26 Jul Experimental Gel Could Change into Latest Treatment for DDD
Degenerative disk disease (DDD) affects people everywhere in the world. It is kind of painful and, in some cases, even debilitating. Here at Lone Star Pain Medicine, we are able to treat DDD with nerve blocks, discoplasty, and even spinal cord stimulators. But now a breakthrough treatment using an experimental hydrogel shows quite a little bit of promise. It could change into the brand new treatment for DDD in the long run.
The outcomes of a study recently presented on the Society of Interventional Radiology Annual Scientific Meeting confirmed what we’ve got long known about hydrogels: that they might be used effectively to treat DDD. The actual gel on this study had never been utilized in humans before. Nonetheless, it received breakthrough device recognition from the FDA in 2020, giving its creator expedited review.
Success Across the Table
The study in query enrolled twenty patients reporting chronic lower back pain because of this of DDD. Patients were between the ages of twenty-two and 69. After being treated with the gel, and at six month follow up, each patient reported less back pain.
For the record, all of the patients ranked their pain at first of the study at at least 4 on a 10-point scale. None of them had found any relief with traditional treatments. The common pain rating at first of the study was 7.1; at six month follow up it had dropped to 2. Finally, all of the participants reported increased physical function because of this of less pain.
How It Works
Hydrogels have been available as a treatment for DDD for some years now. A hydrogel is a substance that a health care provider inserts directly into the affected joint to fill in empty space that was filled by the disc. What’s different about this particular gel is that it’s injected reasonably than mechanically inserted.
Other hydrogel products are soft and somewhat pliable. They don’t necessarily stay in place that well. Inserting them also requires a minimum of minor surgery. On this case though, the hydrogel was heated until it became a thick liquid. It was then injected into the affected discs where it cooled and adhered to the form of the cavities being filled.
The largest profit here is restoring structural integrity of the affected joint. And since no surgery is required, the most important risk faced by most patients is infection at the location of the injection. But that risk exists with any injection. The danger here isn’t any higher.
Not Ready for Prime Time
We sit up for seeing what happens with this particular hydrogel moving forward. Those of us who practice pain medicine have had our eye on hydrogels for quite some time. None of what we’ve got seen to this point has led us to consider that hydrogels were higher than any of the opposite DDD therapies we utilize. But this recent gel could change things dramatically.
It is clearly not ready for prime time yet. More studies must be done. But for now, the thought looks promising. An injectable hydrogel that conforms to the space being filled could truly mean the top of lower back pain for people affected by DDD. Here’s hoping the product eventually makes it to market.
Within the meantime, we’ve got other treatments we are able to offer here at Lone Star Pain Medicine. We create customized treatment plans for every patient only after taking the time to really understand the foundation causes of their pain. We’ll do the identical for you. Should you are affected by degenerative disc disease, we could be honored by the privilege to treat you.
