Regenerative Medicine & Therapy in South Jordan & Draper, UT
Salt Lake County's Top-rated Clinic for Regenerative Medicine
Written by Dr. Alec Laracuente, NMD, PhD and Dr. Steven Chalk, DC · Freedom Integrated Medicine, South Jordan, UT · Last updated October 2026
Freedom Integrated Medicine is the top-rated and most trusted regenerative medicine clinic in Salt Lake County, serving South Jordan and Draper, UT, with more than 300 five-star Google reviews and a 5.0 rating. We treat chronic knee, back, hip, and shoulder pain, arthritis, sciatica, neuropathy, and lingering auto accident injuries with regenerative injections (stem cell therapy, PRP, and A2M), cold laser therapy, chiropractic care, and spinal and knee decompression, coordinated in one clinic by the same doctors. The goal is to help your body repair the tissue behind the pain so you can get back to working, sleeping, and moving without surgery and without medication. Dr. Alec Laracuente, NMD, PhD and Dr. Steven Chalk, DC treat patients in English and Spanish. Every plan begins with the $49 New Patient Special, a one-on-one consultation, full exam, and X-rays at our clinic on Daybreak Parkway in South Jordan, a short drive from Draper, Riverton, Herriman, Sandy, and West Jordan.
Regenerative Medicine
We use regenerative injections, including stem cell therapy, PRP treatment, and A2M, to deliver repair materials straight into a worn joint, tendon, or disc. These injections calm the joint and help your body repair the damaged tissue behind your pain, so you can heal without surgery and keep your own joint.
Cold Laser Therapy
Cold laser therapy uses specific wavelengths of light to switch on the energy production inside your cells, which calms inflammation and speeds up local repair. It is painless, takes only minutes, and we use it for neuropathy and for joints too inflamed to settle on their own.
Decompression Therapy
Our non-surgical spinal decompression and knee decompression gently separate the bones to take pressure off a compressed disc or worn joint. That creates space, draws in fluid and nutrients, and gives the structure room to heal, which relieves pain at its source.
Chiropractic Care
Our chiropractic care uses precise, gentle adjustments to correct the alignment that makes a joint or spine wear unevenly. Restoring the mechanics takes pressure off irritated nerves and helps any injection or decompression hold, so your body moves the way it should again.
Regenerative medicine is a group of treatments that help your body repair the tissue behind your pain, so the worn joint or disc itself gets better and the relief has a reason to last. We built our program around four tools that work together, with the injection delivering the repair materials while cold laser, chiropractic care, and decompression improve the circulation, pressure, and alignment those materials need. That combination is what lets our integrative and regenerative care reach the source of the pain.
What Regenerative Medicine Is, and What It Does Inside a Worn Joint
Regenerative medicine is the branch of medicine that restores, replaces, or regenerates damaged cells and tissues so they can work normally again, and for joint, spine, tendon, and nerve pain it means placing concentrated repair material, most often drawn from your own body, where healing has stalled. That matches how the FDA describes the field, as restoring, replacing, or recreating cells, tissues, or organs to treat disease, and the part of it that has reached everyday pain care is often called orthobiologics, meaning biologic injections for muscles, bones, and joints.
An arthritic knee or a frayed tendon sits in a steady bath of inflammation and enzymes that keep breaking tissue down. Platelets, cells, and proteins like A2M shift that balance by calming the inflammation, slowing the breakdown, and signaling the body’s own repair cells to the area, which is why relief tends to build over several weeks and outlast a steroid shot.
Our Four Regenerative Treatments
Regenerative Injections, From Stem Cells to PRP
Injections are the part of regenerative medicine most people ask about, and they are how we deliver repair materials straight into a damaged joint, tendon, or disc. We use three kinds, chosen from what your exam and imaging show. Platelet-rich plasma, or PRP, concentrates the healing factors from a small draw of your own blood and places them exactly where the tissue is struggling. Stem cell injections deliver cells that calm inflammation and signal the body’s own repair process, which is why they so often help patients with bone-on-bone knees and arthritic hips. A2M, short for alpha-2-macroglobulin, is a protein that traps and slows the enzymes that break cartilage down, so it can protect a joint that is still deteriorating.
The patients who respond best usually have chronic wear in a knee, hip, shoulder, or disc, often arthritis that has been building for years, and many arrive after being told a replacement is the only option left. For PRP we draw a little blood, spin it down while you wait, and inject the concentrate into the joint. You feel a brief pinch and maybe mild soreness for a day or two, then drive yourself home with nothing to recover from.
A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials found mesenchymal stem cell injections improved pain and function in knee osteoarthritis, which matches what we see in our own exam rooms, and for patients who want to read further we keep our own collection of the stem cell research.
