Overview
Boston occupies a singular position in American medicine. The city is home to Massachusetts General Hospital, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston Medical Center, and a constellation of Harvard-affiliated academic centers that have collectively produced more clinical research on orthobiologics and regenerative medicine than almost any comparable region in the world. For patients seeking stem cell therapy or platelet-rich plasma (PRP) treatment, that concentration of expertise translates into something concrete: the physicians practicing regenerative medicine here are more likely to have formal fellowship training, peer-reviewed publication records, and exposure to rigorous institutional review than their counterparts in many other markets. That does not mean every clinic is equal, but it raises the floor.
Patients come to regenerative medicine clinics in Boston for a range of reasons, most of them rooted in wanting to avoid or delay surgery. Orthopedic conditions such as knee osteoarthritis, rotator cuff tears, chronic tendinopathy, and ligament injuries respond inconsistently to standard conservative care — rest, physical therapy, and anti-inflammatory medications — but do not always warrant joint replacement or surgical reconstruction. Stem cell therapy, specifically procedures using bone marrow aspirate concentrate (BMAC) or microfragmented adipose tissue (MFAT), and PRP injections represent a middle path. These autologous treatments use concentrated biologic material drawn from the patient’s own body, so systemic immune rejection is not a concern. Evidence supporting their use is growing but remains uneven across conditions, which is why clinician quality and patient selection matter so much.
Boston’s regenerative medicine landscape divides broadly into two categories. The first is hospital-affiliated or academic programs, such as the Mass General Brigham Regenerative Sports Medicine Program, which operate under institutional oversight, use standardized protocols, conduct outcomes research, and integrate care with physical therapy and surgical backup. The second is private practices, often led by physiatrists or orthopedic surgeons, that offer more flexible scheduling, a narrower procedural focus, and sometimes a deeper concentration on orthobiologic techniques specifically. Both models have legitimate roles. Academic programs excel at complex cases, comorbid patients, and conditions where surgical consultation may ultimately be needed. Specialty private practices often offer faster access, more individualized consultation time, and physicians whose entire clinical identity is built around regenerative procedures.
When evaluating any stem cell clinic in Boston, three factors matter above all others. First, physician credentials: board certification in an appropriate specialty (orthopedic surgery, physical medicine and rehabilitation, or sports medicine) is a baseline requirement, not a differentiator. Fellowship training and active involvement in professional societies such as the Interventional Orthobiologic Foundation or the International Cartilage Restoration and Joint Preservation Society signal a higher level of engagement with the field. Second, procedural transparency: reputable clinics will explain exactly what biological product is being used, whether the procedure is FDA-cleared or investigational, and what the published evidence looks like for your specific condition. Third, imaging guidance: ultrasound-guided injection is now a standard of care expectation for most orthobiologic procedures. Any clinic that cannot confirm ultrasound guidance warrants additional scrutiny.
Top Stem Cell Therapy Clinics in Boston
1. New England Center for Regenerative Orthopedics and Sports Medicine (Boston Joint Preservation)
Address: 840 Winter Street, Waltham, MA 02451 (additional locations in Dedham and Woburn)
Phone: (617) 264-1100
Website: https://www.bostonjointpreservation.com
About: The New England Center for Regenerative Orthopedics and Sports Medicine, which operates under the Boston Joint Preservation brand, is a specialized orthopedic practice built around joint preservation and regenerative treatment. The practice has been at the forefront of orthobiologic care in the Boston area for more than 15 years, offering both conservative regenerative procedures and advanced surgical options for patients whose conditions require operative intervention. The philosophy is joint preservation first: the goal is to restore function and reduce pain without resorting to joint replacement when evidence-based alternatives exist. The practice sees athletes at all competitive levels as well as active adults dealing with degenerative joint conditions. Appointments are available Monday through Saturday, and online booking is supported through the practice’s scheduling system.
Physicians:
- Dr. Kai Mithoefer, MD — Board certified in both orthopedic surgery and orthopedic sports medicine. Dr. Mithoefer received his medical degree from Heinrich Heine University of Düsseldorf and completed his residency in the Harvard Orthopedic Residency Program. He subsequently completed a fellowship in orthopedic trauma at Harvard and a Sports Medicine and Shoulder Surgery fellowship at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York. He holds faculty positions at Harvard Medical School and serves as an assistant professor of orthopedics at Tufts University School of Medicine. He is a past board member of the International Cartilage Restoration and Joint Preservation Society (ICRS) and served as scientific chair of its World Congress. He has published more than 100 peer-reviewed scientific articles and book chapters, and previously served as Assistant Medical Director for Major League Soccer. Castle Connolly and Boston Magazine have recognized him as a Top Doctor continuously since 2019.
