![]() Future research will lead to a better understanding of how stem cell therapy works and the best method of performing the procedure. This treatment is still experimental but studies in animals and in humans have been shown it to be beneficial. Stem cells are able to reduce the inflammation in the disc and the joints and can lead to some healing or regeneration, which helps relieve the pain. Cells are harvested from the person’s bone marrow or from their fat tissue and then injected into the discs and the facet joints. ![]() Stem cell therapy is a procedure that uses a person’s own healing capacity to treat the degenerative disc disease and the arthritis. This procedure can relieve back pain for a year or so and can be repeated if pain recurs but it does not cure the underlying arthritis. Facet joint rhizotomy is a procedure that uses an electrode and electric current to cauterize the nerves to the facet joints. Cortisone injections are of no proven benefit for disc degeneration or facet joint osteoarthritis. Disc replacement surgery can be effective in certain people but determining who would benefit is often difficult and the surgery is not without risk. Spinal fusions usually do not relieve back pain and often put stress on adjacent levels leading to further degeneration. There is no cure for degenerative disc disease or for facet joint osteoarthritis. Being overweight also puts more stress on the spine and can cause or accelerate the degeneration. Jobs that put stress on the spine like repetitive lifting can lead to degeneration of the discs and the joints. Injuries can lead to damage of the joint and/or the facet joints, which initiates the degenerative process. ![]() We are programmed for the disc to wear out. There are many conditions such as the wearing down of cervical discs and joints due to arthritis, spondylosis due to nerve compressions, herniated discs, and tendon ruptures that are able to be treated successfully through stem cell therapy. Genetics probably plays a factor in most people. Cervical spine treatment holds much promise in the revolutionary field of stem cell research. Risk factors for disc degeneration and facet joint osteoarthritis are similar to that for arthritis in joints such as knees and hips. It also puts stress on the small joints in the back of the spine called facet joints, which leads to osteoarthritis. ![]() This results in inflammation in the adjacent vertebrae. Disc degeneration results in a loss of the fluid component of the disc, which leads to a loss of the height of the disc by 1-2 mm, which is why people shrink as they get older. The nucleus is the central part of the disc that provides the shock absorber effect. It is a series of layers of connective tissue that join to the adjacent vertebrae and help support the spine. They have an outer part called the annulus, which is similar to a tire. The disc is the shock absorber that is located between the vertebrae in the front of the spine. Degenerative disc disease affects most people. It can occur at any age but is more common after the age of thirty and increases as we get older. The trial is double-blinded which means that neither the patient nor the doctor will know which injection is being administered.Chronic back pain is one of the most common conditions that affect people. Patients will receive an injection of either of two stem cell formulations or a placebo to test whether the stem cell treatment may lead to meaningful clinical improvement. The current trial will enroll 660 patients with damaged discs and chronic low back pain. Hyun Bae participated in the first trial and is also one of the investigators in the current trial evaluating the stem cell therapy. Now a new stem cell treatment is being evaluated in a Phase 3 trial in the United States which, if successful, could provide patients with an alternative to surgery. Surgery like this can lead to more problems in the future and there is no guarantee that it will cure the pain or improve function. For many patients the only option currently available is invasive back surgery, usually spinal fusion or artificial disc replacement, is unacceptable. You must enable JavaScript to play contentĪs we age, we can all expect some degree of wear and tear to affect the discs that sit between the bones of our spine, but for those who suffer serious disc degeneration the result can be intense and debilitating chronic low back pain.
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