Cold Laser Therapy for Nerves and Inflamed Joints
Cold laser therapy uses specific wavelengths of light that pass into the tissue and switch on the energy production inside your cells. That extra energy calms inflammation and improves blood flow, so a struggling joint or nerve can finish the repair it could not manage on its own. You feel a mild warmth and nothing more, and each area takes only a few minutes.
We reach for it most with neuropathy, where the small nerves in the feet and hands have lost the steady blood supply they need, and the burning and numbness start to ease as circulation improves. We also use it around a recent injection, because a calmer, better-perfused joint is a friendlier place for repair.
A systematic review and meta-analysis of placebo-controlled trials found low-level laser therapy reduced pain and disability in knee osteoarthritis, and in years of use we have seen it help without a serious side effect, which is why it fits nearly every plan.
Chiropractic Care That Restores the Mechanics
A joint or spine that is out of alignment wears unevenly, and no injection will hold if the mechanics that caused the damage keep grinding away. Chiropractic care corrects the alignment so the joint moves and loads the way it was built to. Dr. Chalk has performed more than 75,000 adjustments and Dr. Creer well over 100,000, using precise, gentle techniques matched to your age and comfort, never one forceful method applied to everyone.
I got into this work because of a bulged disc in my own twenties, so I know how much a gentle, well-explained adjustment matters. Careful adjustments are often what turns long-standing back and neck pain around, and when the alignment is corrected and the joint stops wearing on the same spot, the tissue we treated with an injection has a fair chance to stay healthy.
Spinal and Knee Decompression
Decompression gently separates the bones of the spine or the knee to take pressure off a compressed disc or a worn joint. Relieving that pressure draws fluid and nutrients back into the disc or cartilage and gives it room to heal instead of being crushed a little more with every step. On our spinal decompression table the pull is slow and controlled, and most patients find it relaxing. For knees, our knee decompression program unloads the joint in the same way so the cartilage gets a break from constant compression.
We use it for herniated and bulging discs, for the leg pain of sciatica, and for knees worn thin by arthritis. It is frequently the alternative to disc surgery, and a double-blind randomized controlled trial of non-surgical spinal decompression for lumbar disc herniation found the herniation regressed on follow-up imaging, which is the kind of structural change no pain pill can produce.
How PRP, Stem Cells, A2M, and Cortisone Compare Inside a Worn Joint
Most people who sit down with us in South Jordan have already had cortisone or a gel shot wear off, so here are the options side by side, the way we sketch them in the exam room. This is the quick overview, and our PRP treatment and stem cell therapy pages cover each one in depth.
Option
What it is
Where it comes from
What it does in the joint
Who it tends to fit
Recovery and timing
Platelets concentrated from a small draw of your blood
You, drawn and spun during the same visit
Delivers growth factors that signal repair and calm inflammation
Tendon problems, earlier arthritis, strained ligaments and discs
About a 30-minute visit and a day or two of soreness, with change building over several weeks
Cells that support the repair of cartilage and soft tissue
TBC
Releases signals that settle inflammation and recruit the body’s own repair cells
Moderate to advanced arthritis, including knees described as bone on bone
Similar soreness to PRP, with deeper change continuing over the following months
A2M (alpha-2-macroglobulin)
A protein that traps the enzymes that break cartilage down
Concentrated from your own blood
Slows the loss of the cartilage you still have
Joints that are still actively wearing down, often paired with PRP or stem cells
Mild soreness for a day or two
Cortisone (steroid shot)
A steroid that switches inflammation off
Pharmaceutical
Quiets inflammation without repairing tissue, and repeated rounds are linked to cartilage loss
Short-term relief of a flare
Relief often fades within weeks to a few months
Hyaluronic acid (gel shot)
A lubricating gel injected into the joint
Manufactured
Adds temporary cushioning and lubrication
Mild arthritis while other care is arranged
Relief, when it comes, usually lasts a few months
Knee or hip replacement
Surgery that removes the joint surfaces and replaces them with an implant
Metal and plastic implant
Replaces the joint entirely
End-stage joints where repair is no longer realistic
Weeks to months of rehab, and the original joint is gone for good
The difference that matters most over the long run is what happens to the cartilage. A two-year randomized trial published in JAMA found that knee injections of triamcinolone, a common cortisone, every twelve weeks led to more cartilage loss than saline injections with no better pain relief, which is why we treat a fourth or fifth round of cortisone as a warning sign rather than a plan. For a patient in Draper or South Jordan weighing a replacement date against one more steroid shot, your exam and X-rays tell us which row fits your joint.
