Metro Image Chronic back pain affects almost every aspect of a sufferer's life. A trial is taking place to address degenerative discs, a common cause of chronic back pain.
If you are one of the many people living with back pain and you are not a candidate for surgery — not many are — there may be hope on the horizon for you.
Ask anyone who deals with chronic back pain and they will talk about it affecting almost every aspect of their lives. It can be painful to sit, painful to stand, painful to walk and even worse to bend. There is often not even any relief while asleep because the pain keeps them awake and no body position is comfortable.
Very few people even qualify for surgery, depending on the type of surgery, and in any case surgery comes with its own risks.
Sometimes tests will identify the cause of the back pain as stemming from an injury to vertebrae and/or discs. Sometimes it has just developed over time with advancing years and general wear and tear on the body.
In some cases there are discs that are no longer performing the cushioning function they are supposed to. While we start off with little fluid filled discs between the vertebrae, a range of injuries can see those cushions bulging or even leaking and no longer providing that cushioning effect. This can result in nerves being affected and leaving us in pain.
There is a trial taking place specifically to address degenerating discs.
The small trial taking place in the U.S. believes stem cells could help re-grow discs in the spine to address inflammation, leaking or bulging discs and resulting pain. It hopes to show whether restoring fluid to the discs will provide cushioning once more.
The trial, that is working with just 24 patients, will give some of the patients one dose of stem cells, others will get two doses and some will be given a placebo.
The stem cell treatment has the potential to stimulate new tissue growth. Of two types of adult stem cells it is the mesenchymal cells, which will be taken from the person’s bone marrow and can develop into bone and cartilage, that will be used in this trial.
The current trial is limited to those with lower back pain. Participants who are given the stem cells will have it injected into the discs that are causing the pain.
These trials take time and it will also be a while before the treatment would become widely available even if the trail is successful. However, there is hope of the horizon.
Here’s wishing you relief from back pain and here’s To Your Health.
To Your Health is a weekly column by Gillian Slade, health reporter for the News, bringing you news on health issues and research from around the world. You can reach her at gslade@medicinehatnews.com or 403-528-8635.
