an osteoarthritis diagnosis — or after being told to “wait until it’s bad enough for surgery.”
Grating and popping
A grinding or clicking sensation when you bend, squat, or straighten the knee.
Stiffness after sitting
The first few steps after a car ride or a movie feel locked up and painful.
Swelling that returns
Puffiness and warmth around the kneecap that flares after activity.
Pain going downstairs
Descending stairs or slopes hurts noticeably more than climbing them.
Managing pain isn’t the same as addressing the joint
Most knee osteoarthritis patients cycle through the same three options for years. Here’s why that cycle stalls — and what a regenerative approach does differently.
Mask, wait, replace
- Repeated cortisone injections can contribute to cartilage breakdown over time.
- Daily anti-inflammatories carry stomach, kidney, and cardiovascular risks with long-term use.
- Total knee replacement typically means 6–12 months of demanding rehabilitation.
- Patients are often told to simply wait until the knee is “bad enough” to operate.
Treat the tissue, not just the signal
- Injections placed under imaging guidance, directly into the affected joint structures.
- Biologic therapies intended to support the body’s own repair and anti-inflammatory response.
- No hospital stay, no general anesthesia, no immobilizing brace.
- Surgery stays on the table as an option — this does not close any doors.
Three regenerative therapies for knee osteoarthritis
Your protocol is built around your imaging, your activity level, and how far the wear has progressed. Many patients receive a combination.
Stem Cell Therapy
Cell-based injections delivered into the joint to support the local repair environment. Often considered for moderate-to-advanced wear where cushioning has thinned significantly.
Explore stem cell therapyPRP Treatments
Platelet-rich plasma concentrated from your own blood, then injected into the knee to deliver growth factors to tissue with limited blood supply.
Explore PRP treatmentsProlozone Therapy
An oxygen-ozone and nutrient injection used to reduce joint inflammation and improve the environment around ligaments and the joint capsule.
Explore prolozone therapyWho these injections are built for
Candidacy is confirmed at your evaluation after imaging review — but these are the patients who typically do well.
Not sure where you fall? That’s exactly what the evaluation is for. We’ll tell you honestly if you’re not a good fit.
- Diagnosed with mild, moderate, or severe knee osteoarthritis
- Active adults who want to delay or avoid knee replacement
- Completed physical therapy without lasting relief
- Cortisone shots that work briefly, then stop working
- Told to “wait it out” until surgery becomes necessary
Three steps from evaluation to recovery
Imaging & assessment
We review your X-rays or MRI, examine joint mechanics, and identify exactly which structures are driving your pain.
Precision-guided injection
Your treatment is placed under imaging guidance so the biologic reaches the intended tissue. Most visits take under an hour.
Recovery & reloading
A staged return to walking, strength, and activity, with follow-up visits to track how the joint is responding.
Knee osteoarthritis, answered
Cell-based therapies are used to support the joint’s repair environment and reduce inflammation. Research is ongoing, and outcomes vary by patient, by the degree of wear, and by the protocol used. We’ll review your imaging and give you a realistic picture of what to expect in your specific case rather than a blanket promise.
Cortisone is a steroid that suppresses inflammation quickly, but relief is usually temporary and repeated use has been associated with cartilage breakdown over time. PRP uses concentrated platelets from your own blood to deliver growth factors to the joint. It works more gradually and is intended to support tissue rather than only quiet the pain signal.
It depends on the therapy and how advanced the wear is. PRP and prolozone protocols commonly involve a short series of visits spaced a few weeks apart. Cell-based treatments are often a single session with scheduled follow-ups. You’ll receive a specific plan and cost breakdown at your evaluation — before anything is scheduled.
The area is numbed first, and most patients describe pressure rather than sharp pain. You walk out the same day. Expect some soreness and swelling for a few days — that’s a normal part of the response — and a short period of modified activity before you gradually return to your usual routine.
Yes. These injections don’t alter the joint surgically and don’t remove replacement as a future option. Many patients pursue regenerative treatment specifically to buy time before committing to surgery.
Most regenerative therapies are not currently covered by insurance and are paid out of pocket. Portions of your evaluation or imaging may be billable. We provide complete pricing in writing at your consultation, and payment plan options are available.
Walk without thinking about it
Book a consultation with our Folsom team to find out if regenerative knee injections are right for you.
Bring your imaging if you have it — we’ll review it with you.
Medical disclaimer: The information on this page is for general education and is not medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Regenerative therapies described here are not FDA-approved to cure, treat, or prevent osteoarthritis or any disease. Individual results vary and no specific outcome is guaranteed. Candidacy is determined only after an in-person evaluation with a licensed provider.