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Regenerative Medicine for the Spine

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Regenerative Medicine for Spine and Joint Pain

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Abstract

Spine pathology commonly manifests as back pain that when untreated may progress to loss of function and disability. Treatments often target disruptions in this complex anatomical network including the intravertebral discs, nerves, facet joints, sacroiliac joints, and the back muscles and ligaments. However, traditional treatments often fail to adequately control symptoms. The innovative field of regenerative medicine attempts to full this treatment void through enhancing the patient’s own healing mechanisms. This chapter will review the current evidence for regenerative medicine (focusing on prolotherapy, platelet-rich plasma, hyaluronic acid, and stem cells) to treat the common spine disorders including discogenic pain, radiculopathy, facet arthropathy, sacroiliac joint pain, and musculature and ligament dysfunction. Currently, there is moderate evidence for utilizing prolotherapy to treat sacroiliac joint pain and ligament dysfunction. There is moderate evidence for platelet-rich plasma therapy for discogenic pain, facet joint pain, and sacroiliac joint pain. There is moderate evidence for hyaluronic acid therapy to treat facet joint pain. There is moderate evidence for the use of stem cells to treat radicular pain in discectomy patients. While regenerative medicine is a promising and overall safe option to trial for those who fail traditional treatments, additional well-designed randomized controlled trials are needed to better define the efficacy of regenerative medicine and aid in patient selection.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Rehabilitation and Human Performance, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA

    Anthony J. Mazzola & David A. Spinner

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  1. Anthony J. Mazzola
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  2. David A. Spinner
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Correspondence to David A. Spinner .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Princeton Spine and Joint Center, Princeton, NJ, USA

    Grant Cooper

  2. Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Mount Sinai Hospital, New York, NY, USA

    Joseph Herrera

  3. Princeton Spine and Joint Center, Princeton, NJ, USA

    Jason Kirkbride

  4. Princeton Spine and Joint Center, Princeton, NJ, USA

    Zachary Perlman

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Mazzola, A.J., Spinner, D.A. (2020). Regenerative Medicine for the Spine. In: Cooper, G., Herrera, J., Kirkbride, J., Perlman, Z. (eds) Regenerative Medicine for Spine and Joint Pain. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-42771-9_7

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