Colorado Springs man: Experimental stem-cell procedure …

Sandy Francis, a tennis player, has received four stem cell treatments to both elbows, right knee, and most recently his back and has been able to go back to playing. Advocates and patients say that this technique works wonders, and keeps people from having to get knee replacements. Photo by Logan Riely, The Gazette

He opted for liposuction and a shot.

The unusual treatment - an injection of stem cells culled from fat in his abdomen - ranks among one of the fastest growing, yet least regulated or researched trends in medicine.

Clinics offering stem cell injections for worn-down knees, bad backs or even face-lifts have sprouted across the nation, growing from just a handful in 2010 to more than 170 as of mid-May, according to The Associated Press.

In Colorado Springs, one such center opened in February offering orthopedic stem cell treatments, touting itself as the first of its kind in the Pikes Peak region. Leaders of that clinic, Spine & Joint Solutions, declined to be interviewed for this article.

The leader of another clinic, Robert Andrews Laser and Medical Aesthetics, said it offers a face-lift using another treatment apparently rich in stem cells.

Francis said the treatment to his knees - one of which appeared ready for a replacement - and an elbow has helped him regain an active lifestyle of tennis, biking and sailing.

"For me, it's been fantastic," said Francis, who owns three salons in Colorado Springs.

But while such stem cell procedures have exploded in popularity, researchers say the treatments are poorly studied and unproven.

For example, more research is needed to determine the treatment's effectiveness and proper dosing techniques before it is used on a regular basis, said Jay Lieberman, professor and chairman of the department of orthopedic surgery at the University of Southern California's Keck School of Medicine.

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