A Trial of Platelet Injections for Treatment of Painful Degenerative Disc Disease
To evaluate and compare two platelet-based treatments of the functional spinal unit spaced 4 weeks apart to sham procedures for the treatment of degenerative disc disease.
• Voluntary signature of the IRB approved Informed Consent,
• Skeletally mature Male or Female ages 25 to 65
• Maximum of 3 levels degenerative disc disease without significant spondylolisthesis in the area c/w the pain (grade 1 with less than or equal to 10% vertebral body)
• Chronic back and/or leg pain having failed conservative treatment (e.g. NSAIDs, physician initiated physical therapy) for at least 6 months
• MRI and physical examination consistent with painful Degenerative Disc Disease
• Failure of epidural steroid injection, facet injection, medial branch block, radiofrequency ablation or physical therapy
• Instability as seen on MRI, flexion-extension x-ray, or physical deformity as seen on MRI c/w degenerative instability (facet hypertrophy, loss of disc height, spondylolisthesis, laterolisthesis, osteophytes)
• A lumbar surgery candidate (will need to specify which surgery, ie. fusion, decompression, etc)
• Is independent, ambulatory, and can comply with all post-operative evaluations and visits