Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) occur from an outside force, and are commonly caused by sports injuries and car accidents. In many cases, symptoms can improve over time with the help of therapy. In some cases, however, it’s possible for symptoms to worsen over time. Here’s a closer look at why some cases improve and others appear to decline.
Secondary Brain Injury: In certain patients, complications develop after the initial injury, such as an infection or hematoma. The injury may also cut off blood to the brain, causing brain cells to die. The effects of these secondary brain injuries may not appear right away, which is why some patients’ symptoms seem to worsen over time.
Chemical Events: A brain injury can also trigger chemical changes which lead to worsening symptoms. For instance, the patient may develop an abundance of neurotransmitters, causing brain cells to become overstimulated and eventually die off.
Failure to Receive Treatment: Lastly, if a patient fails to receive proper treatment to facilitate healing following their brain injury, their symptoms are likely to worsen.
How to Minimize the Risk of Worsening Symptoms
Experts don’t know why symptoms worsen in some TBI cases and not others, but there are still factors within your control that can promote optimal outcomes. Here are a few options to consider.
Attend Therapy
Many people recovering from TBI need a combination of physical, speech, and occupational therapy. These rehabilitative programs help you rebuild physical strength, support blood flow to the brain, sharpen your mental skills, and reestablish your daily routine. Most importantly, they keep the brain and body active and can help prevent worsening symptoms.
Keep Your Brain Stimulated
Your brain is a muscle that can benefit from regular exercise. If there’s a type of puzzle you enjoy, such as sudoku or crosswords, try doing some during your downtime. You might also consider music or art therapy to engage your brain. Stimulating your brain encourages it to produce neuropathic growth factors, which kickstart the development of brain cells. Of course, you’ll want to follow your practitioners’ recommendations and avoid overstimulation during early recovery.
Engage Your Neuroplasticity
Neuroplasticity is the mechanism the brain uses to create neural pathways which allow healthy brain tissue to take on functions the damaged portions can no longer accommodate. Repetition is one of the simplest yet most effective ways to engage neuroplasticity. Thus, if there’s a skill you want to remaster, you’ll need to practice it often. Over time, it will start to become easier.
Get Support
TBI recovery can be frustrating, especially if you’ve reached a plateau. Support groups are available to encourage you to overcome plateaus and discuss the ups and downs with first-hand knowledge. Whether you choose to join an online community or meet with a group in person, you may find that sharing your experiences in a supportive setting is a great outlet for the emotional and mental challenges that come with recovery.
Although it’s impossible to say for sure whether someone’s TBI symptoms will worsen or improve with time, the steps above won’t hurt in either case. By staying mentally and physically active and pursuing treatments such as therapy, individuals who have experienced brain injuries can support the best possible outcomes in their recovery. Patients are discovering the alternative option of stem cell therapy to help manage symptoms and assist in the healing process. In particular, stem cells can slow or halt further brain damage and promote healing by reducing inflammation and achieving a tissue-protective effect. If you would like to learn more then contact us today to speak with a care coordinator.
Affecting over 52 million people, or nearly 25% of the adult patients, osteoarthritis (OA) continues to be the leading cause of disability for people in the United States. Occurring as a result of the protective cartilage, or articular cartilage, that cushions the ends of the bones breaking down, OA can occur in any joint, but most often causes pain, stiffness, and swelling in the hands, feet, knees, hips, and lower back[1][2].
To date, current conventional treatments employing pharmacological treatments have been developed to temporarily address the symptoms (i.e.: relieve pain, stiffness, and swelling) of OA, but have proven ineffective in preventing the onset, progression, or long-term symptoms of the condition. While there are a number of reasons conventional OA therapies have demonstrated themselves to be ineffective, the primary reason is that they do not regenerate the cartilage required to prevent the progressive degenerative process associated with OA.
However, recent studies exploring mesenchymal stem cell-based therapy for OA have demonstrated several potential benefits, including regenerating lost cartilage, slowing cartilage degeneration, pain relief, and improved patient mobility.
Currently, there have been a number of advancements in using cellular-based therapy for OA, including techniques such as autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI) and treatment with embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). While all of these treatments have shown promise in the regeneration of cartilage, each has its own issues which limit its effectiveness and/or availability.
