Spinal Cord Injury Stem Cell Treatment

Stem cell therapy has emerged as a highly promising treatment option for spinal cord injury (SCI), with around 500,000 new cases reported globally each year. These injuries are most often caused by trauma from car accidents, falls, gunshot wounds, or complications from medical procedures.

While SCI predominantly affects younger individuals due to the nature of these traumatic events, the increasing age of the global population has led to a rise in SCI cases among older adults, often resulting from low-impact trauma.

Currently, standard clinical treatment for SCI includes early surgical decompression and stabilization of the spine, followed by the use of medications like methylprednisolone, nimodipine, and naloxone to manage inflammation and support recovery. After the acute phase, patients typically enter rehabilitation programs aimed at restoring function and independence.

Despite these interventions, traditional treatments have shown limited success in achieving neuroprotection, neuroregeneration, or meaningful functional recovery. This is largely due to the complex pathophysiological mechanisms of SCI, which cause extensive, often irreversible damage to the neurons and surrounding tissue at the injury site.

In the early 2000s, human trials of stem cell therapy for SCI began, showing promising results and offering new hope for improved outcomes in SCI patients.