In the early 90s while studying at university I worked as an orderly in a spinal unit. There were 3 wards - acute, rehab and 13west which dealt with complications following discharge. It was here I first heard of stem cells. These days animal trials (my colleague refers to them as 'volunteer' rat trials such as this http://stemcellres.com/content/4/5/57/abstract)) suggest that they are indeed close to treating humans affected by spinal cord damage. It's a huge leap forward in this area.
The chiropractic profession does not of course deal directly with such problems however it is not uncommon for us to be a part of an individuals rehabilitation or provide some measure of support during the long term. Having worked with individuals coming to grips with such dramatic, life altering events I sincerely hope that human trials begin soon (if they haven't already in China :).
Douglas Scown
