Where does back pain come from, and where can stem cells help?

Is it the disc?

Each disc between your vertebrae works like a jelly doughnut: a tough outer ring with a soft, water-rich center. With age and load, the center dries out, the ring can crack, and inflammatory chemicals leak where they shouldn’t.

Tiny nerve fibers can even grow into a damaged disc, which is one reason a worn disc can hurt for years.

Is it the facet joints?

Behind each disc sit two small joints, the facets, that guide how your spine bends and twists. Like any joint, they can wear out and become arthritic.

Facet pain often feels worse when you lean back, twist, or stand for a long time, and it may spread to the buttocks.

Or is a nerve irritated?

Sometimes the problem is a nerve root that is inflamed as it leaves the spine. That is the burning or electric pain that runs down a leg, often called sciatica, or down an arm if it comes from the neck.

Inflammation around the nerve can hurt as much as pressure on it. That distinction matters, because inflammation is something the cells are studied for.

How do the cells reach each source?

Mesenchymal stem cells from Wharton’s jelly work mainly by releasing signals that calm inflammation and support the tissue’s own repair. They only help if they arrive where the problem is.

• Intradiscal: into the disc itself.
• Facet joint: into the small joints at the back of the spine.
• Epidural: into the space around the irritated nerve roots.

Each of these targets is millimeters wide, so the specialists apply the cells under fluoroscopy, a live X-ray view, in the operating room.

What does the research say so far?

A 2026 review pooled seven randomized trials that injected mesenchymal cells into painful, degenerated discs. Compared with sham or placebo, patients had more pain relief and better function, with no more side effects than the control groups.

Research is growing, and a specialist reviews your case first, so your plan is designed for you.

Why does the right diagnosis come first?

Two people can have the same MRI and very different pain. Plenty of people over 50 have worn discs on their scans and no pain at all, so the image alone never decides.

That is why the team matches three things: what you feel, what the physical exam shows, and what the MRI shows. When all three point to the same structure, the target is clear. When they don’t, more testing comes before any treatment.

The cells work best as part of a plan: movement and strength work in the weeks after help you get the most from them.