Marta Waller, KTLA News

May 26, 2008, 7:03 PM PDT

For the millions of Americans suffering with the pain of degenerating discs, surgery is often the last stop on a seemingly endless journey of treatments. But a breakthrough therapy might be the answer to their prayers.

Doctors at the LA Spine Institute in Santa Monica are using Bone Morphogenetic Protein, or BMP-7 to help encourage the discs to "regrow."

Orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Hyun Bae explains how BMP-7 helps embryos develop, "When the organs are evolving in the embryo, this protein's required to actually evolve bone, brain, joints, kidneys, liver.

Our feeling is that since it can generate the cartilage in an embryo it can regenerate the cartilate in a natural disc."

Physiatrist Dr. Timothy Davis does the procedures at an outpatient surgery center. He says it's simple and remarkably easy on the patient. "We put it in just via a needle through the back.

No more invasive than a normal epidurual injection, and we implant the protein directly into the nucleus."

The study is double-blind placebo controlled, meaning some patients receive the BMP-7 while others are given saline. Until the results are reviewed and released, no one is allowed to know which patients receive the BMP-7.

But, Dr. Davis says clinical observation suggests to him the BMP-7 is working. "We are seeing a difference on the MRI's. we're seeing a difference in hydration, and we're also seeing a difference just in patient sitting tolerance, activity tolerance."

One of Davis's patients, 30-year-old Will Bernaldo, is a marathon runner who injured his back four years ago as he was practicing for the Olympics Trials. He was out of the game for two full years. Sitting was an ordeal. Says Bernaldo. "I avoided driving. I avoided sitting as much as possible.

When I was sitting the pain was pretty much immediate. I have a pretty high pain tolerance from running. So, i would tough through it a lot of times, but for the most part i avoided it at all costs."

A few months after his injection, Bernaldo says he knew something was different when he went running after his mother's dog, and realized he was running, without pain, and without thinking about it.

As Bernaldo says about his back, and what appears to be a miracle of pain relief, so far, so good.

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You may be a candidate for this Clinical Trial involving a minimally invasive disc procedure if you have a MRI that demonstrates Degenerative Disc Disease at one level, and one or more of the following problems:

• Localized tenderness in the lower back
• Increased back pain while:
  • Sitting
  • Driving
  • Bending forward

To find out more about this investigational research study, please contact us.