Services:
- Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) Injections: PRP is isolated from the patient’s own blood and concentrated before injection into the target tissue. The practice applies PRP for joint preservation in osteoarthritic knees, ligament and meniscal repair support, articular cartilage repair, and tendon disorders including lateral epicondylitis. High-level clinical evidence supports PRP for knee osteoarthritis in particular.
- Stem Cell Therapy / Bone Marrow Aspirate Concentrate (BMAC): Autologous stem cell procedures are used for osteoarthritis of any joint and for selected cartilage injuries. The practice frames these as novel regenerative treatment options applied when rest, medications, and physical therapy have not resolved symptoms and joint replacement is not yet indicated.
- Alpha-2-Macroglobulin (A2M) Injections: A2M is a plasma protein that inhibits cartilage-degrading enzymes; it is offered as a targeted anti-catabolic injection for early osteoarthritis.
- Viscosupplementation (Hyaluronic Acid Injections): Hyaluronic acid injections are used to supplement the natural joint fluid in arthritic joints, reducing friction and pain.
- Intraosseous Bioplasty: A specialized technique for bone pathology underlying joint cartilage, addressing subchondral bone involvement that standard joint injections do not reach.
- Regeneten Bioinductive Implant: A collagen-based implant for partial-thickness rotator cuff tears that stimulates biological healing rather than requiring surgical reconstruction.
Conditions Treated:
- Knee osteoarthritis and cartilage injuries
- Ligament injuries (ACL, collateral ligaments)
- Meniscal injuries
- Rotator cuff tears and shoulder instability
- Tendinopathy (Achilles, patellar, lateral epicondyle)
- Ankle and elbow conditions
Technology and Equipment: All injections are performed with imaging guidance to ensure accurate delivery. The practice uses advanced arthroscopic techniques when surgical intervention is required alongside or following regenerative procedures.
2. Boston Sports and Biologics
Address: 20 Walnut Street, Suite 14, Wellesley Hills, MA 02481
Phone: (781) 591-7855
Website: https://www.bostonsportsandbiologics.com
About: Boston Sports and Biologics is a private practice dedicated exclusively to non-surgical musculoskeletal care and regenerative orthobiologics. The practice is built around the principle that a significant proportion of orthopedic conditions can be managed effectively without surgery using a combination of diagnostic ultrasound, targeted injections, and evidence-based regenerative procedures. The two-physician practice is intentionally focused: it does not perform orthopedic surgery, which means the physicians have concentrated their procedural expertise entirely in interventional and regenerative techniques. The practice operates Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM, and is reachable by email at info@BSBortho.com in addition to phone. Patients are seen for both acute sports injuries and chronic degenerative conditions.
Physicians:
- Dr. Walter Sussman, DO — Dual board certified in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and Sports Medicine. Dr. Sussman completed his residency in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Emory University, where he served as Chief Resident, and then completed a fellowship in non-operative sports medicine at Emory University, which included coverage for the Atlanta Dream (WNBA), Georgia Tech athletics, and Emory University athletics. He serves as an Assistant Clinical Professor for Orthopedics and Rehabilitation at Tufts University School of Medicine and the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine. He is a Board Member of the Interventional Orthobiologic Foundation (IOF) and a member of the American Academy of PM&R Biologics Working Group. He is the co-author of The Atlas of Interventional Orthopedics, a textbook used to train other physicians in ultrasound-guided and regenerative procedures. He has published peer-reviewed articles and book chapters on ultrasound-guided procedures and regenerative medicine and has been in practice for 15 years. Patient reviews on Healthgrades average 4.9 out of 5 across 173 reviews.
- Dr. Erek Latzka, MD, RMSK — Dual board certified in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and Sports Medicine, with the additional Registered in Musculoskeletal Sonography (RMSK) credential, which designates advanced competency in diagnostic musculoskeletal ultrasound. Dr. Latzka’s clinical focus is on diagnostic musculoskeletal ultrasound, PRP and orthobiologic injections, and ultrasound-guided procedures. He previously served as a clinical assistant professor at the University of Washington and received that institution’s outstanding teacher award in 2022.
Services:
- Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) Therapy: PRP is drawn from the patient’s blood, concentrated, and injected under ultrasound guidance into tendons, ligaments, joints, or muscles. Used for chronic tendinopathy, osteoarthritis, and ligament injuries.
