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August 25, 2020
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Perineural Injection Technique
November 16, 2019

Stem Cell Therapy for Back Pain

Back pain is, unfortunately, very common. It is the second most common cause of missed work and is a leading cause of disability. In most cases, the best prescription for acute back pain is to simply rest the strained area for 2-4 weeks. In the case of chronic back pain, pain that lasts more than three months, the injury will not properly heal without further treatment. If you are suffering from chronic back pain, stem cell therapy may be the solution for your back pain.

Stem cell therapy and regenerative medicine provide cutting edge and minimally-invasive alternatives to surgery and pain medications for back pain. Stem cell therapy seeks to repair the unhealed injury by stimulating the healing process within the patient’s own body.

Common Causes of Back Pain

Herniated or Ruptured Discs:

Herniated or Ruptured Discs act as a cushion between the bones of the spine. Discs become herniated or ruptured when the jelly-like center of the disc pushes through a crack in the rubbery outer layer. This can then impinge on the spinal cord and spine nerve causing nerve pain and nerve dysfunction.

Spinal Osteoarthritis or Degenerative Disc Disease:

These terms describe painful conditions that are result of the wearing down of the discs and joints between the vertebrae.

Muscle or Ligament Strain:

repeated heavy lifting can strain back muscles or ligaments. These muscles and ligaments act as the stabilizers for the entire spinal column. While ligament and tendon tears can be painful on their own, a lack of stabilization from their injury results in osteoarthritis and degenerative disc disease over time as the discs and bone joints become injured from the lack of tendon and ligament support.

Sciatica:

Pain radiating along the sciatic nerve which runs down one or both legs from the lower back. This is impingement on the major spinal nerve of the leg, and results from disc herniation or spinal arthritis resulting in narrowing of the spinal canal.

How back pain is treated using Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Therapy

Prolozone Therapy uses an injection of ozone gas along with high concentrate dextrose in order to stimulate growth, healing, repair and endogenous stem cell activation.  Dextrose is a mild irritant which turns on a healing response in a tissue that is stuck in a non-functional state of disrepair.  Ozone is a simple molecule containing three atoms of oxygen that is both man made and naturally occurring in nature, who's chemical abbreviation is O3.  Since it has one extra molecule of oxygen compared to the common forms of oxygen as O2 (oxygen gas), the extra oxygen molecule is easily passed off in chemical reactions known as oxidation.   While ozone is known to irritate the lungs in high concentration, in specific medical concentrations, the oxidative power of ozone in chemical reactions creates what is known in the body as redox (reduction-oxidation) signaling molecules, which are molecules in the body that act as cellular signals based upon their oxidative state.  Cytokines, nucleic acids, and enzymes all use oxidative(redox) state to perform and signal their functions in the body on the immune system, genetic system, and metabolism.  These signals are what is thought to enable ozone's regenerative powers through the activation of the body' s own stem cells following ozone injection into non-healing tissue.

Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) Therapy is one of the cutting edge tools we use at Hawaii Island Stem Cell Therapy and Regenerative Medicine. This therapy harnesses the inherent power of platelets, which are blood components found in the patient’s own blood.  In the blood, platelets have two major functions; signaling adjacent cells to begin the healing process and to stop bleeding in recently damaged tissues. When the body is damaged in anyway, platelets release growth factors into the surrounding tissue which then signal these tissues to flood the area with repair cells and healing nutrients. This effectively begins the process of repair and re-growth in damaged tissues. Hawaii Island Stem Cell Therapy and Regenerative Medicine uses the patient’s own blood- which is then centrifuged to separate blood cells from the platelets- resulting in a highly potent PRP.  This PRP is then injected into very specific musculoskeletal areas under ultrasound guidance and using precision injection technique.  The result is a higher level of healing than prior to the treatment due to the orchestration of an enhanced healing response vis a vis the growth factors in the platelets.

Allogeneic Allograft

An allogeneic allograft is regenerative tissue donated from another individual that is applied to diseased or chronically injured tissues in the recipient.

The FDA, under its regulation CFR 361, allows the use of donated human tissue in medicine without premarket review and approval, if the tissue is minimally manipulated and for homologous use.

Our tissue meets guidelines for FDA exemption under CFR 361, since the donated tissue is designated as a structural support tissue for orthopedic purposes, and is minimally manipulated.

There are two forms of allogeneic products that we use at Hawaii Island Stem Cell therapy and Regenerative Medicine.

Perinatal Birth Products for Musculoskeletal Medicine

Perinatal birth products have gained significant attention in recent years for their potential benefits in supporting musculoskeletal health. These products, derived from the human placenta and umbilical cord, have been shown to possess unique properties that aid in healing and regeneration.

At Hawaii Island Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, the following birth products are available

  • Live Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSC’s) from Umbilical Cord Lineages. This product contains LIVE isolated mesenchymal stem cells that have been verified through numerous testing modalities to ensure proper health and viability. To create this product: Wharton’s Jelly umbilical cord tissue is processed; serology, mycoplasma and endotoxin testing is performed. The MSC’s are isolated using cell-surface marker identification and the outcome is validated using flow cytometry (ACEA Biosciences NovoCyte 3000 machine); Karyotyping is performed (Genetic) to ensure cell health and that no chromosomal abnormalities exist. Post thaw viability of these live mesenchymal MSC’s is typically 95%+.
  • Live Exosomes (Extracellular Signaling Vesicles) from Umbilical Cord Lineages. Exosomes can modulate immune responses, promote tissue repair, and reduce inflammation through paracrine signaling​​. This product is derived from isolated umbilical derived MSCs with data to support health and lineage of these master cells and the exosome end products.
  • Wharton’s Jelly derived polypeptide enriched matrix (PEM). This product is a non-isolated and non-live cell conditioned media leveraging all the cell backgrounds found naturally in Wharton’s Jelly umbilical cord tissue containing growth factors, peptides, HA, exosomes, and stem cell content.

