New Study Offers Hope for Spinal Cord Injuries
Researchers from Yale University were able to repair injured spinal cords with an intravenous injection of the patient’s own stem cells, according to Yale News. The injection used stem cells from a patient’s bone marrow, which were processed for several weeks in a specialized center.
Within weeks of receiving the treatment, more than half of the patients showed “substantial improvements in key functions – such as the ability to walk, or to use their hands.” The patients had non-penetrating spinal cord injuries, with symptoms ranging from sensory loss, bowel and bladder dysfunction, and loss of motor function.
The study was done by Yale researchers at Sapporo Medical University in Japan and published in the Journal of Clinical Neurology and Neurosurgery. Additional studies will be needed to confirm the results, a process which could take years.
Medical advances like the one described are promising. Even so, they’re not guaranteed. If you or a loved one has suffered a spinal cord injury in Philadelphia and you suspect it is due to negligence, it may help to contact a Philadelphia attorney experienced in cases involving spinal cord injuries.