Stem cells treat spinal disc degeneration: Our specialists at the Harley Street Hospital have demonstrated that stem cells are the best option for treating spinal disc degeneration. These degenerative disorders of the intervertebral disc, usually known as lumbar disc disease, cause chronic low back pain. So this innovative treatment can be an option in patients with chronic low back pain due to lumbar disc degeneration.
Which are the traditional treatments?
There are many treatments available for the chronic low-back pain of degenerative cause. It depends on many aspects, such as intensity or periodicity.
At first, the treatment consists of stabilizing the lumbar spine through exercises, adjust poor posture, reducing weight (if necessary) and administering analgesic and muscle relaxant medications.
If pain persists, doctors can recur to physiotherapy, rehabilitation, and injections in different variants.
In the case that it maintains over time despite the previous treatments, sometimes doctor might consider surgical procedures.
How are adult stem cells an option for the treatment of chronic low back pain?
First, our doctors extract the bone marrow from the pelvic bone of the same patient. Then, we take this sample to the cell therapy laboratory of the aforementioned hospital. It is accredited for the production of stem cells for use in humans.
For the following 3 weeks, specialists select and cultivate stem cells until getting an amount of about 20 million.
We administer the resulting cell product (percutaneously under radioscopic guidance) into the affected vertebral disc. Both the process for obtaining the cells and the application of this therapy are performed in the operating room under mild sedation and local anaesthesia. Hospital admission is not necessary.
Is it really effective?
Thus far, the procedure has demonstrated to be viable and there have been no adverse effects due to the cellular product.
If we evaluate the effectiveness and compare it with the current surgical procedures, we can say it is a superior treatment. The main advantage is that it is a non-invasive, simple and conservative intervention that maintains the biomechanics of the spine. Besides, it does not avoid future therapies in case that it does not give results.
If you want to read more about this innovative treatment click here.
At the London Spine Unit, Harley Street Hospital, we have some of the best specialists in this area. Book a consultation to get a doctor´s checkup.