Stem Cell Therapy for Failed Back Surgery Syndrome

Over 30 million adults in the United States today suffer from back pain. So, if you’re currently suffering from back pain, you should know that you aren’t suffering from an isolated issue. The spine is an important, yet complicated part of the body. And as important as it is, a failure in a disc, joint, or other parts of the back can lead to pain that’ll hinder the quality of life a person lives.

It’s not uncommon for people to choose surgeries like spinal fusion to try and improve their back condition. However, like all forms of invasive surgeries, there are risks that patients may have to deal with. Top on the list are infections and nerve damage. However, another form of risk that’s usually overlooked is a failed back surgery – when the spinal surgery just doesn’t work.

About 20% of back surgeries fail. A failed surgery can also occur after numerous surgeries. This is officially recognized as the Failed back surgery syndrome (FBSS).

Causes of Low Back Pain Surgery Failure

Contrary to what a lot of people assume, a failed back surgery doesn’t necessarily mean that there was an initial misdiagnosis from your doctor or errors were made during surgery. Rather, there are several risk factors that can cause a poor outcome after back surgery. Some of them include:

• Negative effects on blood circulation from smoking,
• Formation of scar tissue,
• Persistent problems from arthritis,
• Nerve damage, or
• Pressure from narrowing within the spine.

While there are some FBSS that another surgery can fix, there are some that may have gone past a point where the surgery will no longer be effective in treating the pain. So, what then can you do about a failed back surgery?

Stem Cell therapy for FBSS

One growing area of the regenerative medicine field is the use of stem cells – using human tissues and cells to treat a wide range of diseases and disorders, one of which is the failed back surgery syndrome. This form of regenerative medicine gives a new option to patients that haven’t benefited from the typical surgery procedure.

Rather than undergoing more back surgery procedures, some patients have resorted to stem cell treatment, as it’s a safe and effective alternative. During a stem cell treatment, doctors inject stem cells directly into the affected facet joints or disc. These injected cells taken from your own bone marrow have the ability to turn into other types of cells and help to repair and restore the damaged areas. Also, they have the ability to regenerate while inside the body. Prospective outcomes of stem cell injections into discs or facet joints include:

• Increased disc height,
• Improved hydration,
• Decreased inflammation, and
• Pain reduction.

Aside from these results, there are other benefits to stem cell treatments as an alternative to the typical back surgery. Some of them include:

• A minimum invasive procedure,
• No chance for a long and difficult recovery,
• Possibility of short-term results.