Healing Spinal Cord Injury with Stem Cells

Spinal cord injury (SCI) refers to damage inflicted to the spinal cord, whether a direct injury to the cord itself or indirect damage to surrounding tissues, bone or blood vessels.  This typically results in weakness or loss of sensation at or below the point of injury, with severity dependent on whether the entire cord is severely damaged (complete) or only partially damaged (incomplete).

As the spinal cord doesn’t go below the 1st lumbar vertebra, damage at and below this level does not cause spinal cord injury. It can, however, result in “cauda equina syndrome” which refers to injury to the nerve roots in this area.

It goes without saying that spinal cord injury is a medical emergency requiring immediate treatment to reduce the long-term effects. Doctors typically employ corticosteroids such as dexamethasone or methylprednisolone to reduce swelling that may damage the spinal cord. In instances in which an accumulation of blood (hematoma) or fluid or the presence of (a) bone fragment(s) causes spinal cord compression treatment is then aimed at intervention such as surgery before total destruction of the nerves of the spine sets in. In some cases this can help reduce or even eliminate paralysis. Ideally, corticosteroids are begun as soon as possible after the injury.

Following medical management of the acute phase, spinal cord injury patients then often receive treatment aimed at helping them manage muscle spasms, care of the skin, and bowel and bladder issues. This care frequently encompasses physical and occupational therapies, plus rehabilitation and use of various oral and injected medications to help the patient deal with spasticity and pain.

The question arises, of course, what (if anything) can stem cell therapy afford the spinal cord injury sufferer? Both the scientific literature and a substantial volume of case history data from around the world indicates that the use of adult (non-embryonic) stem cells can furnish those with SCI relief and in many instances some recovery of function.  During 2009, in fact, a paper appeared in the journal Cell Transplantation (Vol. 17 No.12) in which a team of US and Ecuadorian scientists discussed the impact of autologous (from self) bone marrow stem cells on SCI: As part of their study four acute and four chronic spinal cord injury patients received bone marrow stem cells directly into the spinal column, spinal canal and intravenously. They were then tracked for two years using MRI imaging to assess any physical changes in their spinal cords. Bottom line: The researchers found clear evidence of functional improvements, with perhaps the most important being improved bladder control. A lay-level write-up on this particular study can be accessed by clicking this link.

The aforementioned study dovetails perfectly with the responses seen in spinal cord injury patients treated with whole bone marrow by Dr. David Steenblock. According to him, these bone marrow treatments have resulted in dramatic improvements in many spinal cord injury patients. One recently treated eighteen year old male paraplegic patient, in fact, reported not only feeling better “all over” but happily noted he had regained sensation in various parts of his lower body. You can learn all about the use of autologous bone marrow for spinal cord injury by calling toll free 1-800-300-1063 or by using this on-line contact form which can be readily accessed by clicking this link.