StemCells
Stem Cells for Back Pain Regenerative Medicine may be the key to curing back pain.
Q & A session with Dr. Drew DeMann
Q. Dr. Drew DeMann, what are “stem cells”?
cells that freely circulate throughout our bodieswaiting tobe calledupon. The problem is that as we get older many of these cells are no longer freely available to jump in and repair thedamage that simple life throws at us. Aswe age these adult stemcells, for one thing, begin to “hide” in our bone marrow and our fat deposits (like our tummy fat) waiting for the really big problems but not the day to day stuff that winds up nagging at us. While this works for the big systemic illnesses that can kill us, it doesn’t help our typical knee, shoulder, and back pain issues that really impair the quality of our lives. This is made worse by the fact that many of these conditions occur in areas with lesser blood supply. This further limits normal access to these regenerative cells. Q. Why and how are stem cells used to treat problems like shoulder pain, knee pain, back pain and sports injuries? Dr. Drew DeMann: Stem cells can be used to treat many of these conditions because of new breakthroughs in both gathering cells from the body and placing them with pinpoint accuracy in the areas where they are needed. New breakthroughs in cell therapies that were once reserved for professional athletes, are now available in the doctor’s office to harvest stem
Dr. DrewDeMann: There are several different types of stem cells. Many peoplehaveheardofembryonicstem cells which have been controversial but another unrelated type of stem cell, “adult stem cells,” are turning out to be even more interesting for those with pain or injuries. Adult stemcells are the unique cells in our bodies that are capable of repairing and regenerating any damaged tissue as we age. They have the remarkablepotential tobothoversee the repair of injuries by producing thenecessarymolecules to stimulate healing, at the same time they can actually turn into any cell type that is needed for that repair. They can become cells of the blood, heart, bones, muscles, brain, etc. These are the body’s master repair / regenerative cells that can make any tissue or structure in the body like new again. Q. Why are stem cells important for the treatment of pain or injuries as we get older? Dr. Drew DeMann: As we age our physical bodies experience natural wear and tear. When we are young the small day to day breakdown that occurs on a microscopic level from just life, is repaired without us knowing it from these plentiful stem
cells from either fat deposits (like the tummy) or bone marrow (like the hip). These cells can then be placed in the areaswhere theymight not naturally concentrate in large quantities. The result is that we now have the opportunity for the first time in medical history to repair the aging of our joints and bodies in a way that was only dreamt of a few years ago. These stem cells can be inserted (via a simple injection) into a damaged disc, an arthritic knee, a swollen Achilles tendon or even
Made with FlippingBook Online newsletter