A Protein Jab for a Bad Back

Hopefully a single injection of a protein which is found naturally in the body could provide relief from lower back pain. Researchers will be giving 70 patients who have moderate to severe back pain, a single jab of either the protein or a placebo of water. The research is taking place at the Texas Back Institute, www.texasback.com and another nine hospitals across the US. They are hoping that the jab will also reverse or at least slow down the degeneration of the disease in the back. The protein is called 'recombinant human growth and differentiation factor – 5', and will be injected into the lower back and the patients will be followed for three years. In an animal study the protein promoted repair in the discs by stimulating the growth of new collagen, which is a key component in the discs.