Stem cell therapy has been the subject of a great deal of scientific research over the last two decades. Many doctors believe such treatments could actually help paralyzed people recover some movement and sensation in their bodies. This would be good news for those who have suffered major back or spinal injuries in car crashes and other accidents.

A recently published article in the Houston Chronicle discusses the viability of these treatments, some success stories and the opinions of professionals in the medical and scientific fields about the future of stem cell therapy. It pays particular attention to the story of Louis Tontodonato, a 20-year-old man from Naples, Florida, who was paralyzed from the neck down after suffering a severe spinal cord injury in an auto accident. He is hoping to take part in the very first clinical trial that would test whether stem cells are able to repair spinal cord damage and restore sensation and movement in human quadriplegics.

Early testing in both humans and animals have had excellent results, enabling patients to resume at least some everyday tasks they previously would not have thought possible.

Years of research ahead

Tontodonato has been cautioned by doctors that this is still a relatively new field of research, and that it could be many years before doctors are able to fully take advantage of the benefits of stem cell therapy. But still, for Tontodonato and other quadriplegics, the thought of even some improvement from their condition is tantalizing.

Many quadriplegic patients have already been given essentially no chance at a cure. These stem cell treatments are a last-ditch hope, and if they work, it would be a “quantum leap” for medicine — as one doctor in the article said.

To learn more about how to proceed if you have been seriously injured in a car crash, speak with an experienced Atlanta auto accident lawyer at McMenamy Law LLC.