Re: spinal stenosis

[Guest guest]

, nadine offer wrote:

> I've been an athlete for the last 20 yrs and nerve pain due to lumbar

> stenosis is eating away at what I can do. I keep thinking theres got

> to be something out there other than pain meds, injections, and

> surgeries that I continual hear are not very successful. what are

> they doing in other countries that they AMA isn't doing here, what do

> They do for football players who this must be very common to? Any

> Ideas? I read that Rick the republ. pres candidate had some

> stem cell injection that was working, has anyone else heard of that?

> Thanks for any input. nfitwoman

Nadine,

Spinal stenosis is a progressive process and yes. You are right those normal

things are sometimes unsuccessful. I have found that gentle myofascial physical

therapy has helped me and the exercises I do open up the facets of my back and

releases the pressure of my stenosis. The problem with spinal stenosis is

watching for nerve impingement . That really hurts. My favorite position for

relief o my back is the fetal position. I feel like I am digressing back to

infant hood but it releases the pressure on my back.

I found a forum that was talking about Rick 's surgery and listed the ten

doctors who are doing it now. One of them Dr. Randal Dryer in Austin, I have

seen for second opinion and he is a real pioneer and on top of things. He has

always been involve and has clinical trials of treatments to help the spinal

patient.

Here is the forum link on stem cells :

http://sci.rutgers.edu/forum/showthread.php?t=168871 I went ahead and copied the

Doctors who do this procedures and their backgrounds:

This is a list of 10 spine surgeons who are using stem cells to promote healing

during spinal procedures in their practice or who are researching and innovating

in the field of spinal biologics. Inclusion on this list is not an endorsement

of a surgeons' or organization's clinical abilities.

Rick B. Delamarter, MD (Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles). Dr.

Delamarter is the co-medical director of the Cedars-Sinai Spine Center and vice

chair for spine services in the department of surgery at Cedars-Sinai Medical

Center. He has a vast interest in non-fusion and minimally invasive techniques,

including the use of growth factors for fusion and stem cells for repairing

degenerative disc disease. During his career, he was among the first to use

growth factor tissue engineering for intervertebral discs as well as multi-level

artificial disc replacement for both the lumbar and cervical spine. His research

has also reflected his passion for advanced spinal procedures, and his research

has been recognized by the North American Spine Society and International

Society for the Study of the Lumbar Spine. Dr. Delamarter earned his medical

degree at the University of Oregon Health Science Center in Portland and

completed his residency at the University of California, Los Angeles Medical

Center. His additional training includes a fellowship in spine surgery at Case

Western Reserve University in Detroit and additional training at the Acute

Spinal Cord Injury Unit at Cleveland Veteran's Hospital.

Randall Dryer, MD (Central Texas Spine Institute, Austin). Dr. Dryer has an

interest in several spine surgery techniques, including harvesting adult stem

cells from a patient's body and using them during spine surgery to promote

tissue regeneration. Throughout his career, he has participated in several

research projects on topics such as spinal joint/facet replacement for lumbar

spinal stenosis and disc replacement, including research on Medtronic Prestige

cervical disc. He is a member of several professional societies, including North

American Spine Society and Cervical Spine Research Society. He is also a past

president of the Texas Spine Society. Dr. Dryer earned his medical degree at the

University of Iowa Medical School in Iowa City and completed a fellowship in

spine surgery at New Addenbrooks Hospital in Cambridge, England.

Fessler, MD (Northwestern University, Chicago). Throughout his career,

Dr. Fessler has been a pioneer in minimally invasive surgical techniques and was

among the first spine surgeons to perform human embryonic spinal cord

transplantation. He has also participated in a clinical trial to test the use of

embryonic stem cells in patients with thoracic spine injuries. During the trial,

surgeons injected a specific type of embryonic stem cells directly into the

injury site to create myelin for protecting the nerves. This past summer, Dr.

Fessler participated in an Illinois panel to protect stem cell research, hosted

by U.S. Senator Mark Kirk (R-Ill.). Dr. Fessler previously founded and directed

the Institute for Spine Care at Chicago Institute of Neurosurgery and

Neuroresearch and has served as a professor of neurological surgery at Rush

University Medical Center. Dr. Fessler earned his medical degree at the

University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, where he also completed his

residency in neurological surgery. His additional training includes research

fellowships in physiatry and neurosurgery at the University of Chicago Medical

Center.

