Stem Cell for Spinal cord Injury or paraplegia treatment

Stem cells could be used to repair and regrow spinal cord nerve cells – and potentially allow SCI victims to someday walk again. Does any body know the detail in this regard? What will the importance of physiotherapy in this regard?

Here in Portugal there have been made some experiences.
It consists in the transplant of cells from the nose to the marrow where the injury happened. It is Dr. Carlos Lima, leader of team of the Hospital of Egas Moniz, who has been responsible in Portugal for this experimental intervention.
The patients refer some improvements: "Since the operation that I notice some changes. They can be things that are not seen, but I feel them and this means a lot". "Before I did not obtain more than to shrink the shoulders. Today, I can take the left arm above of the head and have much more balance in trunk terms." Others have improved their sensitivity and recuperated bladder control.
The rehabilitation after the procedure consists of a program of intensive exercise, balance training and electric stimulation.
There are no guarantees, but in the United States some patients have already been able to raise alone and give the first steps. The Medical Center de Detroit is one of the involved partners in innovation project: "We have an established protocol of cooperation, that has run very well. They have come here to see patients of ours and have perceived that they have very important improvements. So they work in cooperation with us from the U.S.A. and what they do is to prepare the patients who are operated here in terms of rehabilitation and accomplishment of tests ", Dr Lima relates. The neurologist is satisfied with the results.
The olfactive mucosa contains cells that renew and form new neuronios during all the life, in the adult, which does not exist anywhere else in the nervous system. From there that we can think about using to advantage of this potential to repair nervous the system adult, whose capacity of regeneration practically disappears. Every day they are cells dying and not growing, except for the small areas of the brain and the nose. Alltogether, more than 40 people, between Portuguese and foreigners, already had been submitted to the auto-transplant. But this is an intervention that not all can be submitted to. "The patients have to be less than 35 years old", relates Carlos Lima. The good muscular form is also necessary, as well as the size of the injury, that cannot exceed the three centimeters. And the lesion must be a complete one, without voluntary movements."
ASSOCIATION OF SUPPORT In Portugal, Lesionados Medulares (LM) counts on the support of TWIRLING (present in the InterNet in www.rodar.org), an association of patients that has joined to try to improve the conditions of the LM in the Country. Beyond the inquiry promotion, it intends to promote the social reintegration .

goodjob!

emphasisb of transplant tech more detail