A few days ago Gerardo, one of my patients, approached me to discuss the severe left lumbar pain he has had for the last three years, known as sciatica. This is the product of a compression in the sciatic nerve that runs down the lower body, starting from the lower back. Sciatica is a very common condition with people that are ages 30 to 50. He suggested that I write an article about the value of autologous stem cells to heal these chronic spinal pains.
Spinal problems are common and cover a wide range of different symptoms including herniated discs, damaged nerves, stenosis, spinal disc wearing and arthritis in the lumbar and neck structures. Thousands of people suffer from these pains and sometimes seem incurable after several treatment methods. Unfortunately, modern medicine only can properly suppress the pain of less than ten percent of these problems by using anti-inflammatory pills, physical therapy, acupuncture, massage, and several other methods. Once this fails, a number of patients resort to risky surgeries to resolve the problem. Sadly, surgery can only help these patients for a short period of time. These types of surgeries attempt to manage the pain by inputting screws and titanium sheets to the area. There are usually several damaged tissues and diseased areas within a spinal problem that a surgery cannot fix. In the effected area, stem cells responsible to repair and regenerate suffer from a “drought,” which is referred to as a stem cell dysfunction.
Theoretically, the surgery should be effective, but in reality it is not. The act of cutting through healthy tissue to reach the damaged tissue actually causes more damage when removing the diseased tissue and replacing it with titanium. This consequentially creates a severe area of fibrosis. This procedure works for the first few months, until fibrous tissue pain begins, and the nerves irritate again. To go from bad to worse the procedure cancels the use of a spinal disc, a vertebra, a ligament, or joint level. This causes the levels above and below to have more work, weight, and motion which causes rapid wear of these levels.
For the most part, autologous stem cells work in a completely different way because we are able to determine the location and extent of damaged structures, including nerves and nerve roots. We are able to place them with pinpoint accuracy and with different types of stem cells in the procedure. Stem cells send a message, like “wifi,” to damaged cells and reprogram them to return to their primary state. Stem cells abort any attempt from the body to produce fibrous tissue and reprogram cells that have been “spoiled.”
This was the case of Mr. Alfredo Perez, who returned six weeks after an implant composed of autologous bone marrow stem cells and fat.
This was the product of a hernia that caused nerve compression. Mr. Perez had become desperate after all the procedures in the last three years that had failed. He then decided to try the stem cell procedure suggested to him at StemCell Miami with Dr. Castellanos. After his results Alfredo said, “The result has been incredible, much more than anything possibly imaginable.” Alfredo said the procedure took six to eight weeks, but after time he began to gradually improve. Now he has recuperated and feels no pain, thanks to this new miracle of science, not in a pill, but within ourselves.
For more information or to book a free consultation on how to treat your pains with stem cells please call StemCell Miami at 305-598-7777.
If you want to write to Dr. Castellanos, send him an email at stemdoc305@gmail.com.
Ramón Castellanos, MD
Stem Cell, Regenerative Medicine, Pain
PM&R and Sport medicine Certified
