Date of Award

2023

Degree Type

Selective Evidence-Based Medicine Review

Degree Name

Master of Science in Health Sciences - Physician Assistant

Department

Physician Assistant Studies

Abstract

Objective: The objective of this systemic review is to determine “Is Stem Cell Injection an Effective Method for Reducing Pain in Adults with Chronic Discogenic Back Pain?”

Study Design: A systemic review of two randomized control trials and one case study published between 2015 and 2021.

Data Sources: All three studies were discovered using PubMed. The articles were published in English in peer-reviewed journals and selected based on applicability to the clinical question.

Outcome Measured: A reduction in pain severity was the outcome measured in all three studies using a Visual Analog Scale (VAS). Scores ranged from 0-100 with higher scores indicating more severe pain. NNT, ABI, p-values, and mean change from baseline were used once intervention was received.

Results: All three studies found that stem cell intervention had a treatment effect on patients with chronic discogenic back pain. Amirdelfan et al. found a NNT of three with statistical significance of p < 0.05 in the treatment group. In the RCT by Noriega et al., stem cell intervention led to a reduction in pain compared to the control group (p < 0.05), indicating a mean change from baseline of 20. Lastly, Pettine et al. demonstrated pain reduction by a mean change from baseline of 46 with statistical significance of p < 0.01 in the treatment group.

Conclusion: All three studies in this review demonstrated that stem cell intervention led to significantly reduced pain severity as measured by VAS. This suggests stem cell injections are effective and beneficial for the treatment of chronic discogenic back pain. However, further research with larger sample sizes need to be conducted with more consistent treatment protocols to better understand the impact of stem cell treatment.

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