"I can't open a jar anymore."
Arthritis at the base of the thumb
Pinching, turning a key or holding a cup hurts at the root of the thumb. This is often the first joint in the hand to wear out.
Hand & wrist · Medellín, Colombia
Ultrasound-guided, in one day in MedellínStem cell therapy for the hand, wrist and thumb. Your grip, back in use.
Wharton's jelly stem cells, placed with ultrasound guidance inside the small joint or tendon that hurts. It takes one day in the operating room in Medellín, with local anesthesia. It is for people with arthritis in the wrist, thumb or fingers, or a partial tear of a tendon or ligament, who want an option before surgery.
- 1 day treatment
- Ultrasound-guided
- From $1,799
3ways to treat a hand: wrist, whole hand, thumb
1 dayin the operating room
4–6 mowhen improvement is usually expected
0incisions
Who it helps
If one of these is you, keep reading.
"My fingers are stiff every morning."
Arthritis in the finger joints
Swollen knuckles, stiffness that takes a while to ease, and small tasks like buttons that now feel slow.
"The cortisone shot wore off."
Injections and splints that no longer last
A cortisone shot or a splint helped for a while, then the pain came back. You want something that works on the joint itself.
"They want to fuse it or remove a bone."
You were told surgery is next
A fusion (joining two bones so the joint no longer moves) or removing a small bone at the base of the thumb. You want to know every option before you decide.
"My wrist never recovered from that fall."
An old sprain or a partial tear
A partial tear of a ligament or tendon around the wrist that still aches with weight, pushing up from a chair or lifting.
"My hands are how I earn a living."
Work, craft or sport that loads the hands
Years of tools, keyboards, instruments or racket sports. You need your hands working, not just resting.
What the cells do
What stem cells may do inside a painful hand or wrist joint.
The cells are placed right in the joint or tendon. There, they act mostly by releasing signals, small proteins that talk to the tissue around them.
They may calm the inflammation in the joint lining
In arthritis, the thin lining of the joint (the synovium) gets inflamed and swollen. Mesenchymal stem cells release signals that may quiet the immune cells causing that inflammation. For you, this could mean less swelling, less morning stiffness and less pain when you grip.
They may slow the enzymes that wear down cartilage
Cartilage is the smooth layer that lets bones glide. In arthritis, the joint makes enzymes that break it down faster. In laboratory studies, stem cell signals reduce these enzymes and protect the cartilage cells, which may help the joint keep the cushion it still has.
They may support repair in tendons and ligaments
A partial tear heals slowly, and often with weak, disorganized tissue. Stem cell signals may help the local repair cells lay down more orderly collagen, the protein that makes a tendon strong. The goal is a wrist or finger that tolerates load again.
They may lower pain signals
Less inflammation usually means fewer pain signals from the joint. Many people notice first that daily tasks like writing, cooking or carrying bags become easier.
What patients hope to change
- Less pain when pinching, gripping or turning a key
- Less morning stiffness in the fingers and wrist
- More strength to open jars, carry bags and hold tools
- Fewer cortisone shots, and fewer days wearing a splint
- More time before, or instead of, a fusion or joint surgery
The aim is to calm inflammation and support your body’s own repair, so the joint you have works with less pain. Grades 1 to 3 respond best.
Point to it
Wrist, hand or thumb? Tap where it hurts.
The wrist from $1,799 and the thumb from $1,399, application only. The whole hand, or both hands, are quoted after your free case review. Tap the one that bothers you.
Wrist
One small joint, such as the wrist.
from $1,799
Arthritis grades 1 to 3 and partial tears of the ligaments and tendons around the wrist.
Send my wrist case →The whole hand
One hand, treated as a whole.
Quoted after your review
Arthritis in the finger joints and partial tears of tendons or ligaments in the hand. The whole hand, or both hands, are quoted after your free case review.
Send my hand case →Thumb
The base of the thumb, as a short visit.
from $1,399
The base of the thumb is often the first joint in the hand to wear. It is treated as a short visit: the application and an online consultation, without hotel or transfers.
Send my thumb case →What the evidence says
What the research says about stem cells in small joints
Research on stem cells in the hand is growing, and the base of the thumb has the most of it. Here are the strongest human studies, and which cells each one used.
In arthritis at the base of the thumb, stem cells placed in the joint were followed by less pain with activity, more movement and better hand function at one year.
Pilot study of 13 patients: pain with activity went from 7.9 to 4.2 out of 10, and the hand-disability score (DASH) fell from 52 to 23. It used the patient’s own bone-marrow stem cells, a different source from the Stem Cells Colombia cells.
