Lumbar Spine Stem Cell Treatment - 6 Years Later

25 June 2019
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Category: Blog
25 June 2019, Comments: 0

How long does Stem Cell therapy last.

We frequently get asked how long does a stem cell treatment last. Although we can not predict exactly how long the beneficial effects of a treatment on a particular patient will last, we know that it can potentially last for several years. We know from our own experience, as well as the reported experience of others.

Mariano’s Case

Mariano L. is a 71 years old male who came to our clinic in 2013 complaining of constant and severe low back pain going down to his right hip, and right leg. He had difficulty walking. He had received conservative treatment for his low back and leg pain consisting of physical therapy and oral medications. That treatment failed, and he subsequently received treatment with corticosteroid injections to his spine. When that treatment failed, he was offered treatment with opioid medications, which he refused. He was also told that he needed lumbar spine surgery. He found our clinic in his quest to avoid both opioid medications and surgery.

When we saw Mariano in 2013 he had constant, chronic pain of severe intensity. His pain level was between a 7 and an 8 in a 0-10 pain scale, even when sitting. He had a mild limp, and his walking and daily activities were severely limited by his pain. It was extremely difficult for him to go up and down stairs. His level of disability was measured with the Oswestry Disability Index, a commonly used standardized scale from 0-100. On this sale, a score of 0 means no disability, a score of 100 means total disability. Mariano’s score on that first visit was a 48.

Mariano had an MRI of his lumbar spine showing a Grade I spondylolisthesis of L5 over S1, arthropathy of the facet joints at multiple levels, and disc bulging at multiple levels with a tear of the annulus at the L5/S1 level.

Mariano’s treatment with Stem Cells.

After examining Mariano, we recommended stem cell therapy, with our RegenaSpine protocol. Mariano had the procedure performed on September of 2013. We treated his facet joints, sacroiliac joints, as well as multiple ligaments and deep paraspinal muscles. At that time we were one of the first clinics in Florida treating discs with stem cells, and we also performed an intradiscal injection with stem cells at Mariano’s L5/S1 disc.

Four week later we followed the initial treatment with another set of injections at the same locations using only platelet rich plasma (PRP) as part of our protocol. Mariano did very well after those injections, with significant decrease in pain and a significant improvement in function. We stayed in contact with him for over a year after the procedure. At that time his pain level was between 1-2 in a 0-10 pain scale and his Oswestry Disability Index score was a 10.

Outcome Six Years Later

We kind of lost contact with Mariano … until recently. He showed up at our clinic to bring his wife, who has been suffering from chronic knee and low back pain. He was so pleased with the results of our RegenaSpine procedure that he wanted us to treat his wife. This gave us a chance to check up on him; to see how well he was doing, almost 6 years after his procedure.

Mariano was happy to report that he is basically pain free, only minimal pain of a 1 in a 0-10 point pain scale, and that was on rare occasions. His Oswestry Disability Score Index score is a 0. He has returned to all his physical activities, and he is able to walk and climb stairs without pain.

Bottom line:

We were extremely pleased to see Mariano. Not only because he was trusting us to treat his wife, but, also, because he was doing so well, almost 6 years after his initial treatment. Not every patient will have the same results, but, stem cell therapy could be your best choice to receive long lasting improvement of your back pain and help you get back to your life without surgery.

Remember: Don’t Operate…Regenerate!

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