**5. Use of mesenchymal stem cells in spinal cord injury in the clinical setting**

The use of MSCs in the clinic has been studied thoroughly; however, results among studies are not consistent. For example, 5 patients with complete spinal cord injury were treated with autologous bone marrow cells and granulocyte macrophage-colony stimulating factor, and 4 of them showed neurologic (sensory or motor) improvement [82]. There are controversial evidences for both MSC's ability to cause and treat neuropathic pain. In one study, 9 people with SCI got treated with MSCs, and 8 of them experienced a reduction or resolution of the neuropathic pain. Improvement in peripheral nerve conduction, motor power, and sensitivity was noted. Enhancement of the voluntary muscle contraction was explained with active muscle reinnervation [83]. All 14 patients with chronic traumatic complete SCI treated with BMSCs felt an improvement in sensitivity to light touch and pinprick. The majority also experienced sacral sparing, and improvement in urologic and motor function [84].

*Use of Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Pre-Clinical Models of Spinal Cord Injury DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.94086*

Treatment with MSCs of 6 traumatic syringomyelia patients with paraplegia reduced the size of the syrinx. Additionally, the neuropathic pain either resolved or decreased [85]. In one case report, the patient was treated with MSCs and G-CSF, and his motor function, tactile and pain sensation were improved after the treatment. However, the patient still reported neuropathic pain, etiology of which was unknown [86].
