Case Series: Wharton’s Jelly for Neuropathy from Tarsal Tunnel
Link to study, found in the journal named Reports, dated 2024.
The problem?
Neuropathy of the lower leg caused by tarsal tunnel syndrome
Symptoms include
Sharp shooting pain
Pins/needles
Electric shock/burning sensations
The treatment studied?
Wharton’s Jelly injected into the foot/leg
Patients Studied?
8 patients with “tarsal tunnel-related defects”
Author Info?
Led by Dr. Ronald Bruton, a family physician who appears to work at a small clinic named Advanced Medicine of the Ozarks (his LinkedIn)
Limitations?
“Regenative Labs was involved in the design of the study, data analysis, and writing. Regenative Labs influenced the decision to publish.” meaning it’s partially, or mostly a self-study by Regenative Labs, the tissue allograft manufacturer. A few of the authors listed are Regenative Labs employees.
Ronald Bruton appears to not work for Regenative Labs, but is associated with the clinic Advanced Medicine of the Ozarks
Tiny cohort (only 8 patients), and nonblinded.
Study Breakdown:
Patients were injected with the Regenative Labs Wharton’s Jelly tissue allograft in varying sites along the foot/leg, as seen below:
Scheme 1. Approximate application sites when sensory loss extends past the foot.
Scheme 2. Approximate application sites when sensory loss has occurred solely in the foot.
Results:
The patients were measured at 30 and 90 days following the procedure. For the below chart, NPRS and WOMAC are pain scales.
NPRS - (Numeric Pain Rating Scale) self-reported pain
WOMAC - (Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index), self-reported pain, stiffness, and physical function typically for people with osteoarthritis
Figure 2. Percent change in pain scores over time.
In conclusion:
The authors conclude with “The utilization of WJ allografts in supplementing tissue defects associated with tarsal tunnel syndrome leads to improvement in patient pain and function. WJ can replace the damaged ECM and connective layers of the affected nerves and cushion the nerve from exterior soft tissue damage, which leads to improved nerve sensation, ultimately decreasing neuropathy associated with tarsal tunnel syndrome.”
The study is very limited in my opinion, but a positive sign and hopefully they apply this to other conditions with larger populations, longer follow-up, more objective data (before/after EMG/NCS data would be killer), etc.
Before taking on any regenerative therapy, especially those considered unproven and/or experimental, please talk with your doctor(s). This isn’t medical advice, simply an interpretation of the research.
