Spinal cord injury refers the injury to the soft tissues of the spinal cord which is protected by the vertebrae when they are broken or dislocated. The injuries can occur at any level of the spinal cord. The injured segment of the cord and the severity of the damage will determine which body functions are compromised or lost. There has been no cure for it currently. But the symptoms can be treated and some complications can be controlled.

Scientists and doctors turn to stem cells. Stem cells are a class of undifferentiated cells that can differentiate into specialized cell types. Stem cells can repair the damaged cells by the spinal cord injury and also produce some cells to replace the dead cells. A number of published papers and case studies support the feasibility of treating spinal cord injury with allogeneic human stem cells derived from umbilical cord and autologous bone marrow-derived stem cells.

In severe injury, axons are cut or damaged beyond repair, and neural cell membranes are broken. Blood vessels may rupture and cause bleeding into the spinal cords central tissue, or bleeding can occur outside the cord, causing pressure by the blood clot on the cord.

Within minutes, the spinal cord near the site of severe injury swells within the spinal canal. This may increase pressure on the cord and cut blood flow to spinal cord tissue. Blood pressure can drop, sometimes dramatically, as the body loses its ability to self-regulate. All these changes can cause a condition known as spinal shock that can last from several hours to several days.

Some people experienced spinal cord injury may have hemiplegia, loss of many feelings such as touch and hot, and dysfunctions of movement.

After stem cells are transplanted into the damaged segment of the spinal cord, the cells would repair the damaged cells and help them to recover. Also some cells will be produced by stem cells to help improve the damaged functions by spinal cord injury.

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Spinal Cord Injury Stem Cells | StemcellsHealthCare.com