Scientists at the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre have identified cells that can heal damaged tissue and may be used to help heal damaged tissues and treat diseases. These cells are found in large numbers all over our body and have most probably played an important role in the survival of both humans [...]
Helsinki University Hospital in Finland has just announce that it has received significant funding from the Wings for Life Foundation to continue its research into spinal cord injury rehabilitation using Nexstim’s SmartFocusTM technology. Nexstim Plc is a targeted neuromodulation company who are developing navigated, personalised and non-invasive brain stimulation systems for diagnostics and therapy for [...]
Scientists at the University of Michigan have developed an injection, like an epi-pen, designed to be used at the time of trauma to spinal cord. The injection contains nanoparticles that can prevent the body’s immune system from overreacting to the trauma, potentially preventing some spinal cord injuries from resulting in paralysis. Any kind [...]
Researchers from the University of California in San Francisco (UCSF) and the University of Queensland in Australia, have been studying how animal venoms and toxins affect the wasabi pain receptors in the body. The human body has lots of different nerve cell receptors and the ‘wasabi receptor’ is a specific receptor on pain nerve [...]
Outcome data and studies are constantly being looked at to try and improve the management and outcome of spinal trauma in high income countries like the UK. We know, for example, that the ‘time’ from injury to treatment is one of the key factors. You may have heard of the “golden hour”? The golden [...]
‘Spinal News International’ (September 2019) reports on a survey carried on 1000 US women (aged 35 - 60) conducted by S-I Bone to help them better understand public awareness of sacro-iliac joint (SIJ) dysfunction as a major cause of low back pain. SIJ dysfunction is reported to account for 15 - 30% of all [...]
Recent research has shown that patients with sleep disorders, on average, make more visits to healthcare teams with back pain than patients who not have problems with sleep. Researchers in the USA studied 757 patients with low back pain attending self-management classes at a US military hospital. More than two thirds of the patients [...]
As some of you may know, and in fact may be a part of, the British Spine Registry (BSR) was set up a few years ago by the British Association of Spinal Surgeons. The purpose of the registry is to monitor all spinal procedures and collect data with the aim to improve patient safety [...]
The technology behind the treatment DiscGenics is a biotechnology company that is currently trying to develop an exciting, new, injectable treatment that aims to regenerate the invertebral discs in the spine with the aim of reducing pain and improve the function in patients who have degenerative (‘wear and tear’) disc disease in [...]
Disc replacements are frequently in the news and I am often asked about them. I thought I would mention them today as there was recently a discussion about them at IMAST 2019 (International Meeting on Advanced Spine Techniques), one of the big spinal conferences. Disc replacements have been around a long time and were [...]
