Thumb CMC (basal joint) arthritis
The most common hand indication. Painful pinch, weak grip, a surgical recommendation in hand. Often the best response in early disease, though no stage rules you out. Injected into the joint under ultrasound.
Stem cell therapy for hands: thumb, fingers, and wrist.
For thumb basal joint arthritis, finger osteoarthritis, and wrist tendinopathy that splinting, physical therapy, and cortisone have stopped holding, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are delivered under ultrasound to the joint and the structures around it. It's an option to evaluate before fusion or joint replacement, not a guaranteed way around surgery, and not every hand qualifies.
Who qualifies for stem cell therapy in the hand?
You've been told fusion or replacement. For thumb CMC and small finger joints, the standard surgical answer is fusion, ligament reconstruction with tendon interposition (LRTI), or a small-joint implant. All work in the right hands. None are reversible.
Patients with preserved joint structure and a clear inflammatory driver are often worth evaluating first. Thumb CMC arthritis is largely driven by the supporting ligaments going lax, so we treat the joint and the structures around it, not only the cartilage.
If your hand surgeon has recommended fusion or arthroplasty but the joint still has real structure, an evaluation is a reasonable next step. You don't need to bring imaging: we assess the joint live on ultrasound, read any films you do have, and tell you plainly.
Strong fit
Thumb CMC arthritis at any stage, with pinch painful but still possible. Early disease often responds best; advanced disease is not ruled out.
Not a fit
An unstable thumb column, or nerve-driven pain such as carpal tunnel or cubital tunnel: surgery or release is the correct tool. We'll tell you directly, and explain why.
Which hand and wrist conditions do we evaluate?
Every evaluation rests on the physician team, your history, and the joint assessed live on ultrasound. Not every diagnosis qualifies. Candidacy is decided on staging, structure, and your specific case.
Finger and IP joint osteoarthritis
Distal and proximal interphalangeal (DIP and PIP) joint OA, Heberden's and Bouchard's nodes, with inflammatory hand pain. Painful grip, morning stiffness, deformity not yet severe. Often paired with a systemic IV.
Wrist osteoarthritis and tendon conditions
Wrist osteoarthritis with preserved structure. De Quervain's, ECU, and FCR tendinopathy, triangular fibrocartilage complex (TFCC) injury, and early-stage trigger finger (stenosing tenosynovitis). Where splinting, physical therapy, and cortisone have stopped holding.
How does a hand treatment run?
Small joints demand precision. Cells are delivered under high-resolution ultrasound, in-plane, with needle position confirmed before release. The dose is calibrated to the joint volume, not the body.
Joint cases like yours use bone-marrow and umbilical-cord MSCs, often in combination and sometimes with chondrocytes for cartilage support. The exact recipe, which cells, what doses, which routes, is decided by Celva's physician team after assessing the joint, by exam and ultrasound, and reviewing any imaging you have. Why we use multiple cell types →
The entire procedure is physician-supervised at Hospital Angeles, Tijuana. A Celva driver brings you from San Diego; most patients are home the same day. Light daily use is fine; protect the hand for 7 to 10 days.
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Exam and candidacy
A 15-minute call with a patient coordinator, who gathers your history and any films you have for the physician team to review. Prior imaging isn't required: we look at the joint and its stability on live ultrasound at your visit. You'll hear either way, in writing.
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Dose and targets
Cell dose calibrated to joint volume, number of joints, and the same-day systemic IV.
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Ultrasound-guided injection
15 to 30 minutes. High-resolution ultrasound every time, no blind injection, no palpation-only technique, with each target confirmed before release. Local anesthetic, with twilight sedation available if you want it (no general): a still, comfortable patient lets the physician place each target precisely.
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Systemic IV
About 45 minutes, monitored. A second MSC dose IV in the infusion suite. The IV and the injection are designed to work together.
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Check-ins, then once a year
Your patient coordinator or aftercare specialist follows up for good, not just once: a pain-and-safety call at 1 week, then calls at 1, 3 and 6 months, then once a year, by phone or video, asking what you can grip, pinch, and hold again. A physician joins when needed.
How long does a treated hand take to respond, and what won't we promise?
No outcome guarantees. What you get is a thorough evaluation, a realistic conversation, and treatment delivered to pharmaceutical-grade standards. Here is what hand candidates generally report.
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~ 30 days
Inflammation down
Morning stiffness shorter, less throbbing at rest. Pinch pain may still be present on loading.
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~ 90 days
Function returns
For most qualifying candidates, grip and pinch come back: jars open, keys turn, a page gets written without stopping. Not everyone, and not all at once.
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~ 180 days
The 6-month review
Some patients report near-complete relief. Others see partial improvement. Whether a second treatment makes sense is decided at your follow-up reviews.
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Through year 1
Still building
Improvement can keep building through the first year. How long results hold varies, and heavy mechanical demand shortens it.
Hand patients often report function returning ahead of pain. The ability to pinch a key or grip a coffee cup comes back before resting pain drops to zero.
Questions about stem cell therapy for hands
Can stem cell therapy replace thumb CMC surgery?
Not a guaranteed replacement, but a legitimate option to evaluate first. We treat thumb arthritis at every stage. Early disease often responds better, and advanced disease is not an automatic no. Candidacy is decided on exam and live ultrasound, so you don't need to bring imaging.
How long before I notice improvement?
Most hand patients begin noticing change between 4 and 8 weeks, and improvement can keep building through the first year. Function often improves ahead of pain. Your patient coordinator or aftercare specialist checks in at 1 week, then at 1, 3 and 6 months, then once a year, so you are not tracking it alone. You feel it in the small things first: a key turned, a jar opened, a full page written.
Can multiple finger joints be treated in one session?
Yes, multi-joint protocols are common for finger OA. Each target is injected separately under ultrasound. The systemic IV adjunct addresses inflammation across joints not directly injected.
Does the injection hurt?
Local anesthetic is always used, with twilight sedation available if you want it. Sedation is not only for comfort. When you're relaxed and still, the physician can deliver the injection precisely and place the full dose where it's needed; pain or guarding can get in the way of that. Most patients feel little to nothing. Mild soreness for 24 to 72 hours is common, and splinting is generally not required. Light daily use is fine; protect the hand for the first 7 to 10 days.
What about carpal tunnel or trigger finger?
Carpal tunnel is a nerve-compression problem and isn't an MSC indication. Trigger finger occasionally responds in early stages, but the durable answer is usually A1 pulley release. We'll be direct about which tool fits.
Start with an honest read.
Your first call is with a Celva patient coordinator. Celva's physician team then reviews your history, goals, and any imaging you have, and tells you plainly whether MSC therapy is a realistic option for your hand. If it isn't, we'll say so.
Not medical advice. Individual results vary. All patients undergo physician screening before treatment is recommended.