Key Benefits of Perinatal Birth Products

Perinatal birth products have been found to have several key benefits for musculoskeletal health, including:

  • Pain relief: Perinatal birth products have been shown to reduce pain and discomfort associated with musculoskeletal disorders, such as back pain, leg cramps, and pelvic girdle discomfort. 1
  • Improved joint function: These products have been found to improve joint function and reduce inflammation, making them a potential treatment for conditions such as osteoarthritis 1
  • Enhanced tissue repair: Perinatal birth products contain growth factors and other bioactive molecules that promote tissue repair and regeneration, which can aid in the healing of musculoskeletal injuries 1.
  • Immune modulation: These products have been shown to modulate the immune system, reducing inflammation and promoting a healthy immune response. 1

Perinatal birth products offer a promising solution for musculoskeletal health.  Their unique properties make them an attractive option for individuals seeking alternative and complementary treatments for musculoskeletal disorders. Further research is needed to fully understand the benefits and mechanisms of action of perinatal birth products, but the existing evidence suggests that they may be a valuable addition to the treatment options available for musculoskeletal medicine.

Single donor bone marrow-derived exosomes offer several important benefits, especially in the context of regenerative medicine and treatment of conditions such as osteoarthritis. Here's a breakdown of the key attributes and advantages.

✅ Benefits of Single Donor Bone Marrow-Derived Exosomes 2,3

  1. Consistency and Standardization
    1. A single donor source allows for batch-to-batch consistency, which is critical in producing a reproducible therapeutic product, amenable to scientific study.
    2. Each production batch is proteomically and genetically characterized—every growth factor and RNA molecule can be identified and quantified​.
    3. Initial scientific studies in humans show promising results.4
  2. High Therapeutic Potency
    1. Bone marrow-derived MSCs are known to produce high-quality exosomes rich in anti-inflammatory growth factors, cytokines, and RNA, thought to be similarly matched to the precise signaling of cells needed in musculoskeletal repair.
  3. Safety, Efficacy and Low Immunogenicity
    1. The product is acellular, meaning no live cells or foreign DNA are introduced—this avoids the risks of tumorigenesis and immune rejection.
    2. No reported adverse events and a 12.5-year follow-up study showed no increased cancer risk after bone marrow cell-based therapies​.
    3. Bone marrow MSCs have over 63,000 peer-reviewed publications, whereas perinatal MSCs have fewer than 2,000, making BM-derived products better studied and understood.

 *Signature Treatment: Single Donor Bone Marrow Derived Exosomes

  • Exosome Derived from Single Donor Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cell Lineage  >50 Billion Exosomes
  • PRP, Platelet Rich Plasma. Approximately 10-12 billion autologous platelets
  • BPC 157. Naturally derived Growth and repair “peptide”, 10 mg

Total price:  $5000

*Signature Treatment: Umbilical Cord Derived Whartons Jelly, 2 cc.

  • Umbilical Cord Derived Whartons Jelly extract containing, 7 Billion Exosomes, 3 Million Mesenchymal Stem Cells, plus Polypeptide Enhanced Extracellular Matrix 2 ml
  • BPC 157. Naturally derived Growth and repair “peptide”, 10 mg
  • PRP, Platelet Rich Plasma. Approximately 10-12 billion autologous platelets

Total Price: $4250

*Signature Treatment: Umbilical Cord Derived Whartons Jelly, 1 cc.

  • Umbilical Cord Derived Whartons Jelly extract containing, 3.5 Billion Exosomes, 1.5 Million Mesenchymal Stem Cells, plus Polypeptide Enhanced Extracellular Matrix 1 ml
  • BPC 157. Naturally derived Growth and repair “peptide”, 10 mg
  • PRP, Platelet Rich Plasma. Approximately 10-12 billion autologous platelets

Total Price: $2750 

 References

  1. AH Amol H Trivedi, et al. "The Categorization of Perinatal Derivatives for Orthopedic Applications." Biomedicines, 2024.
  2. Pettine KA, Dordevic M (2019) The Biologic Treatment of Osteoarthritis with Mesenchymal Stem Cell Exosomes: The Future is Now. J Stem Cell Res Dev Ther: S1001.
  3. 3.East J, Dordevic M (2020) The Safety Profile of a Bone Marrow-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cell Extracellular Vesicle Isolate Product. J Stem Cell Res Dev Ther 6: 026.
  4. 4. East J, Dordevic M. (2021) Pilot Safety Study of an Extracellular Vesicle Isolate Product for Treatment of Osteoarthritis in Combat-Related Injuries: One Year Follow Up. J Stem Cell Res. 2(2):1-10.

Contact Hawaii Island Stem Cell Therapy and Regenerative Medicine to schedule an appointment and to find out if stem cell therapy is the right solution for your back pain.