APM Spine & Sports Physicians Research Study Shows New Treatment May Offer Hope for Low Back Pain

NORFOLK, Va. - Nov. 12, 2015 - PRLog -- Hampton Roads, VA – November 9, 2015

Dr. David Levi, MD of APM Spine & Sports Physicians along with fellow APM researchers Scott Horn, DO and Sara Tyszko, PA, recently performed a study of a new treatment for discogenic lower back pain. The team’s preliminary results were enthusiastically received at the annual meeting of the Spine Intervention Society. Their study has also been accepted for publication into the prestigious Pain Medicine Journal and is the first of its kind to be published. Their groundbreaking treatment modality may offer renewed hope to patients who have tried other options.

For people with low back pain, about half will have pain stemming from the intervertebral disc. This disc can develop small tears in the outer portion, which are often painful. The team injected a concentrate of the patient’s own blood, rich in growth factors (Platelet Rich Plasma or PRP), directly into the painful disc or discs, on the hypothesis that the growth factors might help heal the disc tears. Results were included for 22 patients who suffered for years with moderate or severe low back pain.  The treatment required about 3 months to work and at the 6 month mark about half the patients reported that the treatment had eliminated at least 50% of their pain, with function also improving considerably.  At the end of the study period, 2 out of 3 of the patients who responded to the treatment rated their pain as less than 2 out of 10.

Below is the abstract of the study article set to publish in the journal Pain Medicine.

Intradiscal Platelet-Rich Plasma Injection for Chronic Discogenic Low Back Pain:
Preliminary Results from a Prospective Trial
Principal investigator David Levi MD, with Scott Horn DO, Sara Tyszko PA, Josh Levin MD, Charles Hecht-Leavitt MD, Edward Walko DO

Background:  Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) has been found to be effective for a variety of musculoskeletal conditions.  The treatment of discogenic pain with PRP is under investigation.
Objective: To assess changes in pain and function in patients with discogenic low back pain after an intradiscal injection of PRP.
Study Design: Prospective Trial
Methods:  Patients were diagnosed with discogenic low back pain by clinical means, imaging and exclusion of other structures.  Provocation discography was used in a minority of the patients.  Patients underwent a single treatment of intradiscal injection of PRP at one or multiple levels.
Main Outcome Measures:  Patients were considered a categorical success if they achieved at least 50% improvement in VAS and 30% decrease in ODI at 1,2, and 6 months post-treatment.
Results: 22 patients underwent intradiscal PRP.  Nine patients underwent a single level injection, ten at 2 levels, two at 3 levels and one at 5 levels.   Categorical success rates were as follows:  1 month:  3/22 = 14% (95% CI 0% – 28%), 2 months:  7/22 = 32% (95% CI 12% – 51%),
6 months:  9/19 = 47% (95% CI 25% – 70%).
Conclusion: This trial demonstrates encouraging preliminary 6 month findings, using strict categorical success criteria, for intradiscal PRP as a treatment for presumed discogenic low back pain.  Randomized placebo controlled trials are needed to further evaluate the efficacy of this treatment.

APM Spine & Sports Physicians is focused on reducing patients’ pain and increasing their function.
Appointments available at 757.422.2966 or go to APMSpineAndSports.com.