Who We See Most, and Who Should Look Elsewhere
The person we treat most often is between fifty and eighty, has been managing a knee, back, hip, or shoulder for five years or longer, and has been told the next stop is an injection every few months or a joint replacement. Weekend athletes with a stubborn tendon, people rebuilding after a car accident, and patients with chronic knee pain or the burning, numb feet of neuropathy fill out most of our days. If you are still hurting after everything conservative has been tried, you are the person this was built for.
Regenerative medicine is not right for everyone, and we will tell you when it is not. It cannot regrow a joint already replaced with hardware, it is not a treatment for an active infection or a suspected tumor, and a severe, complete tendon or ligament rupture sometimes still needs a surgeon first. If your situation falls outside what we can help, the $49 exam is still worth doing, because we would rather point you toward the right care than start a plan that will not work.
From Your First Phone Call to Your First Treatment
The Call and the First Visit
When you call, our friendly front desk staff will get you scheduled. Your first visit is the $49 New Patient Special, a real one-on-one consultation with a doctor, a full physical exam, and X-rays. We are looking for the actual source of the pain, the alignment and joint space a rushed appointment elsewhere may have missed.
The Report of Findings
Before any treatment starts, we sit down and go over exactly what we found and what is causing your pain, then lay out a personalized plan and what it will cost, explained before you decide anything. We only recommend a plan we believe will work for you, and if we do not think we can help, we say that.
What Treatment and Recovery Feel Like, Week by Week
The week before. We ask you to pause over-the-counter anti-inflammatories such as ibuprofen and naproxen for about a week, because they blunt the platelet activity the injection depends on, and acetaminophen is usually fine in the meantime. If a doctor prescribed a blood thinner or a daily aspirin for your heart, keep taking it and tell us, and we will coordinate with that doctor.
The day of. Eat a normal meal and drink plenty of water before the blood draw. A PRP visit usually takes about half an hour and a cell-based treatment closer to an hour, and you drive yourself home afterward.
The first few days. Expect the joint to feel full or sore, which is the healing response getting started, and most people are back to their normal routine within two to three days. Walking is encouraged, and we ask you to stay off anti-inflammatories for about a week afterward.
Weeks one through six. You come back for cold laser, decompression, or adjustments on the schedule in your plan, and this is when patients most often tell us they slept through the night for the first time in months.
Week six and beyond. Repair keeps going long after the soreness is gone, so this is when we load the joint harder and plan your return to what brought you in, whether that is the trails in Corner Canyon above Draper, a weekly pickleball game, or a full ski season.
Patients drive to us from Draper, Daybreak, Riverton, Herriman, Sandy, and West Jordan because that mix of a serious plan and an easy visit is hard to find.
Why Patients Across Salt Lake County Trust Us With This
Everything lives in one building and one plan. We are one of the few clinics in Utah practicing integrative and regenerative medicine together, so every part of your care is coordinated by the same doctors who examined you. A clinic that owns only an injection has to make your problem fit that tool, while we can heal a joint at a deeper level because we treat the tissue and the mechanics at once.
That structure is what lets us go after whatever is actually driving the pain, because pills and repeat cortisone quiet the signal while the wear keeps going, and a healthier disc or joint has less reason to hurt.
Our track record is why patients across the valley trust us to do it. We hold a 5.0 Google rating across more than 300 five-star reviews, have helped thousands of patients since 2020, and have earned features in the Salt Lake Tribune, Deseret News, and on Telemundo.
Dr. Alec and Dr. Chalk both treat and explain in English and Spanish, so a Spanish-speaking patient gets the exam, the findings, and the plan directly from the doctor and never filtered through a family member.
Questions to Ask Any Regenerative Medicine Clinic in Utah
Regenerative medicine has gotten crowded along the Wasatch Front, with med spas and national franchises all advertising stem cells, and from the outside the ads look nearly identical. These are the questions we would want our own parents to ask.
Who examines me, and who oversees the injection? Here, injection-based care is led by Dr. Alec Laracuente, a licensed naturopathic medical doctor who completed a family practice and pain management residency, and he is the same doctor who reviews your exam and X-rays.
How will the injection reach the right spot? A product that lands beside the damaged tissue does very little for it, so ask how the clinic confirms placement before the needle goes in.
What exactly is in the syringe, and how was it prepared? A trustworthy clinic can name the product, its source, and how it was screened and processed without hesitating. I (Dr. Alec) will not put anything into a patient’s joint that I cannot trace back to where it came from.
What will I be asked to sign? Utah’s 2026 stem cell disclosure law requires clinics offering stem cell therapy to give you a written notice and a consent form covering the treatment, its regulatory status, the results to expect, your alternatives, and the risks. We go through ours with you line by line at your report of findings.