Stanley , MD (SpineCare, Houston). Dr. recently earned national

recognition for performing spine surgery using stem cells on Texas Governor and

Republican presidential hopeful Rick . The procedure, developed by RNL BIO,

a company specializing in adult stem cell therapeutics, is one that Dr.

received himself in Kyoto, Japan. He found the spinal infusion procedure so

effective that he decided to incorporate it into his spine practice. Dr.

currently serves as the director of spine care services at Memorial Hermann

Hospital, Southwest, and is a diplomat of the American Board of Orthopedic

Surgery. He is also a member of North American Spine Society, American Academy

of Orthopaedic Surgeons and American Board of Spine Surgery. Dr. also

spent time serving as captain in the U.S. Army Medical Corps. Dr. earned

his medical degree from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in

Dallas and completed his residency at the University of Texas Medical School in

Houston. His additional training includes a fellowship at Wellseley Hospital in

Toronto.

Kleiner, MD (Medical Center of Aurora, Aurora, Colo.). Dr. Kleiner was

among the first spine surgeons to perform a discectomy in the United States

using adult stem cell to help repair a patient's lower back in 2008. He

partnered with the Colorado-based company Regenerative Sciences to perform the

surgery. For the procedure, surgeons harvest stem cells from the patient and

culture them before placing them into the patients' spines during minimally

invasive surgery. Dr. Kleiner earned his medical degree at the University of

Colorado Health Science Center in Denver and completed his residency at the

University of California in San Diego. His additional training includes a

fellowship at Rocky Mountain Spine Clinic in Lone Tree, Colo.

Carl Lauryssen, MD (Tower Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine, Beverly Hills,

Calif.). Dr. Lauryssen was among the first neurosurgeons in the country to

inject stem cells into a human spinal cord as part of an FDA trial. He currently

serves as the co-director of spine research and development and lead spine

surgeon at Olympia Medical Center in Los Angeles. His research and surgical

interests focus on minimally invasive surgery and motion preservation, and he

has been awarded the young investigator award twice from the American

Association of Neurological Surgeons for his work with cervical disorders and

stem cell research. In addition to his clinical work and research, Dr. Lauryssen

has participated in device development and holds multiple patents and inventions

currently used by spine surgeons across the country. Dr. Lauryssen earned his

medical degree at the University of Cape Town in South Africa and completed his

neurosurgical residency at University of Calgary in Alberta, Canada. His

additional training includes a fellowship in spinal neurosurgical surgery at the

University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa.

Meyer, MD (Foundation Surgical Hospital, Bellaire, Texas). Dr. Meyer is at

the forefront of using stem cell therapy for regenerating tissue and has

extensive experience harvesting adult stem cells during routine spine procedures

to treat back pain. After harvesting bone marrow from the iliac crest, he

processes it in the Celling Technologies system that concentrates the bone

marrow to the desired level for healing. In addition to his clinical practice,

Dr. Meyer has been on faculty at the University of Texas and is interested in

developing new techniques and instrumentation for minimally invasive procedures.

Dr. Meyer has served as the president of the Texas Spine Society and is a member

of North American Spine Society. Dr. Meyer earned his medical degree at Columbia

University College of Physicians and Surgeons and completed his residency in

orthopedic surgery at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center/New York Orthopedic

Hospital, both in New York City. His additional training includes a spine

fellowship at the Kenton D. Letherman Spine Program in Louisville, Ky.

Pettine, MD (Rocky Mountain Associates in Orthopedic Medicine, Loveland,

Colo.). Dr. Pettine recently became the first spine surgeon to successfully use

the Mesoblast Limited technology during the Phase 2 clinical trial of its Adult

Mesencymal Precursor Cell product for treating patients with lower back pain and

degenerative disc disease. The injection of Mesoblast's allogenic MPCs is

designed to reverse the degenerative process, re-grow disc cartilage and sustain

normalization of disc pathology, anatomy and function. Dr. Pettine is the

co-founder of Rocky Mountain Associates, The Spine Institute and Loveland

Surgery Center. Throughout his career, Dr. Pettine has been an innovator and is

the co-inventor of the Maverick Artificial Disc. He holds three patents for

artificial discs and has been involved in several investigations of spine

devices. Dr. Pettine earned his medical degree at the University of Colorado

School of Medicine in Denver and completed his residency in orthopedic surgery

at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. His additional training includes a fellowship

at the Institute for Low Back Care in Minneapolis.

