

Numbness throughout the limbs (hands, feet, arms, or legs).While both types share similar symptoms, the portions of the body in which the symptoms express themselves vary. This narrowing of space most often happens within the neck (cervical spinal stenosis) or the lower back (lumbar stenosis).

In the case of spinal stenosis, the spaces between the vertebrae which make up the spine compress and pinch the nerves between them. Due to its prolific amount of nerves, any slight malfunction or degeneration within the spine can have a huge impact on a person’s lifestyle.

It is used as a sort of highway for the brain to send and receive electrical impulses from our various organs, muscles, and other tissues. If you have any concerns about your health we urge you to discuss them with your doctor.The spine is one of the most innervated portions of the body. The information contained in this article is for information purposes only and is not intended to replace the advice of a medical expert. How the stem cell spine operation hailed as ‘bigger than man landing on the Moon’ first took place more than 10 years ago.Paralysed man walks again after cell transplant.Spinal Cord Repair and Stem Cell Headlines Promisingly, there are currently 38 clinical trials investigating the application of stem cells in spinal cord injury. Lima and his team showed that a few patients were able to regain some motor function and sensation thanks to the transplanted olfactory stem cells. Carlos Lima of Portugal had transplanted olfactory stem cells to treat spinal cord injury in over 100 patients. However, once OECs have been transplanted into the spinal cord it appears they facilitate the growth of the ends of severed nerve fibres and even enable them join together. It was previously thought that severed nerve fibres in the spinal cord were unable to repair themselves. OECs are specialist cells which form part of the sense of smell enabling nerve fibres in the olfactory system to continually renew. The research used a type of stem cell called olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs) from the nose of the patient and transplanted them into the spinal cord. A British professor, Geoffrey Raisman, headed research which used stem cells to enable a paralysed man to walk again. While there is currently no effective treatment for spinal cord injury available to the general public, stem cells could hold the key to successful spinal cord repair in the future.