Will you tell me if I am a poor candidate? A clinic that says yes to everyone is selling a product. We turn people away when the exam shows regenerative care is the wrong tool, and we tell them where to go next.
What Our Patients Say
What Staying Stuck Really Costs
Staying stuck has its own steep price. It looks like more years of pain, a medication list that keeps growing, and often the surgery you have been trying to avoid.
Set against that, the $49 New Patient Special is the small, certain step that replaces guessing. For less than the cost of many copays, you get a consultation, a full exam, and X-rays, and walk out knowing the real reason you hurt before spending a dollar on treatment. Because every body is different, the exact plan and investment are set at your report of findings, with everything explained before you decide.
Insurance rarely enters the picture for these treatments. Medicare’s national coverage policy for platelet-rich plasma is written around chronic wounds that will not heal, such as diabetic foot ulcers, and joint and spine injections generally fall outside it, while most private insurers classify PRP and stem cell injections for joints as investigational. That is why we write out the full cost and go over your payment options before you commit to anything.
Regenerative Medicine Questions We Hear in South Jordan and Draper
What is regenerative medicine and how does it work?
Regenerative medicine is a set of treatments that help your own body repair damaged joints, discs, tendons, and nerves, combining regenerative injections with cold laser therapy, chiropractic care, or decompression. It uses the same biology your body relies on for everyday repair, concentrated and delivered where healing has stalled.
Where can I get regenerative medicine near me in South Jordan or Draper?
Freedom Integrated Medicine offers regenerative medicine at 4775 W. Daybreak Parkway, STE 102, in South Jordan, UT, a short drive for patients in Draper, Daybreak, Riverton, Herriman, Sandy, and West Jordan. We are open Monday through Wednesday from 9:30 AM to 6:00 PM, Thursday from 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM, and Friday from 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM. Call (801) 571-1338 or schedule online, and our friendly front desk staff will set up your $49 New Patient Special.
What conditions and joints can regenerative therapy treat?
Regenerative therapy helps with osteoarthritis, degenerative disc disease, tendon and ligament injuries, sciatica, neuropathy, and lingering pain from sports and auto injuries. Knees and the lower back make up the largest share of what we see, followed by hips and shoulders.
Does regenerative therapy work for knees?
Yes, knees are where regenerative therapy has its strongest track record, and a meta-analysis of randomized trials found that PRP gave better symptom relief and fewer repeat procedures than hyaluronic acid and other nonsurgical injections for knee osteoarthritis. Knees are also the joint we treat most often at our South Jordan clinic, and the strongest responses come when the injection is paired with knee decompression.
Is regenerative medicine a good alternative to joint replacement surgery?
For many people with joint pain, regenerative medicine is a reasonable alternative to surgery because it repairs your own joint rather than removing and replacing it, with no operating room and no long recovery. Many of our patients came in after being told a replacement was their only option and have used regenerative treatment to postpone or avoid it, because protecting the cartilage that remains and calming the joint can make surgery no longer urgent. A replacement remains available later if you ever need it, so trying repair first closes no doors.
Can I have regenerative treatment if I have already had surgery?
Yes, many people who have already had orthopedic or spine surgery are good candidates for regenerative treatment, as long as the area being treated is still their own tissue rather than an artificial joint. We regularly see patients whose back or knee pain came back after an operation, and regenerative care is often how they avoid a second one.
What is the difference between PRP and stem cell therapy?
PRP uses the growth factors in your own platelets to signal repair and usually fits tendon problems and earlier arthritis, while stem cell therapy is usually reserved for more advanced wear. Many plans combine the two with A2M, and our PRP treatment and stem cell therapy pages explain how we choose between them.
How do I know if I am a candidate for regenerative therapy?
Good candidates usually have chronic joint, disc, tendon, or nerve pain that has not responded to conservative care, and the $49 exam and X-rays are how we know for certain. Fresher injuries have more repair capacity, but long-standing problems still respond well, so it is rarely too late to be seen.
Who is not a good candidate for regenerative medicine?
Regenerative medicine is usually not recommended for people who are pregnant or nursing, have active cancer or are in chemotherapy or radiation, have an active infection, have a significantly weakened immune system, or depend on dialysis. Very low platelet counts and certain blood disorders can also rule out PRP, and if any of these apply to you, we will say so at your exam.
How long does it take to see results, and how many treatments will I need?
Many patients notice a difference within a few weeks, often better sleep or more range of motion before the pain itself lifts, while deeper repair from injections continues over the following months. Most plans involve a series of visits over several weeks rather than a single treatment, with the exact number set after your exam at the report of findings.
