Neck pain can last days, weeks, months, or even years. There are many common causes of neck pain, including muscle overuse, a pinched nerve, poor posture, or many health conditions.
Ongoing cervicalgia (neck pain) can limit critical movements, such as the ability to look behind you. Stem cell therapies may offer a non-surgical option for those suffering from ongoing cervicalgia.
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What Areas of the Neck Cause Cervicalgia?
The neck or cervical spine protects the spinal cord and supports the head. It needs to balance its strength with flexibility to provide a range of motion. However, the neck’s flexibility makes it more vulnerable to injury.
The neck brings together many structures to provide this balance, including:
- Facet joints: the connections between the bones of the spine
- Discs: the rubbery shock absorbers between the vertebrae
- Spinal nerves: control motor and sensory functions
- Ligaments: the connective tissue that attaches bone to bone
- Muscles: move and support the neck
The many moving parts of the neck allow for its versatility and sensitivity to injury.
When Is Treatment for Cervicalgia Needed?
Many patients experiencing cervicalgia will benefit from at-home treatments. These options include:
- Ice packs to reduce inflammation
- Over-the-counter medications
- Massage
- Stretching
- Resting the muscles by restricting movement
However, when these treatment options don’t alleviate neck pain or the pain persists beyond a few weeks, it may be a sign of a more significant issue, and you should consult with a physician.
How Does Stem Cell Therapy Treat Cervicalgia?
Stem cells are unique cells found throughout the body. When needed, stem cells can divide to form more stem cells. Others can differentiate into new, specialized cells. These differentiated cells can repair or replace diseased or damaged cells.
Physicians may use mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) found in the bone marrow when treating cervicalgia. These cells differentiate into various cells, including bone, cartilage, muscle, neural, and skin cells.
When reintroduced into the target sites, the MSCs have the ability to repair and replace the damaged tissue. Since MSCs can differentiate into the cells that make up the various parts of the neck, including bone, cartilage, muscle, and nerves, they have the rare ability to target many sources of pain.
Patients using stem cell therapy for neck pain may feel a gradual improvement as the MSCs work to repair the damaged tissue causing pain. Pain relief can continue over the course of weeks, and the repair process may extend for three to six months.
This post was written by a medical professional at Stemedix Inc. At Stemedix we provide access to Regenerative Medicine for osteoarthritis, also known as stem cell therapy for Osteoarthritis. Regenerative medicine has the natural potential to help improve symptoms sometimes lost from the progression of many conditions.