Archive for the ‘Back Pain’ Category

Scottsdale, AZ. (PRWEB) February 03, 2014

The team at Arizona Pain (arizonapain.com), has received approval to announce the much anticipated Phase II results of a potential medical breakthrough on the use of stem cells for chronic low back pain. The study, which first garnered international attention two years ago as one of the first trials of its kind in the U.S., has produced positive, promising results.

"We are pleased to report that a clinical study has indicated that a single injection of adult, donor marrow stem cells into degenerating intervertebral discs has reduced low back pain and improved function in trial participants for at least 12 months, says Dr. Paul Lynch, M.D., Arizona Pain Co-Founder and double-board certified Pain Management physician. The results of this study, if confirmed, could change the way we treat low back pain.

Arizona Pain was the first clinic in the U.S. to have been selected for an FDA-cleared study on this advanced treatment. Since then, 100 qualified patients were offered an opportunity to participate in a controlled, double-blind study that monitored any changes in the patients degenerative lumbar discs throughout the trial. The stem cells were taken from the bone marrow of a young healthy adult donor, were culture expanded and were administered through a minimally invasive, single injection. Trial participants remained unaware of whether or not they received injections with stem cells or one of the control treatments.

Key findings at 12 months in the trial were reported as follows: improvement in chronic low back pain with reduction in mean pain score; increased proportion of patients achieving 50% reduction in pain score; increased proportion of patients achieving minimal residual back pain; reduced opioid use for pain relief; and reduced need for additional surgical and non-surgical interventions for persistent pain.

Arizona Pain is incredibly proud to have partnered with the trial sponsor Mesoblast, a world leader in regenerative medicine (http://www.mesoblast.com) on this sentinel research study, says Dr. Lynch. The results are promising and we are hopeful that these findings will be confirmed in a Phase III trial beginning this year."

On January 29, 2014, Mesoblast announced positive 12 month outcome results from the 100-patient Phase II clinical trial of its proprietary allogeneic, or off-the-shelf, Mesenchymal Precursor Cells (MPCs) in patients with chronic moderate to severe discogenic low back pain. The results showed that a single injection of MPCs into degenerating intervertebral discs reduced low back pain and improved function for at least 12 months. When compared with controls, MPC-treated patients used less opioids for pain relief, had greater radiographically-determined disc stability, and underwent less additional surgical and non-surgical treatment interventions. MPC treatments also appeared to be well tolerated during the study.

Mesoblast Chief Executive Silviu Itescu said, On the basis of these positive results, Mesoblast plans to meet shortly with regulatory authorities in major jurisdictions, including the United States Food and Drug Administration, to discuss product registration trials for the potential treatment of disc degeneration."

More than 6 million patients in the United States alone are currently dealing with chronic back pain that has persisted for at least three months, with around 3.5 million people affected by moderate or severe degenerative intervertebral disc disease. The United States Centers for Disease Control and Preventions National Center for Health Statistics reported in 2010 that low back pain was the leading cause of pain, affecting 28% of American adults, and the second most common cause of disability in American adults.

This study shows we are progressing toward major advances in pain medicine, says Dr. Tory McJunkin, M.D., co-founder of Arizona Pain and PainDoctor.com. Stem cell therapy focuses on addressing the source of the pain, rather than just the symptoms. We truly hope this will unlock a vital solution for people suffering from debilitating low back pain, says Dr. McJunkin.

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Arizona Pain Announces Positive Results in Revolutionary Stem Cell Study on Chronic Low Back Pain

SmartChoice Adult Stem Cell Procedures - Lower Back Pain Relief
Patient Testimonial: Felix, a resident of Jacksonville, FL, discusses his experience with lower back pain and the amazing relief he felt after his SmartChoic...

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SmartChoice® Adult Stem Cell Procedures - Lower Back Pain Relief - Video

SmartChoice Adult Stem Cell Procedures - Upper and Lower Back Pain Relief
SmartChoice Adult Stem Cell Procedures can help relieve your back pain. Hear first hand what our patient has to say, then to learn more about SmartChoice S...

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SmartChoice® Adult Stem Cell Procedures - Upper and Lower Back Pain Relief - Video

SmartChoice Adult Stem Cell Procedures - Incredible pain relief in just one treatment
Patient Testimonial: Donna was a patient with severe knee and back pain. After just one treatment at SmartChoice, her life has significantly improved. Learn...

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SmartChoice® Adult Stem Cell Procedures - Incredible pain relief in just one treatment - Video

SmartChoice Adult Stem Cell Procedures - Back Pain Relief
SmartChoice Adult Stem Cell Procedures can help relieve your knee and back pain as well as other orthopedic conditions. Hear first hand what our patient has...

By: Hardesh Garg

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SmartChoice® Adult Stem Cell Procedures - Back Pain Relief - Video

Using a sponge to secure stability and relieve back pain. Its no ordinary sponge it stays in the body after surgery. Come with us into the OR and see it in action.

