As one of the oldest personal injury firms in Miami, Stewart Tilghman Fox Bianchi & Cain, P.A. is familiar with the financial and emotional toll of spinal cord injuries. We understand that losing mobility is much like losing a limb—it leaves people both devastated and sometimes unable to care for themselves. With over 17,000 spinal cord injuries a year, the collective suffering from spinal injuries is virtually immeasurable.
For that reason, our Florida personal injury lawyers like to highlight medical advancements when it comes to spinal injury treatment. While there is no cure for spinal cord injury (yet), technology has allowed doctors to make incredible progress in recent years—the cure may not be as far away as we think.
Read below to learn about a major advancement from only a few months ago.
From Total Immobility to Fine Motor Control
In March 2016, Kristopher Boesen was in a car accident that left him paralyzed from the neck down. The damage to his spine was severe enough to make it difficult for him to breathe without a ventilator. The doctors told him that he would likely have no mobility in any of his limbs.
Now, after a spinal cord injury it’s a traditional procedure to operate on the back to stabilize the spine. The procedure does nothing for sensation or nerve damage, but it keeps the patient stable. Kristopher elected to forego this procedure in favor of an experimental clinical trial in California.
He and his doctors worked to make him eligible—he needed to be able to breathe independently—and within a few weeks he was enrolled.
The treatment involved injecting spinal stem cells into the injury site, spurring the growth of myelin coating, stimulating nerve cell growth, and the creation of blood vessels for faster healing. Within 2 weeks, Kris had regained the ability to move his arms and hands slightly. Within 3 months, Kris was able to write his name and complete basic tasks without aid.
While the clinical trial is in its early stages, the results are promising.
Similar Clinical Trial in New York
Another group at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York has also been using stem cells for spinal cord treatment. The results there have been equally promising—one quadriplegic has regained sensation in his legs and hips after undergoing stem cell treatment.
Regenerative medicine is the new frontier for conditions that were once permanent and hopeless. As doctors continue to investigate the cure for spinal cord injury, our firm will continue fighting for our clients—ensuring that they get the best possible medical care with the verdicts and settlements we obtain on their behalf.