Of the cellular based therapies being evaluated, none demonstrate as much promise, with so few drawbacks, as treatment of OA-related cartridge degeneration with mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). Sourced from a variety of tissue, including adipose, bone marrow, and synovium, MSC have demonstrated to be progenitor cells with the ability to differentiate into cartilage. Because of this, coupled with the low-level of risk and ease of production, MSCs are considered to be a realistic option, holding the best potential treatment of OA.
While each requires further study, a number of studies, both animal and human, exploring the effectiveness of MSCs gathered from adipose tissue, bone marrow, and synovium have all demonstrated varying degrees of success related to regeneration of cartilage lost as a result of OA progression.
As a result of the benefits resulting from previous studies examining the role of MSCs as a cell-based treatment for treating OA-induced cartilage degeneration and because of the effectiveness and high cost associated with current pharmacological-based treatments, the authors of this review call for further clinical study into more innovative and effective modalities to demonstrate the efficacy, safety, and benefits of MSCs in treating patients with OA.
Recent breakthroughs in the field of regenerative medicine continue to support the tremendous healing potential of stem cell therapy. Until a few years ago, stem cell research was limited to only what could be gathered from the research gathered from embryonic stem cells; this research was limited by the well-documented ethical concerns surrounding the practice of harvesting stem cells from embryonic sources.
Fortunately, alternative – and less controversial – sources of stem cells, harvested primarily from autologous bone marrow and adipose tissue have demonstrated promise in treating many diseases ranging from autoimmune conditions to myocardial infarctions.
Considering this, the ability of adult stem cells to undergo division and multipotent differentiation has garnered the attention of spinal surgeons and specialists around the world, specifically for the potential benefits of these stem cells in the treatment of a variety of spine issues related to neural damage, muscle trauma, disk degeneration as well as it potential in supporting bone and spine fusion.
Stem Cells in Spine Surgery
Although the rate of spinal surgery, and specifically lumbar, cervical and thoracolumbar fusions, has continued to rapidly increase over the last 20 year, there has not yet been a breakthrough in surgical technology that has consistently demonstrated the ability to reduce reoperation rates associated with these procedures; additionally, these procedures have demonstrated little success in reducing the issue of pseudoarthrosis in patients.
As a result, spinal surgeons have begun experimenting with using stem cells to support the process of bone growth and fusion. As stem cell research continued to evolve, the discoveries of the ability of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) harvested from bone marrow, adipose tissue, and skeletal muscle differentiate when cultivated in the correct microenvironment has led to the realization that these stem cells demonstrated a significant effect of the process of spinal fusion.
Adding to the potential benefits of these stem cells are several animal model studies confirming the benefits of the much more available, and much easier harvested adipose-derived stem cell (ADSC). In fact, several of these animal studies have confirmed similar fusion results observed when comparing MSCs and ADSCs.
Stem Cells in Disc Regeneration
Changes occurring in the discs of the spine and specifically starting in the second decade of life, contribute to decreased disc height that contributes to the impingement of nerves and the development of lower back pain consistent with Degenerative Disc Disease.
Until recently, treatment of Degenerative Disc Disease was limited to conservative management techniques, including work and lifestyle modifications, physical therapy, medication, and epidural injections, or surgery in the form of disc replacement or spinal fusion.
Although realizing the actual effects of stem cells therapy for treating this condition has been limited in humans (primarily due to concerns associated with the potential for an immune reaction to allogeneic stem cells in humans), several animal studies have demonstrated decreased disc degeneration as well as significant improvement in height and hydration of previously damaged discs. In addition, small-scale studies in humans have demonstrated improvements in pain and disability within three months of stem cell treatment.
Considering this, Schroeder J et al. call for larger clinical trials designed to further explore the benefits associated with using stem cell therapy to treat Degenerative Disc Disease.
Stem Cells in Treatment of Spinal Cord Injury (SCI)
Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) resulting from damage to the spinal cord most often is the result of motor vehicle accidents, falls, or injuries occurring during sports, work, or in the home; currently, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that worldwide between 250,000 and 500,000 people suffer an SCI each year[1].
SCIs range in severity, but most often are accompanied by some degree of tissue damage and/or cell death. As a result, spine surgeons have been exploring the potential of stem cell transplantation with the hope of supporting functional recovery after an SCI is sustained.
