stem cell treatment for degenerative disc disease reviews

As such, surgical treatment can relieve compressed neural structures and can afford increased stability to spinal segments when necessary.

Mark Erwin: It is important to note that surgical treatment addresses the downstream effects of DDD including disc herniations, bony remodelling at the disc/vertebral interface in the form of osteochondral bars, as well as hypertrophic ligaments and facet disease. If there were a solution that would provide the capacity to regenerate the disc-to restore what nature had intended-then in many authors’ opinions, the outcomes for these patients could be improved. This is a relatively extreme and aggressive approach because we are not preserving the physiology of the disc or the biomechanics of that segment. The only surgical treatment for degenerative disc disease (DDD) is really to take the entire disc out and to either fuse or replace that segment. It also costs healthcare systems billions of dollars.ĭespite having this problem, we really do not have an adequate solution for it. Everybody has disc degeneration to varying levels and, when this causes low back pain, it can be debilitating. Wellington Hsu: Disc degeneration is probably the major clinical problem that spine surgeons see. Why would regeneration with stem cells be preferable to discectomy? One of the most exciting potential applications for stem cells is degenerative disc disease. Are stem cells a magic bullet for multiple spinal pathologies? Wellington Hsu (Evanston, USA) and Mark Erwin (Toronto, Canada) evaluate the science behind the hype. After years of research, however, tangible evidence for their promise remains elusive. The ability of stem cells to differentiate into a plethora of distinct adult cells has led to great excitement in both scientific literature and lay media.

Stem cell treatment for degenerative disc disease reviews