Nearly 80% of adults in the United States experience low back pain at one time or another. Many live with chronic pain for years without relief. A new treatment, stem cell therapy, may help.
Tapping into our body’s own remarkable healing system, Dr. Pallavi Cherukupally MD and our team of skilled professionals at Regenerative Sport, Spine and Spa in Orlando, Florida utilize stem cells and other means to help repair your body on a cellular level. Since back pain is only a symptom of underlying disease, Dr. Cherukupally seeks long-term methods, such as stem cell therapy, to ease your pain.
While other non-surgical means — including epidural steroid injections, facet joint injections, and nerve root blocks — can manage your pain, regenerative therapies, such as stem cells and platelet-rich plasma, may provide more lasting relief. In addition to physical therapy and beneficial lifestyle changes, such as weight loss and appropriate exercise, these may help you lead a more active, pain-free life.
Scientists have explored stem cells since the 19th century. Although still in its relative infancy, the field exponentially expanded in 1998 when two scientists, James Thomson of the University of Wisconsin in Madison and John Gearhart of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, isolated and grew human embryonic stem cells in their lab.
Most of the cells in your body support their organ of origin. In other words, kidney cells work within the kidney and skin cells help your skin stay healthy. Stem cells, however, act as undifferentiated cells that morph into and indefinitely multiply as brand new cells.
Although stem cells appear most numerous in the embryonic stage, they live in your body throughout your life. Adult stem cells, known as mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), can be harvested from your Bone Marrow or your fat.
Stems cells can be retrieved from bone marrow. Approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), bone marrow aspirate concentrate (BMAC) provides a popular stem cell source.
Dr. Cherukupally uses mesenchymal stem cells from your own bone marrow or regenerative cells from donated human amniotic tissue or Wharton’s jelly. These membranes contain powerful growth factors that aid in cell regeneration. These cells include growth factors, healing hyaluronic acid, and anti-inflammatory cytokines. They can also differentiate into different types of cells.
When Dr. Cherukupally utilizes your own stem cells, she obtains a sample of your bone marrow via syringe during a minimally invasive procedure. She then separates the cells with a centrifuge and injects them into your back, where they start to rebuild tissue.
Giving back what life takes away, these remarkable MSCs offer a promising means to regenerate damaged cells and tissues, repairing deteriorating bone, cartilage, ligaments, tendons, and muscles.
Many people, such as celebrity golfer Jack Nicklaus, have already found a new lease on life with the help of stem cells. To see if stem cell therapy is right for you, call our office or book your appointment online.