There are several phases associated with SCI. Regardless of the specific phase associated with an SCI, scientists have realized that creating a microenvironment that enhances neuron and axon regeneration appears to be the most desirable outcome of stem cell therapy. It is hypothesized that this is best achieved by suppression of the inflammation that typically accompanies cell apoptosis and necrosis.
Although embryonic stem cells appear to provide greater differentiation than adult stem cells, the ethical concerns surrounding their use have limited further exploration of these potential benefits. However, to date, adult mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) used in the treatment of SCI have not demonstrated immunologic reactions and have demonstrated the potential to promote axonal regeneration, suppress demyelination, induce nerve regeneration, and induce nerve regeneration.
Unfortunately, the in vivo differentiation of MSCs into neuron-like cells has been documented to be inefficient, meaning that MSCS is currently not capable of directly repopulating or physically restoring the tissue damaged in SCI.
While there have since been studies exploring the transplantation of neural stem cells (NSC) that have demonstrated sensory and motor improvements after stem cell transplantation and when combined with other cell and growth factors, these improvements were not statistically significant. Considering this, the authors of this study indicate that it’s difficult to provide a definitive statement on the clinical potential of stem cell therapy for the treatment of SCI.
In conclusion, the authors point out that there are additional areas, including iatrogenic nerve and muscle injury resulting from spinal surgery, that have not yet been clinically addressed. The authors also point out that greater standardization of in vitro experimentation and animal models may aid in the speed of translation of stem cell therapy in spinal surgery.
By some estimates, there are more than 80 different types of autoimmune diseases, while the American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association (AARDA) includes conditions related to autoimmune disease on their list, which totals more than 100 disorders. Some of these diseases are extremely rare, while others are more common. They all share the same characteristic: the immune system malfunctions, mistakenly attacking healthy tissue. Here’s a look into the most common autoimmune diseases.
Rheumatoid Arthritis
The Arthritis Foundation states that there are 1.5 million people in the U.S. with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), with women being three times more likely to get it than men. In this condition, the immune system attacks the synovium or lining between joints. Inflammation can also occur in other parts of the body, such as the eyes, heart, and circulatory system.
Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis
Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis is the most common form of arthritis in children under the age of 16. Patients experience joint pain which may persist for only a few months, while others may have it for years. Swelling and stiffness are also common, and larger joints, such as the knees, are often affected.
Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (Lupus)
Lupus is notoriously challenging to diagnose because it bears similarities to many other conditions. The inflammation caused by the disease can affect various parts of the body, including the lungs, kidneys, heart, joints, and skin, among others. Fatigue, skin rash, and fever may also occur. An estimated 1.5 million people in the U.S. have lupus, 9 out of 10 of whom are women.
Psoriatic Arthritis
Sometimes, psoriasis may be accompanied by arthritis. Either the joint issues or the skin problems related to psoriasis may appear first. Psoriasis is characterized by red patches covered by silvery scales, which are caused by the body’s immune system creating an overproduction of skin cells. The inflammatory response can then affect the joints, leading to pain, swelling, and stiffness. Psoriatic arthritis affects roughly 30% of people with psoriasis.
Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Inflammatory bowel disease is the collective term for disorders caused by chronic inflammation of the intestines. Ulcerative colitis is one common form, in which inflammation and ulcers form in the large intestine and rectum. Crohn’s disease is another common form, in which the lining of the digestive tract becomes inflamed.
If you suffer from any one of the most common autoimmune diseases, contact our care coordinator today to learn more about the options you have.
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a progressive and disabling autoimmune disease that affects the brain and central nervous system. As MS progresses, the body’s immune system attacks the protective sheath (myelin) that covers nerve fibers resulting in axonal damage and loss that eventually results in paralysis of the limbs; the condition also contributes to a number of other serious communication problems between your brain and the rest of the body[1], including numbness, tremors, and issues affecting vision and speech.
To date, no effective therapeutic medication or treatment for MS exists and medication prescribed for this disease is done so for the purpose of alleviating symptoms and chronic inflammation associated with it; several of these drugs, and especially those with immunomodulatory and immunosuppressive properties have demonstrated to be only partly effective in easing autoimmune reactions.
