Single injection 'provides pain relief in spinal injury'RSS Feed

One injection into the spinal dorsal column straight after a spinal injury has occurred could provide long-term pain relief to patients, new research has shown.

Researchers at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio made one injection of fibronectin into the spinal dorsal column immediately after spinal cord injury in an animal study.

They found that doing so inhibited the development of mechanical allodynia over an eight-month observation period following the spinal cord dorsal column crush.

It was also found that the protein blocked decreases in serotonin receptor 5-HT in the superficial dorsal horn.

Authors explained that the fibronectin protein "supports the survival, growth and communication of neurons in the brain and spinal cord".

They wrote: "We conclude that treatment of spinal cord injury with fibronectin preserves sensory regulation and prevents the development of chronic allodynia, providing a potential therapeutic intervention to treat chronic pain following spinal cord injury."

Serious Law, award winning spinal injury law firm

Posted by Matthew Heap

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