The world of regenerative orthopedic treatments can feel overwhelming, especially when you’re comparing options outside the U.S. A quick search turns up numerous clinics promising stem cell therapy for pain, arthritis, sports injuries, and more. Some are safe and credible. Others, not so much.
If you’re considering stem cell therapy for an orthopedic condition, it helps to understand the red flags. Choosing the wrong clinic can lead to wasted money, missed diagnoses, or treatments that simply won’t deliver the outcome you’re hoping for.
We asked three of our U.S. board-certified specialists to share the biggest warning signs they see in regenerative orthopedics. Their insights can help you understand what to look for, what to avoid, and how to protect your health when evaluating orthopedic stem cell clinics overseas.
1. No Real Candidacy Evaluation
One of the clearest warning signs is a clinic that will treat anyone who can pay. As one physician put it bluntly, “If your credit card swipes, you’re a candidate!”
A reputable orthopedic stem cell clinic should want to thoroughly understand your orthopedic issues and your medical history. Proper candidacy includes:
If imaging and a hands-on exam aren’t part of the process, that’s a sign the clinic may be making decisions without the full picture. These details are needed to help guide your care and create a treatment plan specific to your needs. So, if a clinic doesn’t include these steps, it’s worth pausing and asking how they determine what’s appropriate for each patient.
Good regenerative medicine isn’t one-size-fits-all. And it isn’t for everyone. A trustworthy clinic will tell you the truth about whether you’re a good, fair, or poor candidate based on your specific condition. The bottom line? Regenerative orthopedic care works best when it’s based on a thorough, informed evaluation.
2. “We Treat Everything!” (A Lack of Specialization)
Be cautious with any clinic offering stem cell therapy for a multitude of conditions – orthopedic injuries, autoimmune disease, hair loss, anti-aging, skin rejuvenation, neurological disorders, and more. If a clinic claims they can fix everything, they’re not specialists. Real orthopedic regenerative medicine requires years of dedicated training in interventional orthopedics, sports medicine, and precise, image-guided injections.
Clinics that spread themselves across dozens of unrelated fields rarely have the depth required to diagnose and treat complex joint issues. You deserve a team that works with orthopedic cases every day, not a “catch-all clinic” trying to be everything to everyone.
“We find that a lot of people ask us, ‘How do I know what clinic to choose?’ And the question I’d ask you back is, ‘do you want to go to someone who treats the very specific problem that you have, or do you want to go to someone who does a little bit of everything in all fields – treating your face, treating your hair, treating your joints?’ The best treatments are by those who do regenerative medicine in the orthopedic space, treating sports medicine and orthopedic conditions every day.” – Dr. Newton, Regenexx Cayman Physician
3. Unrealistic Claims or Guarantees
If a clinic promises immediate results, guaranteed outcomes, or “one injection that fixes everything,” take a step back.
Healing isn’t instant, and it looks different for every person. Recovery timelines vary based on the joint, the severity of the problem, your biology, and the treatment used. No ethical physician guarantees a cure or offers universal promises.
Regenerative orthopedics is powerful, but it isn’t “magic.” When a clinic oversells, overhypes, or promises what no one in medicine can deliver, it’s a sign they’re relying on marketing, not science. Ethical clinics set realistic, staged expectations based on imaging, a hands-on exam, and diagnostic findings – not blanket promises.
4. IV-Only Stem Cell Treatment for Orthopedics
Some clinics promote IV-only stem cell therapy as a convenient “whole-body” solution for orthopedic problems, but the research doesn’t necessarily support this claim. As Dr. Williams explains, “There’s really been no published data to show that IV stem cell treatments can help with osteoarthritis. Most of the published data for IV infusions focuses on systemic inflammatory conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, long COVID, or post–heart attack recovery. When it comes to osteoarthritis or degenerative conditions of the spine, the research just isn’t there.”
The reason is straightforward: orthopedic problems require precision. For joints, tendons, ligaments, and discs, cells need to be placed exactly where the damage is. Delivering cells through a vein doesn’t ensure that they reach an injured knee, hip, or spine segment – they circulate through the bloodstream, get filtered by the lungs, liver, and spleen, and rarely migrate in meaningful numbers to orthopedic tissues.
This gap between what the research shows and what some clinics market is one of the most common sources of patient confusion. IV treatments may have a place in managing certain systemic autoimmune or inflammatory conditions, but they are not a substitute for targeted orthopedic procedures that use precise image guidance to reach the specific area of injury.
A strong orthopedic result depends on placing the right cells in the right location, not hoping they arrive there by chance. Which leads us to our next red flag…
5. Blind injections
During an orthopedic stem cell or PRP procedure, the physician should always use live imaging – either ultrasound, fluoroscopic x-ray guidance, or a combination of both. These tools allow the physician to see exactly where the needle is going and confirm that the cells are being placed into the precise structure that needs support.
Without imaging, the injection becomes guesswork. Joints and soft-tissue structures sit close to nerves, arteries, and ligaments. A few millimeters can be the difference between treating the true source of pain – and missing it entirely. This is why blind injections sometimes lead to disappointing results. Patients who travel to clinics that skip imaging frequently return home realizing the treatment never reached the injured area at all.
Precision isn’t a luxury in regenerative orthopedics; it’s the foundation of a good outcome. Image guidance shouldn’t be optional. It’s the difference between a targeted procedure and a best-guess approach, and it’s an indicator of whether a clinic prioritizes accuracy or speed. For more information about the importance of image guidance, check out our blog post, “Why Image-Guided Injections Matter: A Radiographer’s Insight.”
