SpineRenu: Biologic Fix for the Back

When over-the-counter pain relievers, physical therapy, and even yoga fail to ease an aching back, surgery may start to look like the only option. Before going under the knife, some patients are opting for regenerative medicine, using biologic tissues from a patient’s own body to heal an injury. A Pennsylvania orthopedic specialist has designed a new biologic therapy, called SpineRenu that is bringing many patients much-needed relief.

Fifty-year-old Jeff Lane had back pain that started in his 30s, and over the years, was sometimes excruciating.

“I just felt this shot of pain that went, literally, from my skull to my feet,” Lane said.

He tried pain relievers, prescription meds, stretching, yoga, and even back disc surgery but, nothing brought long-lasting relief.

That’s when a friend referred him to orthopedic specialist Dr. Brian Shiple. Dr. Shiple specializes in regenerative orthopedic medicine, including one protocol he designed for disc problems, called SpineRenu.

“When we are performing our SpineRenu program, we’re actually making four different products from the patient’s blood and bone marrow,” Dr. Shiple explained.

Dr. Shiple draws a patient’s blood and makes platelet-rich plasma or PRP, and a platelet product used to treat damaged, inflamed nerves. Then, he extracts water from the leftover plasma to treat and heal the injured annular disc.

“It ends up with a very thick, yellow-looking fluid, and we inject that into the annular tear,” Dr. Shiple added.

Finally, Dr. Shiple treats the bony joints at the end of the spine with concentrated bone marrow.

Lane exclaimed, “I was virtually pain-free the next day.”

Before the SpineRenu therapy, Lane was cautious around his three rambunctious dogs, especially Greta, who weighs 140 pounds.

“I can play around with her, now, and not worry about hurting my back,” Lane added.

The SpineRenu procedure is performed in the office as an outpatient procedure, using a tiny needle and x-ray guidance for the injections. It is not covered by insurance and can run from eight to $14,000. While PRP is not FDA-approved, PRP and bone marrow concentrate injections can be offered in an office setting for what’s called off-label treatment of spine and disc injuries.