- Bone Marrow Concentrate (BMAC): Bone marrow is aspirated from the patient’s iliac crest, concentrated, and injected into the target area to support tissue repair and reduce inflammation. Applied when PRP alone is insufficient or when bone involvement is present.
- LIPOGEMS Fat Tissue Processing: A minimally invasive procedure in which a small amount of the patient’s own fat is harvested and processed using the FDA-cleared LIPOGEMS system, then injected into arthritic or injured joints. The microfragmented fat provides cushioning and contains cells with regenerative potential.
- Tenex Percutaneous Tenotomy: An ultrasound-guided procedure that uses ultrasonic energy to break down and remove damaged tendon tissue, indicated for chronic tendinopathy unresponsive to other conservative treatments.
- Nerve Hydrodissection: Ultrasound-guided injection of fluid around entrapped peripheral nerves to release adhesions and relieve compression-related pain and weakness.
- Shockwave Therapy: Non-invasive acoustic wave treatment for chronic tendinopathy and calcific deposits.
- Viscosupplementation and Prolotherapy: Supplementary injections for joint lubrication and ligament stimulation.
Conditions Treated:
- Knee, hip, and shoulder osteoarthritis
- Rotator cuff tears and shoulder impingement
- Achilles and patellar tendinopathy
- Lateral and medial epicondylitis (tennis and golfer’s elbow)
- Plantar fasciitis
- Hip bursitis
- Carpal tunnel syndrome (minimally invasive ultrasound-guided release)
- Nerve entrapment syndromes
Technology and Equipment: All procedures are performed under real-time diagnostic ultrasound guidance. The practice uses the LIPOGEMS processing system for adipose tissue procedures, which is FDA-cleared for use in orthopedic procedures.
3. Mass General Brigham Regenerative Sports Medicine Program (Spaulding Outpatient Center Wellesley)
Address: 65 Walnut Street, Suite 260, Wellesley, MA 02478
Phone: (781) 431-9144 (Spaulding Wellesley); General MGB appointment line: (617) 726-0500
Website: https://www.massgeneralbrigham.org/en/patient-care/services-and-specialties/sports-medicine/programs/regenerative-medicine
About: The Regenerative Sports Medicine Program at Mass General Brigham is an academic medical center program directed from the Spaulding Outpatient Center in Wellesley, which is part of the Mass General Brigham health system encompassing Massachusetts General Hospital, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital. It is one of the most rigorously structured regenerative medicine programs available to patients in the Boston area, operating within a system that includes surgical sports medicine backup, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and outcomes research infrastructure. Procedures are performed with musculoskeletal ultrasound guidance. The program general appointment line operates Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM. Because this is an academic center program, patients with complex comorbidities, prior surgical histories, or conditions requiring multidisciplinary management are particularly well served here.
Physicians:
- Dr. Joanne Borg-Stein, MD — Board certified in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Sports Medicine, and Pain Medicine. Dr. Borg-Stein received her medical degree from Albert Einstein College of Medicine in 1984. She is an Associate Professor and Associate Chair at Harvard Medical School, Chief of the Division of Sports and Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation, and Associate Director of the Harvard/Spaulding Sports Medicine Fellowship, one of the most competitive physiatric sports medicine fellowships in the country. She also serves as Medical Director of the Spaulding Wellesley Center and as a team physician for Wellesley College. She has more than 40 years of clinical and academic experience and is a leading researcher in PRP therapy for degenerative disease and sports injury. She is widely published and is a faculty member of Harvard Medical School Professional, Corporate, and Continuing Education. Additional attending physicians in the program include Lauren Elson, MD; Christine Eng, MD; Dana Kotler, MD; and Ariana Vora, MD.
Services:
- Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) Injections: PRP is produced from the patient’s own blood, concentrated for platelet and growth factor content, and injected under ultrasound guidance into tendons, ligaments, joints, or muscles. The program uses PRP for a broad range of chronic tendon injuries and low-to-moderate osteoarthritis. Multiple injections are often required, and physical therapy follow-up is standard protocol.
- Bone Marrow Aspirate Concentrate (BMAC): Bone marrow is aspirated from the patient, concentrated for signaling cells with regenerative potential, and injected into the affected area. BMAC is used when PRP alone has been insufficient or when the clinical picture includes bone involvement. It is appropriate for patients with multiple arthritic joints or bone injuries.
- Microfragmented Fat Adipose Tissue (MFAT): A small amount of fat is removed from the patient’s flank or thigh, microfragmented, and injected into the target joint. MFAT may reduce inflammation and provides a cushioning effect within the joint environment.
