Washington DC, Sept. 29 -- Scientists have discovered a stem cell that appears to serve as a master source for tendon and ligament cells throughout the body.

In lumbar spinal stenosis, these cells become unusually active and may drive the ligament overgrowth that squeezes spinal nerves and causes pain, numbness, and difficulty walking. Researchers found that reducing calcium signaling stopped this abnormal growth in mice.

Researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine and Hospital for Special Surgery have identified a previously elusive population of stem cells that appears to produce the body's tendons and ligaments, the connective tissues that link muscles and bones.

The scientists also found evidence that these cells can become overactive in...