The limiting pain associated with spine degeneration has led many patients to give up on their favorite activities. Through pain medications and treatments, exercises, and physical therapy, the pain and discomfort may become manageable.
However, in recent years, stem cell therapy and PRP therapy have been a breakthrough in modern medicine that has helped patients get their active lives back and break free from sleepless nights due to pain.
In this post, we will share how spine degeneration occurs and the role of stem cell therapy to treat it.
What is spine degeneration?
Spine degeneration or degenerative disc disease is a condition where the spinal discs that serve as the cushion or shock absorber of your spine start to wear down. It is a condition that comes with aging and usually occurs in patients by the age of 40.
What causes spine degeneration
Though our spine wears away as we age, the following conditions may also lead to the rapid and sudden damage of your spinal discs:
- Obesity
- Injuries from accidents (e.g., falling from the stairs)
- Smoking
- Physically laborious job
Symptoms of degenerative disc disease
The common symptoms of spine degeneration are neck pain and back pain which affect the cervical spine and the lumbar spine. While pain can be due to a lot of possible reasons, the pain involved with disc damage are as follows:
- Losing control or numbness in your arms or legs
- Inconsistent pain that can last for weeks to months
- Tingling sensation in your palms or feet
- Pain that gets worse whenever you sit, bend your back, or lift objects
- Pain radiating to your arms, legs, and buttocks
The pain associated with degenerative disc disease happens when the bones rub against each other due to the damaged disc. Other possible reasons include:
- Tear on your spinal disc: Injuries can cause tears in the outer ring of your spinal discs which can lead to the material inside the disc to leak out. This can cause a herniated disc which can pinch or affect the spinal nerve or nerve roots next to it.
- Degenerated disc: As we age, our spinal disc loses hydration, sometimes making it thin enough for the bones to rub against each other.
Stem Cell Therapy
If you are not responding well to traditional physical therapy, pain medications, and spine injections, you may find relief from the perils of disc degeneration with stem cell therapy. It is a procedure that allows your healthy cells to repair your damaged disc and let them heal on their own.
How It Works
Stem cells are cells that are not yet classified into a specific body-cell type like red blood cells or bone cells. They are naturally produced by our bodies from embryonic cells inside the womb and adult stem cells in our bone marrow.
When the stem cells are harvested and placed in a damaged joint, they begin to get classified to belong in a particular cell group. Once they adapt to the body-cell type where they are injected, the healing process begins as they regenerate new healthy cells and repair the damaged tissues and ligaments.
Stem Cell Therapy for Degenerative Disc Disease
Stem cells injected into the damaged disc can help regenerate connective tissues and help repair the worn-down disc. Due to the limited blood supply, the spinal disc may find it hard to repair itself.
With the help of injecting stem cells in the damaged area, new tissues can emerge, and the damages can be repaired, leading to rapid healing and a long-term pain-free life for most patients.
Treat spine degeneration with stem cell therapy at Stem Cell Carolina
Let Dr. Ahmad help you manage your condition and enjoy life better away from pain. As a leading provider of stem cell therapy in Charlotte, Stem Cell Carolina offers a FREE initial consultation to help patients gain more mobility and be pain-free without surgical treatment.
Contact us today to learn more about our stem cell program.
