One jab and bye to back pain

A SINGLE jab of stem cells is being tested as a new treatment for a common cause of lower back pain.

Doctors believe the injection can help regrow discs in the spine that have been damaged by degeneration, and reduce inflammation and pain – without the need for invasive surgery.

Animal studies have shown that stem cells – which have the potential to develop into many different types of cell – can restore one of the main functions of spinal discs: to act as a fluid-filled cushion between bones in the back.

Now a trial is under way at a hospital in Ohio in the US, where 24 people will receive one of two doses of stem cells or placebo jabs.

Stem cells develop into mature cells that make up organs and tissue. In the laboratory, stem cells can be coaxed into becoming blood cells, bone, cartilage, fat, blood vessels or heart muscle.

The patients’ pain and movement will be measured.

They will undergo MRI scans and quality-of-life assessments before the treatment and at regular intervals for up to a year.

Roger Hackney, a consultant orthopaedic surgeon at the Spire and Nuffield hospitals in Leeds, says: “This is a small study and, although the future is probably very bright for stem cells, the science is early in its development.”