MANCHESTER, England, March 19 (UPI) -- British scientists say injections of tiny sponge-like particles might provide an alternative to major surgery in the treatment of chronic lower back pain.
Brian Saunders and Tony Freemont of the University of Manchester developed tiny gel particles that swell and stiffen when injected into a damaged area. They discovered degenerated animal intervertebral discs containing the injected "microgels" regained their mechanical properties.
That finding, said the scientists, might lead to human patients being able to regain full mobility and flexibility after receiving spinal injections. That would compare favorably with spinal fusion -- a major surgical procedure that involves considerable recovery time and which results in a significant loss of mobility at the fused and adjacent discs.
"Although we are encouraged by our findings, much work lies ahead to develop a viable non-surgical repair technology to replace spinal fusion as the standard surgical treatment for chronic lower back pain," said Saunders.
He added future work will investigate biodegradable microgels that release additives to stimulate regeneration of intervertebral disc tissue.
The development of the microgel particles was detailed in a recent issue of the online journal Soft Matter.
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