Level A· Stronger Clinical EvidenceSystematic Review

Stem cells and discogenic back pain.

Miranda L., Quaranta M., Oliva F., Maffulli N.

Systematic Review with a reported sample of 303 on Back Pain, Disc Degeneration, published in Br Med Bull (2023) — summary generated from the PubMed abstract.

This page is generated from the PubMed record. The Thai description is an automated summary of bibliographic fields and the abstract, not a full translation, and is not medical advice.

Study type: Systematic Review
Journal: Br Med Bull (2023)
Country: England
Reported sample size: 303
PMID: 37164906
DOI: 10.1093/bmb/ldad008

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.

What this study does not prove

• This study does not prove SVF is an approved treatment or a replacement for standard care.

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.

How we grade evidence

HumansLow Back PainQuality of LifeTreatment OutcomeMesenchymal Stem CellsMagnetic Resonance Imaging

Back & Spine Back Pain Disc Degeneration

View on PubMed DOI

Stem cells and discogenic back pain.

Abstract (original English)

What this study does not prove

Evidence level

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