Stem Cell Therapy for Spinal Cord Injury in Dallas

Innovations Stem Cell Center was named Top Stem Cell Treatment Center In The USA by Life Sciences Review (2025 and 2026).

A spinal cord injury changes everything, for the person injured and for the family around them. Once the acute hospital care and early rehab are done, many people are told the main path forward is ongoing therapy and managing complications. Some patients and families choose to explore stem cell therapy using the patient’s own fat-derived cells as an option alongside that care. Our Dallas clinic has offered adult stem cell therapy since late 2012, led by Dr. Bill Johnson, a physician since 1983.

The FDA has not approved the use of adult stem cells/SVF for any disorder, including spinal cord injury.

Call (972) 893-9849 or schedule a consultation.

Life After a Spinal Cord Injury

A spinal cord injury can cause anything from weakness in one arm or leg to paralysis below the neck, depending on where the injury is and whether it’s complete or incomplete. It can also affect bladder and bowel control, blood pressure, breathing, skin and sexual function, and it often brings chronic nerve pain and muscle spasms. After the injury is stabilized, standard care is mainly rehabilitation and managing these complications. There’s currently no accepted medical treatment that repairs the spinal cord.

What Stem Cell Therapy Can and Can’t Do

Stem cell therapy does not rebuild a damaged spinal cord, and it is not a replacement for rehab or your medical team. Fat-derived stem cells are studied for their effects on inflammation and on the signals cells use to communicate, which is why researchers are interested in them for nerve injuries. Some patients report changes such as less nerve pain or spasm, or small gains in sensation or function; others notice no change. Individual results vary.

How We Use Your Own Fat-Derived Cells

Fat is a rich source of adult stem cells, and using your own cells means no donor tissue. Under local anesthesia, a small amount of fat (about 50 ml, roughly 3 tablespoons) is removed from the abdomen or thigh through a thin cannula. In our lab, the stem cells and other regenerative cells (called stromal vascular fraction, or SVF) are separated from the fat. Read more about adipose-derived stem cells.

Your Treatment Day

1. Records review. Before you book, we review your MRI, injury level and history.
2. Fat harvest under local anesthesia.
3. Processing in our Dallas lab.
4. Image-guided placement. Dr. Bill Johnson and Dr. James Davis, with a radiology technologist using C-arm fluoroscopy, place your cells in the soft tissue and epidural space around the injury level. Cells are not injected into the spinal cord itself.
5. IV dose. A portion of your cells is given by IV.
6. Acoustic wave therapy. Our medical staff deliver AWT, included in the $19,000.

It’s an outpatient visit that takes about 5 hours; you go home or back to your hotel the same day.

Who May Be a Candidate?

There’s no minimum time since injury: patients can be treated at any point after their injury, whether it was recent or years ago. Whether an injury is complete or incomplete, we review every case. Active infection (including pressure sores or urinary tract infections), active cancer, or being medically unstable can rule out treatment, and blood thinners may need to be adjusted. Dr. Johnson and Dr. Davis review every case individually.

Keep Up Your Rehab and Your Care Team

Keep doing your physical and occupational therapy and keep seeing your physiatrist and other doctors. Stem cell therapy is used alongside that care, not instead of it. We’re glad to share records with your care team.

Cost and Financing

Stem cell therapy is not covered by Medicare, Medicaid or private insurance. Financing is available; contact us and we’ll help you apply.

Traveling to Dallas

Many patients travel to us from out of state. Our team helps schedule around flights, with complimentary stays at nearby partner hotels (accessible rooms on request) and pre-treatment lab work. See our Neurological Recovery Center for travel details.

Frequently Asked Questions About Stem Cell Therapy for Spinal Cord Injury

Can stem cell therapy help a spinal cord injury?

Some patients report less nerve pain or spasm, or small gains in sensation or function, while others notice no change. Stem cell therapy does not rebuild the spinal cord and is not FDA-approved for spinal cord injury. Individual results vary.

Where can I get stem cell treatment for a spinal cord injury?

Innovations Stem Cell Center in Dallas, Texas, offers stem cell therapy for spinal cord injury using your own fat-derived cells. Patients come from across the U.S., and we help with travel and hotel stays.

How much does stem cell therapy for spinal cord injury cost?

At Innovations Stem Cell Center in Dallas, the first spinal cord injury treatment is $19,000, including an IV dose and acoustic wave therapy. Follow-up treatments are $14,500. Financing is available.

Does insurance or Medicare cover stem cell therapy for spinal cord injury?

No. Medicare, Medicaid and private insurance do not cover stem cell therapy. It is a cash-pay treatment, and financing is available.

How are the stem cells given?

Your own fat-derived cells are placed with imaging guidance in the tissue and epidural space around the injury level, and a portion is given by IV. Cells are not injected into the spinal cord itself. The treatment day takes about 5 hours.

Should I stop physical therapy or my medications?

No. Keep up your rehab and follow your doctors’ advice. Stem cell therapy is used alongside your usual care, not instead of it.

How long after my injury can I be treated?

There’s no minimum waiting period. Patients can be treated at any point after their injury, recent or years later. We review every case individually.

Talk With Our Team

Send us your MRI and history, and we’ll tell you honestly whether treatment makes sense. Call (972) 893-9849 or schedule a consultation. Individual results vary.