ASCOT: Autologous Bone Marrow Stem Cell Use for Osteoarthritis of the Thumb-First Carpometacarpal Joint. · Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Global Open, 2017 ↗Five years after a single treatment at the base of the thumb, pain was cut in half and grip strength was back to the level of the healthy hand.
Prospective study of 42 patients followed for five years: pain went from 8 to 4 out of 10, and grip and pinch strength rose from 71% and 60% of the other hand to 100% and 96%, with no serious side effects. It used the patient’s own fat tissue, a different treatment from the Stem Cells Colombia protocol.
Autologous Fat Transfer for Thumb Carpometacarpal Joint Osteoarthritis: Long Term Results. · Zeitschrift für Orthopädie und Unfallchirurgie, 2022 ↗People with knee arthritis who received umbilical cord stem cells had less pain and better function at one year than those who received hyaluronic acid.
Randomized phase I/II trial in Chile, 26 adults with knee osteoarthritis. The cells came from the umbilical cord, the same kind of source the specialists use; two doses six months apart did best. It was done in the knee, not in the hand.
Umbilical Cord-Derived Mesenchymal Stromal Cells (MSCs) for Knee Osteoarthritis: Repeated MSC Dosing Is Superior to a Single MSC Dose and to Hyaluronic Acid in a Controlled Randomized Phase I/II Trial. · Stem Cells Translational Medicine, 2019 ↗Your treatment & price
One day.
After the application you rest with your coordinator checking on you; if you add the hotel, it is one elevator away from the operating room. The doctors recommend staying in Medellín at least 2 days before you fly home.
The trip works like every treatment: free case review, online consultation, and your days in Medellín. See your journey.
Hand & wrist · from $1,799
From $1,799
USD · final price confirmed after your medical consultation
- Stem cells applied under ultrasound guidance, in the operating room
- Local anesthesia
- A consultation with the doctor
- A bilingual coordinator
- Can be added: Marriott Hotel in the same building, airport transfers, sedation and exosomes
Flights and meals not included.
Your medical team
Small joints need a precise hand.
On treatment day Dr. Diana Reyes, anesthesiologist and pain specialist, places the cells herself, with ultrasound guidance, inside the exact joint or tendon that hurts. Before and after your treatment, Dr. Felipe Salgado leads your online consultations.
Questions
Your questions, answered.
Am I a candidate?
If you have arthritis in the wrist, thumb or finger joints (grades 1 to 3), or a partial tear of a tendon or ligament in the hand or wrist, you may be. Grade 4 (“bone on bone”) can also be treated, after your specialist reviews your images. Send your X-ray or MRI and a specialist reviews it for free, so your plan is designed for you before you spend anything.
What do the stem cells actually do in my hand?
They release signals that may calm inflammation inside the joint, slow the enzymes that wear down cartilage, and support repair in partial tears of tendons and ligaments. The aim is less pain and better use of your hand.
When will I notice a difference?
Gradually. After the application you rest at the hotel, one elevator away, with your coordinator checking on you. Improvement is usually expected between 4 and 6 months, and some patients keep improving at 8 months.
How many visits and applications will I need?
One treatment day in Medellín, plus three online consultations: one before and two after. At about six months your team checks your progress: when pain and function improved by more than 20%, a second application may be recommended to build on it.
Which tests do I need?
An X-ray or an MRI of the hand or wrist, and the report if you have it. If you don't have one, your coordinator can arrange an MRI in Medellín from $200 per body area, or an X-ray from $60, with transfers included.
Should I stop my medication?
Do not stop any medication on your own. Your doctor reviews what you take in your online consultation. After the application you take only what your doctor recommends, and no anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs such as ibuprofen), so the cells can work on their own.
How do you keep me safe?
Your specialist reviews your health history before you book anything, so your plan is designed for you. The treatment is for people without active cancer, and anything else, such as an infection in the hand, is checked case by case.
Can I treat both hands on the same trip?
Yes. Both hands can be treated on the same day. The whole hand, or both hands, are quoted after your free case review.
How much does it cost?
The wrist starts from $1,799 USD: the stem cells, the guided application in the operating room with local anesthesia, and a consultation with the doctor. The whole hand, or both hands, are quoted after your free case review. The thumb alone starts from $1,399: the application and an online consultation, without hotel or transfers. The Marriott Hotel in the same building, airport transfers, sedation and exosomes can be added to your plan, and your coordinator sends that price in writing. Your exact price is confirmed after your consultation.
Is it legal and safe?
Stem cell therapy is not approved by the FDA, but in Colombia it is legal. Your application is done by a specialist physician in a fully equipped operating room, with ultrasound guidance, after your case has been reviewed.
Your next step
Your hands still have work to do.
Send a photo of your X-ray or your MRI report. A specialist reviews it for free and tells you how stem cells can help your hand or wrist, before you spend anything.