Am I a Good Candidate for Regenerative Medicine?

At FoRM Health in Portland, Oregon, regenerative medicine is one of our primary and dedicated specialties. Treatments such as Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP), Microfragmented Fat (MFAT, a stem cell–rich therapy), and Prolotherapy harness your body’s own natural healing abilities to repair injured tissues, reduce pain, and improve function without relying on long-term medications or surgery. 

But an important question patients often ask is: Am I a good candidate?

What Makes a Good Candidate?

While every case is unique, you may be a good candidate for regenerative medicine if you:

• Have joint pain, ligament or tendon injuries, or arthritis that hasn’t improved with conservative treatments like physical therapy, rest, or medications. 
• Have a chronic injury that has partially improved with conservative treatments or steroid injections, but symptoms keep returning.
• Want to avoid or delay surgery and are seeking less invasive options. [Note – if we feel surgery provides a better solution, we will let you know and provide a referral! Our ultimate goal is your best chance of recovery.]
• Are generally healthy, without uncontrolled chronic illnesses or infections.
• Are willing to follow a rehabilitation plan, including activity modification and physical therapy, to maximize results.
• Understand that regenerative therapies aim to stimulate repair and healing over time, not provide instant relief (but long-term degeneration) like cortisone injections.

PRP, MFAT, and Prolotherapy Injections: Different Tools for Overlapping Needs

• PRP: Often used for tendon, ligament, and joint injuries by concentrating your own platelets and growth factors from a standard blood draw. Key injuries: tendinosis, tendinitis, bursitis, mild to moderate arthritis, ligament sprains and tears.
• MFAT (microfragmented adipose tissue): Uses a small sample of your own fat tissue, rich in stem cells and supportive cells, to target more advanced arthritis, partial tendon tears, or labrum/meniscal injuries. The injected sample helps with cushioning and support while also providing a high concentration of cells crucial for tissue repair.  Key injuries: larger partial tendon tears, moderate to severe arthritis, knee meniscus tear, hip or shoulder labrum tears.
• Prolotherapy: Uses a concentrated dextrose (a sugar solution) to gently irritate and stimulate healing in chronically weakened or stretched ligaments and joints. Key injuries: chronic sprains, hypermobility syndromes, degenerated joints.

Our Portland-based regenerative medicine team will help determine which option best matches your diagnosis, goals, and overall health.

Hydrodissection with PRP

Hydrodissection is a specialized regenerative technique used to free entrapped and compressed nerves and release fascial adhesions that can restrict movement or cause pain. By carefully placing fluid—enriched with Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) and/or dextrose—around a nerve or tight fascial plane under ultrasound guidance, physicians can:

• Reduce nerve compression (such as in carpal tunnel syndrome).
• Improve nerve mobility and blood flow.
• Break up painful scar tissue or adhesions limiting range of motion.

When combined with PRP, hydrodissection not only restores space and mobility but also delivers powerful growth factors directly to the area, supporting nerve healing and long-term recovery.

Who May Not Be an Ideal Candidate

These therapies may be less effective if you have severe bone-on-bone arthritis, systemic inflammatory diseases, uncontrolled diabetes, more severe injury requiring surgery, or if you are unwilling to adjust lifestyle factors (such as smoking) that impair healing.

The Bottom Line

If you are struggling with joint pain or injuries in the Portland, Oregon, area and want to explore alternatives to surgery or chronic medications, regenerative medicine could be a valuable option. A thorough evaluation—including a detailed history, physical exam, and imaging when necessary—will help determine whether PRP, MFAT, Prolotherapy, or hydrodissection is right for you. 

Interested in scheduling a consult?  Call us at 503.232.5653 or click here to schedule online.   You can also read more about how to optimize your response to PRP and other injection therapies.

Learn more about our Portland regenerative medicine specialists:

• Dr Ryan Minarik (Director of Integrative Sports Medicine and Non-Surgical Orthopedics)
• Dr Brittany Krake
• Dr Jessica Binshaieg

Learn more about our Portland orthopedic and sports medicine supportive rehab team:

• Dr Paul Molina (DC)
• Dr Joanne Siegel (DPT)
• Sharon Blaney (LAc)