It doesnt look like much, but this tiny lattice work called Osteosponge has powerful potential. Its a bone graft taken from a donor cadaver and treated so its safe for transplant, yet its living stem cells have been preserved.

Dr. Daniel Laich, Swedish Covenant Hospital Neurosurgeon: There are cells within that that help bone grow, that help bony defects grow together. We are so amazingly made that our body can recognize the structure and say, Wow, this is bone. I have to grow it, or This is incomplete bone. I have to fill it in. Its just opened up another reason for bone donation, for organ donation, bone being one of those because we can do so much with it now.

On the day we visited Swedish Covenant Hospital neurosurgeon Dr..Daniel Laich, he was performing a cervical fusion removing a damaged disc and rebuilding the bony structure in a patients spine.

Dr. Daniel Laich: If that disc has degenerated or herniated or collapsed down, we take it out, we put in a device to replace it to maintain this curve and this curve.

But first, its injected with the patients own blood another bone-growing boost.

Dr. Daniel Laich: If I stick a needle in a bone marrow spot in the patient and draw out some of those cells, the patients own stem cells, I inject that into the matrix, the bone graft, and that will lead to a faster fusion, faster growth. The device goes in and that bone product goes right in that device.

Dr. Daniel Laich: The device goes in and that bone product goes right in that device. On x-rays youll see the device and black and over time youll see that turn white it will look from one piece of bone all the way to another. It will allow the symmetry or balance of the body to be re-established quicker, and that will lead to a quicker recovery and a long-term goal without pain.

In addition to use for back problems, the Osteosponge can be used after traumatic brain injuries or stroke to help rebuild bone in the skull and for facial bone reconstruction after an accident.

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Back pain? A special sponge could help

BACKGROUND: Back pain affects 80 percent of Americans at some point in their lives. In fact, back pain problems are the most common physical complaints among American adults and are a leading cause of lost job time. It can include sore tendons and muscles, fractures, herniated discs, and other problems. The most common back pain causes include nerve and muscular problems, arthritis, and degenerative disc disease. It is important to understand that back pain is a symptom of a medical condition; it is not a diagnosis itself. (Source: http://www.webmd.com)

MEDICAL PROBLEMS: Medical problems that cause back pain can include:

TREATMENT: Most back pain gets better with home treatment and careful attention. A short period of bed rest is recommended, but too many days can actually do more harm than good. When it is more severe, physical therapy is the cornerstone of back pain treatment. A physical therapist can apply a variety of treatments, like ultrasound, heat, electrical stimulation, and muscle-release techniques. If that doesnt work, injections are another option. The doctor may inject cortisone into the space around the spinal cord. (Source: http://www.mayoclinic.com)

NEW TECHNOLOGY: For some patients, traditional treatment just doesnt work. So, one of the newest breakthroughs in managing back pain is coming from stem cells. A company called Mesoblast released the latest news in a string of studies examining the ability of a specific type of stem cell to treat back pain. In the earliest tests, the company injected mesenchymal precursor cells (MPCs) into three adjacent lumbar discs in 24 adult male sheep. The sheep were injected with chrondroitinase in order to mimic disc degeneration and other discs were left alone. The degenerated discs had 45 to 50 percent less height before treatment with MPCs. After the discs were injected, they rehydrated and increased in height at statistically significant rates. Mesoblast has now released its second round of preliminary results from a phase 2 human study. For this phase, researchers injected allogeneic MPCs into damaged intervertebral discs. Researchers at IPM Medical Group in Walnut Creek, California; The Spine Institute in Santa Monica, California; Carolina Neurosurgery & Spine in Charlotte, North Carolina; Arizona Pain Specialists in Phoenix, Arizona; Virginia I-Spine Physicians in Richmond, Virginia, and Emory Orthropaedics & Spine Center in Atlanta, Georgia, report that a single low-dose injection of MPC significantly reduced low back pain in the treated patients and did so at a statistically significant way when compared to the control group. The study has enrolled 100 patients in 13 sited in the U.S. and Australia. At the six month follow-up, 71 percent of patients who received a low dose of MPCs met the pre-specified treatment success criteria. Twenty and thirty percent of the patients in the two control arms who received hyaluronic acid and saline met the pre-specified success criteria. (Source: http://ryortho.com/breaking/major-study-update-stem-cells-ease-back-pain/) "Stem cell research within the disc is very exciting. It focuses on addressing the source of the pain, rather than solely the treatment, Dr. Tory McJunckin was quoted as saying. As an interventional pain doctor I have seen incredible advances in the specialty during the past 10 years and this study shows we are still at the tip of the iceberg for major advances in pain medicine. (Source: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2011/10/prweb8917784.htm

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Oh, my back!