- Prolotherapy: Concentrated dextrose solution injections into ligaments, tendons, or joints. Prolotherapy acts as a mild irritant that stimulates the body’s natural healing response, particularly in hypermobile or chronically unstable joints.
- Percutaneous Ultrasonic Tenotomy: A minimally invasive ultrasound-guided procedure for chronic tendinopathy that uses ultrasonic energy to debride damaged tissue.
- Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy: Acoustic wave treatment for calcific tendinitis and chronic tendinopathy.
Conditions Treated:
- Knee, hip, and shoulder osteoarthritis
- Chronic tendinopathy (Achilles, patellar, rotator cuff, elbow)
- Ligament injuries and joint instability
- Sports injuries of muscles, tendons, and ligaments
- Women’s musculoskeletal conditions
- Articular cartilage defects (surgical consultation available for appropriate candidates)
Patient Experience: As an academic medical center program, patients benefit from integrated care coordination across physical therapy, occupational therapy, pain medicine, and surgical sports medicine. The program emphasizes that orthobiologic injections are treatments for long-term connective tissue health, not short-term pain management, and structures follow-up protocols accordingly.
What to Know Before Choosing a Stem Cell Clinic in Boston
Before scheduling a consultation at any regenerative medicine clinic, patients should prepare a specific set of questions that go beyond the marketing language on a clinic’s website. Ask directly: what biological product will be used in my procedure, and is it autologous (from my own body) or allogeneic (from a donor)? Ask whether the procedure is FDA-cleared, FDA-approved, or investigational, and what that distinction means for your consent and legal protections. Ask for the specific evidence supporting the procedure for your diagnosis — not regenerative medicine in general, but for your condition at your stage of severity. A physician who can cite the relevant clinical literature by study design and outcome measure is demonstrating a fundamentally different level of engagement than one who speaks in broad promises. In Boston, where the academic culture is strong, patients should hold physicians to a higher evidentiary standard than they might elsewhere.
Imaging and diagnostic workup are non-negotiable prerequisites in this field. No reputable clinic should proceed to an orthobiologic injection without current MRI or musculoskeletal ultrasound documentation of the target pathology. Imaging confirms the diagnosis, identifies the precise tissue involved, and rules out contraindications such as acute infection, complete tendon rupture, or advanced bone destruction that would require surgical rather than regenerative management. If a clinic is willing to proceed based only on a clinical exam and patient symptom report, that is a significant red flag. In Boston, most practices of the caliber described in this directory perform in-house diagnostic ultrasound, which allows real-time visualization of the pathology and same-visit guidance of the injection procedure.
Laboratory workup matters for certain procedures. Platelet count and coagulation status are relevant if you are on anticoagulants. Patients with inflammatory arthritis, autoimmune conditions, or active malignancy may be contraindicated for certain regenerative procedures entirely, or may require specialist co-management before proceeding. Boston’s academic medical center programs, in particular, are equipped to navigate these complexities. If you have a significant medical history, an academic center like the Mass General Brigham program may be a more appropriate starting point than a private practice, simply because the institutional infrastructure for managing complications and coordinating care is present.
Board certification is the floor, not the ceiling. In regenerative orthopedics and sports medicine, the most relevant board certifications are orthopedic surgery with sports medicine subspecialty, or physical medicine and rehabilitation with sports medicine subspecialty. Fellowship training specifically in sports medicine or orthobiologics adds a meaningful credential layer. Active membership in professional societies such as the Interventional Orthobiologic Foundation (IOF), the American Academy of PM&R, or the International Cartilage Restoration and Joint Preservation Society signals ongoing engagement with the research community. All three clinics described in this directory meet or exceed these credential benchmarks. Beyond credentials, ask about volume: how many of this specific procedure does the physician perform per year? Procedural skill in ultrasound-guided injection is a manual competency that improves with repetition. A physician performing dozens of BMAC procedures annually is operating at a different technical level than one performing a handful.
Disclaimer: This directory is for informational purposes only and was compiled from publicly available sources as of February 2026. Inclusion in this directory does not constitute endorsement of any clinic, physician, or treatment. Stem cell therapy and orthobiologic treatments are in varying stages of clinical evidence development; many procedures remain investigational. The FDA has not approved most stem cell therapies for orthopedic indications. Patients should independently verify all credentials, addresses, and insurance information before pursuing treatment. Always consult a licensed physician before making any medical decisions. This content does not constitute medical advice.