Low back pain is a common problem. Episodic discomfort following purposeful activity is typically self-limited.
The problem is when that knife in your back, that lancinating pain that takes your breath away with minor motion becomes chronic. Physical therapy and myofascial deactivation are often helpful in breaking that cycle. At the Centeno-Schultz Clinic, when conservative therapies fail, x-ray guided epidural injections of low dose corticosteroid or platelet derived growth factors are used and can be beneficial. Unfortunately some patients do not respond to conservative therapy.
NQ is a 39 y/o patient with 3 yr history of lower back pain who failed to respond to conservative and injection therapy. She declined surgery and opted for the Regenexx procedure which afforded her the opportunity to use her own stem cells. NQ had her own mesenchymal stem cells injected into the posterior aspect of her L5/S1 disc on .
NQ returned to clinic today, 4 months post injection reporting 50% improvement in her lower back pain. She has been able to increase her level of activity and is enjoying the summer with her family.
This corresponds with her postprocedure MRI which is below. There is a reduction in the size of the disc bulge which is identified by the red arrows. The diameter of the spinal canal is increased from 0.9cm preprocedure to 1.1cm postprocedure due to a reduction in the size of the disc protrusion. Stem cell therapy for lumbar degenerative disc disease holds great promise as it eliminates the risks of anesthesia/surgery and the often profound biomechanical changes that occur as a result of cutting through and compromising the integrity of supporting ligaments, muscle and fascia.
