It does! Pre and post knee (17 months apart) and shoulder MRI confirmed this. Of course, I go to the same place Ronnie Coleman goes. The owner of the place tries his best.
Sorry but correlation is not causation. Two MRIs taken 17 months apart only prove that the human body heals and remodels on its own given a year and a half of time, rest, and rehab, not that an overpriced umbilical cord cocktail did the work. Joint effusion, bone marrow edema, and minor soft tissue tears naturally resolve over that timeframe without injecting anything.
Further, the peer reviewed data says the exact opposite of what Mexican clinics claim. In the largest Phase 3 randomized controlled trial on this, the famous MILES study led by Emory and Duke (
Mautner et al., Nature Medicine, 2023, 480 patients), researchers tested three different stem cell sources, including the exact umbilical cord MSCs sold in Puerto Vallarta, head to head against a standard corticosteroid shot. After 12 months, stem cells showed zero superiority over a cheap steroid injection, and follow up MRIs showed zero structural improvement in the joint. Newer placebo controlled trials (such as
ADIPOA2 in 2025) and the
2025 Cochrane review confirmed the same thing: on an MRI, stem cells don't regenerate cartilage any better than a saline placebo.
As for going to the same clinic as Ronnie Coleman (Regenamex), taking medical cues from a celebrity sponsorship is not the smartest thing to do. Ronnie gets comped treatments to promote them on Instagram, and while the owner might "try his best”, good intentions don't turn Wharton's jelly into new cartilage. Though I have no doubt he tries his very best when issuing the invoice 🤣
