Disc Injection
Disc injections are used mostly for the purpose of curbing the lower back pain felt by patients who are suffering from degenerative disc disease. These injections are administered using a hypodermic needle which is inserted into the discs of the patient that have been ruptured or torn apart because of the disease. Disc injections contain steroids which decrease the inflammation in the discs and thus provide the patient immediate relief from his back pain.
What are the major indicators of having Disc Injections?
Disc injections are indicated for patients who have been suffering from lower back pain stemming from degenerative disc disease. The discs present in between our vertebrae tend to lose their flexibility as we age and start to degenerate after a period of time.
This degeneration of the discs causes the vertebrae to come in contact with each other resulting in severe pain in the lower back region. The disc injections can minimize this pain by reducing inflammation in the discs and by stopping the nerves present in the region from transferring pain signals to the brain.
What does Disc Injections entail?
Disc injections involve administration of steroidal medication into the discs present in between the vertebrae of the patient’s spine through a hypodermic needle. This medication helps in relieving the pain that is being experienced by the patient in his lower back.
The steroids cannot stop the degeneration process that is going on in the spinal discs but can offer instant relief from the never ending back pain and restore the flexibility of his spine. The use of stem cells is also being used in disc injections nowadays to regenerate the discs.
How does Disc Injections help the doctor provide treatment?
Managing the back pain that arises from degenerative disc disease can be very hard for the doctors. The disc injections can prove to be very useful for the doctors in providing relief to the back pain patients. By stopping the nerves from sending pain signals to the brain, the disc injections can effectively alleviate the pain that the patient had been having in his back.
Disc injections also provide the doctors a chance to deal with the patient’s pain without the need of performing back surgery. Disc injections can provide short-term improvements in pain and enhance functional capacity of the patients (Neal, Kluwer & Rathmell, 2013).
What to expect when having Disc Injections?
Administration of disc injections is a simple procedure which does not take up much time. The patient is asked to lie down on his stomach and the skin above the disc where the injection is to be inserted is numbed by making use of a local anesthetic.
The Seattle pain doctor then inserts the hypodermic needle into the disc with the help of a fluoroscope to ensure that the injection is injected in the disc properly and the medication is delivered in an effective manner. The injection site would be covered by a band-aid after the procedure has been completed.
What are the risks of having Disc Injections?
Infection is by far the most common risk of having disc injections. According to Kaplansky (2000) the injection may increase the pain felt by the patient for up to a week. In addition to this, there is also a chance of injury to the vertebral discs if the injection is not administered by an experienced clinician.
What are the benefits of having Disc Injections?
The biggest benefit of having disc injections is that it can provide instant relief to you from the incessant back pain. It can also prevent back surgery as well.
References
Neal, Joseph M., and James P. Rathmell. Complications in Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine. Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer Health/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2013. Print.
Kaplansky, Bryan D. Occupational Low Back Pain: Aggressive Nonsurgical Care. Boca Raton: CRC, 2000. Print.