Spann, MD (Westlake Orthopedics, West Lake Hills, Texas). After recovering

from a cycling accident that left him quadriplegic, Dr. Spann became interested

in the use of stem cells in orthopedic and spine applications. He is among the

leading innovators in minimally invasive spine surgery and clinical stem cell

use. In addition to performing procedures using stem cells, he provides

instruction and consultation on the technique around the world. During his

career, he has participated in FDA trials focused on bringing new spine

technology and products to the market. Later, he became a founder of Westlake

Orthopaedics and Westlake Hospital. Prior to his medical career, Dr. Spann was a

world-class swimmer. He earned his medical degree at the University of South

Carolina in Columbia and completed his residency in orthopedic surgery at

Ochsner Foundation in New Orleans. He also spent time in the US Army Medical

Corps and completed a fellowship in spine surgery in Atlanta.

Gowriharan Thaiyananthan, MD (Chapman Neurosurgical Spine Institute, Orange,

Calif.). Dr. Thaiyananthan is the co-medical director at Southern California

Center for Neurosciences and Spine at Chapman Medical Center. He has experience

using cadaveric stem cells, donor stem cells and patients' own mesenchymal stem

cells as graft material during spine procedures. He also has a professional

interest in minimally invasive surgical techniques and often treats patients

with degenerative disc disease, spinal stenosis and scoliosis. In addition to

his clinical practice, Dr. Thaiyananthan has published articles in several

peer-reviewed journals and is a member of the North American Spine Society and

American Association of Neurological Surgeons. He earned his medical degree at

the University of California, San Francisco, and completed his neurosurgery

residency at Yale New Haven (Conn.) Hospital. His additional training includes a

fellowship in minimally invasive and complex spine surgery at Cedars-Sinai

Medical Center's Institute for Spinal Disorders.

One of the Doctors that helped pioneer and use stem cell is and I have listed

link about him : Dr. Lima

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/innovation/about_episode6.html and

www.stemcellresearchfacts.org/ are some starting points to read and if I win the

lotto, I would have the scar removal surgery and stem cells laid down to heal

and avoid scar formation and heal the injury I have. You can view many videos on

this subject matter on You Tube by typing in stem cell therapy in spinal surgery

and they will pop up and you can chose a video on the subject.

I think the way to go is to get in a clinical trial group and that way you don't

have to pay for it. I believe that football players have the laser, microscopic,

endoscopic surgeries and blocks.

Spine Universe is a peer reviewed site to check,Spine Health and just type in

the subject matter, stem cell therapies in spinal surgies, spinal stenois, etc.

I think you could benifit from a physical therapy program plan and home physical

plan. This has helped me more than most and my stretches save my life. Antii

inflammatory diets, vitamins and mineral supplements, water therapy (mine is hot

tub} bio feedback ( this helped me with reduce pain levels) and cognitve therapy

helped me to set goals for my pain treatment.

I have set goals to have my hardware removed, increase my immune system (diet,

endocrinologist support). and to advocat for myself. My stenosis is moderate and

I refuse spinal injections as the medications they inject are neurotoxins and I

have acquired arachnoiditis from these multiple spinal injections that were

epidural, trigger point, faucet, nerve blociks, sacral iliac injections,

diagnostic, rauz and every place they could stick me. This is an injustice as

when in severe pain and it is a condtion of your pain contract for medication it

is close to entrapment but is common practiice in

interventional pain management.

I believe becoming an advocate for yourself, researching and knowing

research,durrent treatments that are sucessful, research for yourself and learn

avout your diagnosis and be a part of decisions made on your care and not having

to accept any procedure you feel is determential to you. Hope this gives you an

insight to how I cope and I can empathize. Hope you feel better soon. Bennie

[Guest guest]

Bennie,

Thank you so much for taking the time to send me all that useful information. I

have been doing a lot of alternative things, some very helpful, If you would be

open to a phone conversation, I'd love to hear what you've learned from that

physician and be able to have a dialogue about some of these approaches. If not

I totally understand and am happy to continue online.

Thanks so much again,

Nadine

> Bennie wrote:

> I believe becoming an advocate for yourself, researching and knowing

research,durrent treatments that are sucessful, research for yourself and learn

avout your diagnosis and be a part of decisions made on your care and not having

to accept any procedure you feel is determential to you.