While current immunotherapies have demonstrated to be effective in reducing the reactivity of autoimmune anti-myelin and MS relapse rate, there remains no approved method for treating or slowing progression of the disease or for repairing myelin damaged as a result of it. As a result, Bejargafshe et al. point out that finding an appropriate clinical treatment for improvement of the neurological damage caused by MS is essential.
The authors also call attention to the numerous studies demonstrating the benefits of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in creating a number of different of autoimmune conditions, including modulating the immune response in MS patients. MSCs are specific multipotent and self-renewing stem cells that have demonstrated to be differentiated into several cell types and can be easily isolated from bone marrow and adipose tissue; this means the patient can serve as a donor for him/herself without risk of rejection.
Bejargafshe et al.’s study reviews several clinical trials evaluating the effectiveness of MSC therapy for MS patients, including several specific clinical trials examining the effectiveness of bone marrow-derived MSCs, adipose-derived MSCs (ADMSCs), USMSCs, human fetal-derived neural stem cells (hNSCs), MSC-derived neural progenitors (MSC-NPs), and hematopoietic stem cells (HSC).
The authors of this study conclude that cell-based therapies, including those mentioned in this study, have shown to repair the CNS, protect against inflammation caused by an autoimmune response, are safe and effective, and demonstrate new opportunities for preventing and treating a wide range of neurodegenerative diseases, including MS.
In addition, the authors concluded that while nearly all of the various types of stem cells evaluated provide benefits, adult MSCs, because of their safety and ease of extraction, are the most common source of stem cells used for this application, with bone marrow being the major source of MSCs used. Clinical trials indicate the observed multipotency and highly-differentiated potential of UC stem cells also make them a viable treatment option, but the need to maintain a supply of UC stem cells through cell banks limit their appeal on the basis of availability.
Interestingly, among the potential cell therapies evaluated, adult adipose stem cells (ASC) appear to be among the most suitable cells for the treatment of MS. In addition to being very safe to use, adult ASCs are easy to separate from adipose tissue, are available from several different parts of the body, are available in a large concentration per unit area, and relatively inexpensive when used in a stem cell transfusion. Considering the benefits listed above, as well as those observed in clinical studies, the authors conclude that ASCs and HSCs are appropriate candidates for the treatment of MS.
According to the American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association (AARDA), there are more than 100 known autoimmune diseases. While some have unique, specific symptoms, for many of these conditions, there are striking similarities. In particular, a few signs of autoimmune disease can manifest early on, potentially even years before a formal diagnosis. Here are a few early signs of autoimmune disease.
Weight Changes If your weight is fluctuating even without changes to your diet or exercise patterns, take note. This symptom could point to autoimmune issues such as hypothyroidism, in which the production of key hormones causes weight gain.
Fatigue Another common indicator of autoimmune disease is fatigue. It’s the most common symptom reported by people with autoimmune disorders, including lupus, multiple sclerosis, celiac disease, and type 1 diabetes. Experts believe the root cause of this symptom is widespread inflammation, which can affect oxygen and nutrient supply, metabolism, and mood.
Skin Changes Rashes can be seen in autoimmune diseases such as lupus. In this condition, patients often notice a butterfly-shaped rash, which usually appears on the face. While the rash is an indication of inflammation affecting the skin, it can also spread elsewhere, such as the joints and organs.
Muscle or Joint Pain While joint pain can develop from long-term wear and tear, unexplained joint pain could indicate an immune system issue. The symptom is a hallmark trait of both rheumatoid arthritis and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, for example.
Digestive Issues Digestive changes such as diarrhea, bloating, and gas can be attributed to poor eating patterns, but prolonged symptoms without dietary changes can suggest autoimmune issues. In irritable bowel disorders, these symptoms can indicate intestinal issues that require long-term care.
Symptoms of autoimmune conditions often mimic the signs of other conditions and illnesses. Unfortunately, many of these conditions don’t have a single test that can confirm a diagnosis. For this reason, it will be important to work closely with your doctor to discuss symptoms, diagnostic criteria, and testing methods.
Patients today who are diagnosed are looking into other alternative treatment options. One of those options is regenerative medicine, also known as stem cell therapy. Stem cells are naturally found within the body and have the ability to self-renew and differentiate into specialized cell types. They act as the body’s natural repair kit and also have anti-inflammatory properties. If you are interested then contact a care coordinator today!
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