What is the StemSpine® protocol?

OmniStem’s advanced therapy using UC-MSCs and exosomes to target spinal disc degeneration and reduce pain.

Which spinal conditions can it treat?

It is commonly used for degenerative disc disease, herniated discs, chronic back pain, and radiculopathy.

How is the procedure performed?

Injections are guided by fluoroscopy or ultrasound to ensure precision and safety.

What is the recovery time?

Most patients return to daily activities within days; regenerative benefits develop over weeks to months.

Do I need to travel to Punta Cana?

Yes. Treatments are performed exclusively at OmniStem’s Punta Cana clinic with concierge services for international patients.

StemSpine® Stem Cell Therapy for Back Pain and Spine

Understanding back pain and the potential of regenerative medicine

StemSpine® combines UC-MSC and exosome therapies to support the body’s own anti-inflammatory response and address the biological drivers of spinal degeneration. As a non-surgical treatment for back pain, every protocol is physician-supervised and built around your evaluation, imaging, and history.

A Regenerative Approach to Spinal Health

StemSpine® uses two things together: UC-MSC (mesenchymal stem cells from umbilical cord tissue) and the exosomes they release. As a form of stem cell therapy for spine conditions, every protocol is physician-supervised and built around your specific spinal condition, imaging, and overall health.

Spinal Tissue Support

UC-MSC therapies are designed to support the biological environment around damaged spinal structures, including intervertebral discs and vertebral tissue. Their potential to contribute to disc health and tissue repair is an area of active clinical investigation.

Pain and Inflammation Support

UC-MSC-derived exosomes carry anti-inflammatory signaling molecules that may help modulate pain-related inflammatory pathways. Protocols are designed to deliver these biologics to the affected spinal area, without surgical incisions or general anesthesia.

Minimal Downtime

Minimizes recovery time with a non-surgical approach that requires no incisions or general anesthesia, allowing for an easier and faster return to daily activities.

Regenerative Medicine for Spine and Back Conditions

UC-MSC and exosome therapy is being studied as a complementary option for chronic spinal pain — something a physician evaluates you for, not something you self-diagnose into. As stem cells for back pain, they play a supportive role in a broader treatment plan, not a replacement for medical evaluation.

UC-MSC

Because UC-MSCs are so adaptable, they’re studied across many areas of regenerative medicine. In the spine, most of the research looks at how they signal to nearby cells, releasing factors that may support repair in and around damaged discs and vertebrae.

UC-MSC Derived Exosomes

Exosomes are tiny vesicles released by UC-MSCs. Think of them as messengers: they carry proteins, growth factors, and signaling molecules that help cells communicate. In the spine, they’re being studied for their potential to support tissue repair and calm inflammation around damaged discs and vertebrae.

Put together, the StemSpine® protocol targets the biological mechanisms behind spinal discomfort and degeneration, physician-supervised, and built around you.

Is StemSpine® Right for You? Comparing Non-Surgical Options

Most patients arrive at StemSpine® after trying a range of conservative treatments first. Understanding where regenerative medicine fits alongside, or beyond, those options helps clarify whether it’s the right next step.

Approach	What it does	Limitation for chronic cases
Pain medications	Manage symptoms, reduce discomfort	Does not address underlying tissue damage. Not a long-term solution
Muscle relaxants	Ease muscle spasm associated with spinal pain	Symptomatic relief only
Physical therapist-directed rehab	Strengthens supporting musculature	Often necessary but insufficient alone for structural disc issues
Epidural steroid injections	Reduce localized inflammation temporarily	Effects typically diminish with repeated use
StemSpine^® (UC-MSC + exosomes)	Targets biological contributors to spinal degeneration and inflammation	Physician evaluation required to confirm candidacy
Spinal surgery	Structural correction of the affected segment	Invasive, with a longer recovery. Not always reversible

For patients searching for the best non surgical treatment for back pain, StemSpine® is positioned as a physician-supervised option to explore after conservative treatments, pain medications, physical therapy, or epidural steroid injections, have been tried without the desired long-term relief, and before considering invasive surgical procedures.

Tissue Regeneration

UC-MSCs and exosomes are administered together, directed at the areas of spinal damage. The cells mostly work by signaling nearby tissue to repair itself, rather than becoming spinal tissue themselves, whether they can do the latter is still an active area of research.

Reduce Inflammation

Chronic inflammation is a known driver of spinal pain. The exosomes carry anti-inflammatory signals that may help calm that local environment, which may, in turn, mean less pain and swelling. Results vary by individual and aren't guaranteed.

