An innovative treatment that relieves chronic back pain without surgery
Clinical trials of a new treatment for degenerated spinal discs have produced impressive results, significantly reducing the severity of back pain and improving body function. The success of the innovative treatment is likely to delay surgical intervention or prevent it altogether, according to what was published by the “New Atlas” website, citing the “BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders” journal.
Chronic back pain
The intervertebral discs between the vertebrae of the spine consist of a gelatinous nucleus called the nucleus pulposus (NP), encased in a tough, fibrous outer ring. The high water content allows the nucleus pulposus to act as a shock absorber and pressure dispenser in the spine. With age or injury, the nucleus pulposus degenerates, leading to chronic "discogenic" back pain.
An American biotechnology company focused on regenerative medicine recently published the results of a clinical trial of VIA Disc NP, a non-surgical, minimally invasive treatment that supplements degenerated disc tissue to treat disc pain, confirming that the clinical trial results are very promising.
Bone marrow transplant
“The ability to effectively control chronic lumbar disc pain in a group of patients for one year by performing an intravertebral bone marrow transplantation translated into lasting improvements in back function,” the researchers said.
The commercially available VIA Disc Bone Marrow Transplant consists of human bone marrow taken from intervertebral disc tissue donated from deceased people. The tissue is then cut into small crumbs and sterilized. If needed, donated bone marrow is reconstituted with 2 ml of sterile saline and injected into the degenerated intervertebral disc (or discs). The operation is performed while the patient is awake but under anesthesia. A local anesthetic is given at the injection site.
A mandatory follow-up of patients is performed four weeks after the operation, with additional follow-up after three, six and twelve months, with the main aim of measuring the improvement in the severity of back pain and back function in that period.
Nearly 60% of study participants reported a 12-month back pain severity score of three or less. “The results confirm and extend the previous six-month follow-up report for this study group,” the researchers said, referring to the results of their pilot study published in the journal Pain Physician. “No additional decline in treatment efficacy was observed between six and 12 months.”
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