How long do the results of regenerative medicine last?
Relief from regenerative injections commonly lasts six months or longer, and PRP has proven more durable than cortisone or hyaluronic acid injections. How long your results last depends on how much wear the joint had to begin with and whether the forces that caused the damage get corrected, which is why we pair injections with chiropractic care and decompression.
Is regenerative therapy painful, and is it safe?
Regenerative therapy is well tolerated and very safe, especially treatments like PRP that use your own blood, and there is essentially no downtime. Injections involve a brief pinch and sometimes a day or two of soreness at the site, while cold laser therapy and decompression are painless. Serious side effects are rare.
Is stem cell therapy legal in Utah, and what should a clinic give me in writing?
Yes, licensed practitioners in Utah can provide stem cell therapy, and state law requires the clinic to give you a written notice and have you sign a consent form before treatment. That form explains the treatment, its regulatory status, the results you can expect, your alternatives, and the risks, and at our South Jordan clinic we go over it with you in English or Spanish.
How much does regenerative medicine cost, and does insurance cover it?
The cost varies by the treatment and the number of sessions your body needs, so there is no single price, and every plan starts with the $49 New Patient Special. We go over the full cost and your payment options with you at that visit.
Can I get regenerative treatment explained in Spanish?
Yes, Dr. Alec Laracuente and Dr. Steven Chalk both examine, explain findings, and treat patients in Spanish at our South Jordan clinic, so you hear your plan directly from the doctor. Dr. Chalk speaks fluent Spanish from two years of service in Mexico, and Dr. Alec trained and practiced in Puerto Rico. Our Spanish-language pages cover the conditions we treat most, including dolor de rodilla and neuropatía.
Why should I choose Freedom Integrated Medicine for regenerative medicine in South Jordan and Draper, UT?
Patients in South Jordan and Draper choose us for our track record: a 5.0 Google rating across more than 300 five-star reviews and thousands of patients helped since 2020. Our licensed doctors treat chronic joint pain, arthritis, sciatica, and neuropathy without surgery and without medication to manage for life, combining regenerative injections, cold laser therapy, chiropractic care, and decompression in one coordinated plan. Dr. Alec and Dr. Chalk treat in English and Spanish, and every plan starts with a full $49 exam so you know the source of your pain before you invest a dollar in treatment. If we are not the right fit for you, we will tell you.
Visit Our Regenerative Medicine Center in South Jordan
We are on Daybreak Parkway in South Jordan, a short drive from Draper, Daybreak, Riverton, Herriman, Sandy, and West Jordan, and we treat patients from across the Salt Lake Valley. If you would rather repair your body than replace a part of it, we can help you find out what is possible. Book the $49 New Patient Special and let us find the reason you hurt.
Freedom Integrated Medicine
4775 W. Daybreak Parkway, STE 102, South Jordan, UT 84009
Phone: (801) 571-1338
Hours:
Monday to Wednesday: 9:30 AM to 6:00 PM
Thursday: 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM
Friday: 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM
Book your $49 New Patient Special today, and let us help you get back to working, living, playing, and sleeping without pain.
Meet The Doctors
About Your Doctors
Dr. Steven Chalk, DC
Dr. Steven Chalk, DC founded Freedom Integrated Medicine after a bulged disc in his own twenties showed him what it feels like to be told to just live with it. He holds a Bachelor's in Exercise Science from BYU and a Doctorate in Chiropractic from Parker University, has performed more than 75,000 adjustments, and is the author of "The Future of Healing," a book on neuropathy and degenerative knee conditions. Dr. Chalk treats patients in English and Spanish.
Dr. Alec Laracuente, NMD, PhD
Dr. Alec Laracuente, NMD, PhD is a licensed Naturopathic Medical Doctor with a PhD in Integrative Medicine and a Doctorate in Naturopathic Medicine from the University of Turabo, Puerto Rico. He completed a Family Practice and Pain Management Residency at the Institute of Pain Care of the Caribbean and leads our regenerative medicine program for spinal conditions, knee pain, and neuropathy. He treats patients in English and Spanish.
Dr. Dustin Creer, DC
Dr. Dustin Creer, DC earned his Doctorate of Chiropractic and Master's of Sports Medicine from the University of Western States in Portland, Oregon, after an undergraduate degree in Sports and Exercise Science from Utah Valley University. He has trained across multiple chiropractic disciplines and worked with athletes at every level, from youth and amateur to professional and Olympic, and he favors holistic, gentle techniques tailored to each patient. Over his career he has performed well over 100,000 adjustments.