Spine surgeons in the U.S. perform more than 400,000 spinal fusions each year as a way to ease back pain and prevent vertebrae in the spine from wiggling around and doing more damage. However, reports estimate that on average some 30% of these surgeries fail to weld these vertebrae into a single bone, causing continued back pain.
Read moreResearchers have recently been able to monitor the corrosion of bioresorbable magnesium alloys at the nanoscale over a time scale of a few seconds to many hours. This is an important step towards accurately predicting how fast implants are resorbed by the body to enable the development of tailored materials for temporary implant applications.
Read moreMedical researchers have demonstrated how estrogen — a natural hormone produced in the body — can be polymerized into a slow-releasing biomaterial and applied to nervous system cells to protect those cells and even promote regeneration.
Read moreThe once-rare 'fabella' bone has made a dramatic resurgence in human knees, but who's likely to have a fabella or two — and why?
Read moreNew research has found lower bone density in adults who are likely to have undiagnosed celiac disease, an autoimmune disease triggered by consuming gluten, despite this group consuming more calcium and phosphorous than the control group.
Read moreA new study reveals that commonly given hip and knee steroid intra-articular injections may be harmful in some patients with at-risk conditions or may cause complications that are not well understood.
Read moreResearchers showed in animal models that the default injury response of spinal discs can be temporarily stopped to allow for better treatment.
Read moreResearchers have demonstrated a new, rapid method to obtain donor stem cells for bone marrow transplants using a combination of Viagra and a second drug called Plerixafor. Bone marrow transplants, used mostly in the treatment of cancer, are life-saving procedures to restore the stem cells that generate new blood cells throughout a person's life.
Read moreBecause pain is a complex condition, treating it efficiently continues to pose challenge for physicians. Past pain research typically has focused upon the spinal cord or the peripheral areas of the nervous system located outside the spinal cord and brain. However, a research team recently investigated how some mechanisms in the brain contribute to pain.
Read moreResearchers performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of published data on the effect of electrical stimulation therapies on spinal fusion. They found significant improvement overall in the rates of bone fusion following a course of electrical stimulation in both preclinical (animal) and clinical (human) studies.
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