Stem cells and discogenic back pain.

Relatively higher-quality human studies compared with other topics in this database, e.g. multiple RCTs or systematic reviews. This does not mean it is standard or approved care.

• Level A · Stronger Clinical Evidence
• Level B · Emerging clinical evidence with positive signals
• Level C · Early human research exploring benefits
• Level D · Scientific groundwork from lab and animal studies
• Emerging · Emerging topic under active research

Abstract (original English)

Chronic low back pain, common from the sixth decade, negatively impacts the quality of life of patients and health care systems. Recently, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been introduced in the management of degenerative discogenic pain. The present study summarizes the current knowledge on the effectiveness of MSCs in patients with discogenic back pain. We performed a systematic review of the literature following the PRISMA guidelines. We searched PubMed and Google Scholar database, and identified 14 articles about management of chronic low back pain with MSCs injection therapy. We recorded information on type of stem cells employed, culture medium, clinical scores and MRI outcomes. We identified a total of 303 patients. Ten studies used bone marrow stem cells. In the other four studies, different stem cells were used (of adipose, umbilical, or chondrocytic origin and a pre-packaged product). The most commonly used scores were Visual Analogue Scale and Oswestry Disability Index. There are few studies with many missing data. The studies analysed demonstrate that intradiscal injections of MSCs are effective on discogenic low-back pain. This effect may result from inhibition of nociceptors, reduction of catabolism and repair of injured or degenerated tissues. Further research should define the most effective procedure, trying to standardize a single method.

Evidence level

Relatively higher-quality human studies compared with other topics in this database, e.g. multiple RCTs or systematic reviews. This does not mean it is standard or approved care.

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