Pain Modulation

Early research suggests UC-MSC and its exosomes may influence pain pathways in three ways: reducing inflammation, supporting tissue repair, and affecting the environment around the spinal cord itself. The evidence is still developing, see our Resource Center for the studies behind it

Spinal and Musculoskeletal Conditions Being Studied with UC-MSC Therapies

UC-MSC and exosome protocols are being studied for a range of chronic spinal and musculoskeletal conditions, including stem cell therapy for herniated disc and stem cell therapy for degenerative disc disease. A physician evaluation determines whether any of the following apply to you:

• Degenerative Disc Disease
• Herniated Disc
• Sciatica
• Spondylolisthesis

• Spinal Stenosis
• Ankylosing Spondylitis
• Bursitis
• Tendinitis

Experiencing early-stage spinal degeneration and seeking to explore minimally invasive alternatives prior to considering surgical procedures.

Patients across a range of spinal conditions may be considered for the StemSpine® protocol. Eligibility is determined through a full physician medical evaluation, not by self-assessment. The following clinical profiles are among those typically evaluated:

Dealing with spine damage
From a systemic disease, such as Ankylosing Spondylitis or Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Experiencing early-stage damage
And seeking to avoid or delay invasive surgical

Unsuitable candidates for invasive surgery
But still in need of effective pain management.

Experiencing pain
Following a previous spine surgery and ineligible for further surgical procedures.

One more thing worth knowing: umbilical cord stem cells for back pain protocols don’t require surgery or significant downtime. The cells and exosomes are prepared in a certified lab and third-party tested, then administered both intravenously and directly into the spinal treatment area.

What Brings Patients to Punta Cana

UC-MSC and exosome therapies are available in the Dominican Republic under physician supervision and Ministry of Health (MISPAS) oversight. They are not currently approved for clinical use in the United States or the European Union. OmniStem operates under MISPAS authorization, within that framework. This is the first reason patients travel, and the plainest one.

The second is the shape of the protocol itself. A spinal protocol is not a single appointment. Across three to four days, our physicians review your MRI and confirm medical clearance, administer systemic infusion, and perform the image-guided spinal delivery under anesthesiologist supervision with continuous monitoring. Supportive sessions follow. Each step depends on the one before it, which is why the sequence is completed in one place rather than spread across separate visits weeks apart.

Getting to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, is straightforward. The clinic sits minutes from Punta Cana International Airport, which receives direct flights from many North American cities. Private airport reception, transfers, and accommodation coordination are arranged for the length of your stay. Most patients plan five nights, which allows for arrival, evaluation, the procedure, and the days that follow it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why UC-MSC an Exosomes for treating spine conditions?

Umbilical cord–derived mesenchymal stromal cells (UC-MSCs) and their exosomes are being studied for their ability to modulate inflammation and support tissue repair in degenerative spine conditions. Compared to older sources of stem cells (such as bone marrow or fat), UC-MSCs are younger and more biologically active. Exosomes, the tiny vesicles released by these cells, act as messengers, delivering growth factors and proteins that may influence healing in discs, ligaments, and surrounding tissues.

Do UC-MSC derived exosomes help with disc degeneration?

Research suggests that exosomes may support the repair of intervertebral discs by reducing inflammation, improving the microenvironment around disc tissue, and encouraging cells to produce healthy extracellular matrix. While these therapies are not a cure and results vary, they may help slow or improve degeneration in select patients.

What spine conditions can be treated with this regenerative approach?

StemSpine® is considered for patients with chronic back pain or degenerative spine problems, including degenerative disc disease, herniated discs, spinal stenosis, sciatica, and spondylolisthesis. Some inflammatory conditions affecting the spine, such as arthritis-related pain, may also be evaluated for suitability. Each patient requires a thorough medical assessment to confirm candidacy.

How is the StemSpine® treatment performed?

The treatment involves a minimally invasive injection of UC-MSC–derived biologics and/or exosomes, guided by advanced imaging to target the affected disc or spinal area precisely. The procedure typically takes 40–60 minutes and is performed on an outpatient basis. Most patients resume light activities soon after, though restrictions on strenuous movement may apply for several days.

When can I expect to see results?

Responses vary. Some patients report reduced pain and improved mobility within a few weeks, while others notice more gradual changes over several months. Because these therapies work by influencing natural repair processes, results are not immediate and may continue to evolve for 6–12 months.

Is this a good option if I've already tried epidural steroid injections or physical therapy?

Many patients evaluated for StemSpine® have already tried conservative treatments such as physical therapy, muscle relaxants, pain medications, or epidural steroid injections without lasting relief. A physician evaluation reviews your history with these approaches alongside your imaging and spinal condition to determine whether StemSpine® may be an appropriate next step before considering surgery.

Why is this therapy not available in the United States?

Regulatory classification of cell-based therapies differs by jurisdiction. UC-MSC and exosome protocols are available in the Dominican Republic under physician supervision and MISPAS oversight, and are not currently approved for clinical use in the United States or the European Union. OmniStem does not hold or imply approvals in any other jurisdiction.