Stem Cell Therapy For Back Pain
Stem cells are the building blocks of your body that can be reprogrammed into new cells to repair damaged tissue, regenerate organs and help create new tissues. They may also be employed in research to develop medications or test hypotheses.
Recent research published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings suggests that stem cells from patients can improve motor and sensory functions after spinal cord injury. Chris Barr, paralyzed from a surfing accident, experienced significant loss of motor function below his injury site – including bowel and bladder sensation.
The study revealed that, following stem cell injection, the patient’s overall upper extremity motor score improved from 35 to 44 and his lower extremity motor score improved from 36 to 49. Additionally, they reported significant improvements in their quality of life and mental health following the procedure.
After his treatment, he was able to walk farther, faster and for an extended period of time. Additionally, he experienced less pain and discomfort with exercise, and could get up out of bed without needing assistance.
Patients considering stem cell therapy for back pain should discuss their goals and expectations with their physician beforehand to ensure they fully comprehend the treatment process. The purpose of stem cell therapy is to help reduce or eliminate pain caused by degenerative disc disease, a common source of lower back discomfort.
Before a patient undergoes stem cell therapy, they must be willing to discontinue activities that have caused their disc degeneration. Even the best treatment won’t help if you continue doing the same things that caused it in the first place.
Stem cell therapy is a delicate procedure requiring the expertise of specialists in orthopedics, neurology and radiology to ensure its safety. Additionally, coordination and scheduling between medical staff and the patient’s insurance company must take place for this treatment to go smoothly.
In most cases, a patient’s own stem cells are collected and then injected into the damaged area under local anesthesia. The procedure typically takes 90 minutes in an outpatient setting with sedation or minimally invasive general anesthesia.
A long needle is carefully inserted into the bone marrow above the iliac crest, the curved upper border of hips, with live x-ray guidance to ensure accuracy. After some time has elapsed, blood from this harvest is extracted and centrifuged to concentrate stem cells.
Marrow blood is then injected into the damaged area of the spine, where it can begin to repair the disc damage. This treatment is safe and proven effective with long-lasting pain relief results.
At Mayo Clinic Florida, the Innovative Spine Care team offers this procedure. With years of expertise in degenerative disc disease, they have assisted many patients to find relief from chronic pain through this innovative treatment approach.
Regenerative medicine and other non-surgical approaches have seen an uptick in recent years as medical science seeks to treat spinal conditions such as arthritis that have defied medical science for years. These developments could drastically change orthopedic surgery over the coming decades.