6. No Clarity on Cell Source, Quality, or Processing
Another red flag is unclear or undisclosed cell sources, especially when a clinic can’t tell you what’s being injected or how it was processed. Orthobiologic treatments should never be guesswork. At Regenexx Cayman, we use autologous mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) – the same cells your body naturally relies on for tissue repair, inflammation modulation, and structural support. These cells are counted, processed, and prepared carefully by our expert lab team, so we can create tailored treatment plans specific to each patient’s needs.
Ideally, orthobiologic products are processed in a clean, tightly controlled environment. Our lab team, including cellular biologists and licensed medical technologists, works inside a highly controlled laboratory that meets ISO Class 7 criteria, ensuring every sample is handled with precision, sterility, consistency, and care.
When a clinic doesn’t talk about sterile technique, trained technicians, or proper lab standards, it raises fair questions about how the product is being prepared – and how that might affect your outcome.
“We have a beautiful clean room, the largest in the Caribbean. For any clinical product that’s going to be injected back into a patient’s body, it’s critical to process and manufacture in an extremely controlled and clean environment. We constantly and thoroughly disinfect these surfaces and equipment. We monitor the particle counts and the air. Staff are all specially trained and wear protective gowning. All of the work takes place in a cabinet that is specially designed to reduce any chance of contamination of a product.” – Chase Demarest, Lab Supervisor at Regenexx Cayman
7 No Published Research or Outcome Tracking
This is a strong predictor of clinic quality. If a clinic doesn’t track outcomes or participate in research, they’re not evolving their techniques or measuring what works (or what doesn’t).
“What type of outcomes are being tracked by the physicians and practices that you’re looking at getting treatment at? And do they even care? Because outcomes really drive best practices. When we know what works and what doesn’t work, then we can tailor treatments to best treat and suit you to make sure you’re getting a good outcome.” – Dr. Williams, Regenexx Cayman Physician
For example, Regenexx has tracked outcomes since 2005. For knee osteoarthritis alone, the database includes 24,000+ patients and the four-year functional improvement is around 76%. Choosing a team that holds itself to these standards ensures you’re getting care that’s grounded in science, not shortcuts. Clinics without research or outcomes often rely on anecdotal stories, testimonials, or vague claims. That’s not evidence. You deserve transparency backed by data, not marketing hype.
8. Little or No Follow-Up After Treatment
Your care shouldn’t end the moment your injection is complete. Follow-up is crucial, not only to see how you’re progressing, but to catch any potential complications early. A responsible clinic checks in:
If a clinic has no structured follow-up plan, or you’re told “you’re on your own after the injection,” that’s another sign they’re not invested in your long-term outcome.
“We know that it’s very important not only to get a skilled and licensed physician to perform the treatment, but is that going to be the end of it after the treatment is done? Your physician and clinic should be following up with you at various time points to make sure A, that you’re getting a good outcome, but B, to make sure there’s been no complications or adversities that have happened.” – Dr. Williams, Regenexx Cayman Physician
9. Location Concerns or Lack of Regulation
When treatment takes you overseas, the environment matters just as much as the medicine. Not all countries have the same medical oversight, cleanliness standards, or infrastructure to support safe regenerative procedures. Some clinics operate in regions where regulations are loose, safety checks are minimal, and the quality of medical facilities varies widely from one place to the next.
Safety goes beyond the walls of the clinic, too. It’s worth looking into what it’s like to travel there.
These questions become especially important if you’re traveling with a mobility issue, using assistive devices, or recovering from a recent flare-up or injury.
A safe medical destination should offer strong clinical oversight, trained physicians with recognized certifications, regulated lab environments, and clean, modern facilities. But it should also feel stable, welcoming, and easy to navigate. If the setting feels improvised, unclear, or under-regulated (either medically or geographically) it’s worth taking a closer look before committing.
10. Prices That Seem Too Good to Be True
When it comes to regenerative orthopedics, cheap prices sometimes mean corners are being cut. Low-cost clinics may reduce quality at multiple steps of the process, including:
The competitive landscape shows just how wide the gap can be. Some clinics promote deeply discounted treatments because they’re using biologics that may not be suitable for orthopedic repair or operating in environments that don’t meet basic medical or laboratory standards. Others keep costs low by skipping steps that directly impact safety and results, like image guidance, sterile prep, dosing calculations, or proper medical evaluation.
In regenerative medicine, the process matters as much as the product. Even the best biologic will fall short if it isn’t handled correctly, delivered precisely, or backed by a team that understands orthopedic healing. While it’s natural to compare prices, cost alone shouldn’t guide such an important health decision. A treatment that seems inexpensive up front can end up costing far more in missed outcomes, repeat procedures, or complications. Price should never be the deciding factor when it comes to your health.
Putting it all together: What to look for in Regenerative Orthopedic Care
When evaluating clinics overseas, here are some of the things you should look for:
Regenerative medicine has incredible potential, but only when practiced with the rigor, precision, and the honesty it deserves.
If You’re Exploring Regenerative Orthopedic Treatment, We’re Here to Help
Finding the right path forward can feel overwhelming, but you don’t have to navigate it alone. If you’re considering regenerative orthopedic treatment and want clarity about your next steps, our team is here to help. info@regenexxcayman.ky or 1-877-211-3834.
