Disc Pain

Charité Artificial Disc Replacement Surgery

spine-health — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 00:00:24 -0800

Patients who fit specific criteria may be good candidates for the Charité artificial disc replacement surgery. Other criteria to assess whether or not a patient is a good candidate for the procedure is more subjective and should be discussed with the patient’s treating physician.

What is Degenerative Disc Disease?

spine-health — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 21:23:07 -0800

Degenerative disc disease is one of the most common causes of low back pain, and also one of the most misunderstood. Many patients diagnosed with low back pain caused by degenerative disc disease are left wondering exactly what this diagnosis means for them. Common questions that are often on patients’ minds include:

Pain after Discectomy for Lumbar Herniated Discs

Ben Parr — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 12:03:36 -0700

A physician answers patient questions about treating pain after a discectomy for lumbar herniated discs.

Teen Sport Injuries Should Be Treated With Exercise and Stretching

Ben Parr — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 13:58:06 -0800

A physician answers patient questions about teenage sports injuries, specifically rehabilitation of the back due to a sports injury.

Question: Should a Teenager Be Allowed to Play Sports After a Sports Injury?

My son is a 14-year-old high school freshman. He is a stellar athlete in both football and basketball. He is 6'2” and 200 lbs. In June 2002, he crashed into another basketball player and began experiencing significant back pain.

Typical Symptoms of a Herniated Disc

Ben Parr — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 08:56:58 -0800

Controlling Degenerative Disc Disease Pain: Three Things You Can Do

Ben Parr — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 13:53:23 -0700

Degenerative Disc Disease is a difficult condition to live with. However, it does not need to hinder the rest of your life. Here are three things you can do to control your Disc Degeneration.

1) Stay active to slow the disc degeneration

Once pain is adequately controlled (it will most likely not go away completely) the most important thing patients can do is stay active.

Discogenic Pain

spine-health — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 07:52:44 -0800

Definition

Discogenic pain is pain originating from a damaged vertebral disc, particularly due to degenerative disc disease. However, not all degenerated discs cause pain. Disc degeneration occurs naturally with age.

Once a fully degenerated disc no longer has any inflammatory proteins that can cause pain, the disc enters into a stable position. Hence, discogenic pain rarely occurs after 60 years of age.

Degenerative Disc Disease

spine-health — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 07:52:40 -0800

Definition

Degenerative Disc Disease is a general term for the condition in which a damaged vertebral disc causes chronic pain – either low back pain (and/or leg pain, sciatica) in the lumbar spine or neck pain (and/or arm pain) in the cervical spine.

Damage to the disc occurs naturally or through a twisting injury where the inner and/or outer portions of the disc may tear, exposing or irritating the nerves on the outer edge of the annulus.

Degenerative Disc Disease Interactive Video

spine-health — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 11:16:45 -0800

Additional Degenerative Disc Disease Info:

Lumbar DDD

Cervical DDD

Getting Smart About Disc Problems

spine-health — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 00:35:52 -0800

Do you or someone you know have a suspected "slipped disc", "pinched nerve", "degenerating disc", or other disc problem? Have any of your healthcare providers used one or several of these terms? Like many people, you may be unclear which disc condition you actually have and what the appropriate next steps are for dealing with it. This newsletter outlines things you can do to clear up the confusion about the most common painful disc conditions.

IDET: A New Procedure for Discogenic Back Pain Management

spine-health — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 00:03:13 -0800

IDET

(Intradiscal Electrothermal Annuloplasty) provides a new alternative to other surgical procedures for patients who suffer from back pain caused by certain types of disc problems.

It is a fairly advanced procedure made possible by the development of electrothermal catheters that allow for careful and accurate temperature control. The procedure works by cauterizing the nerve endings within the disc wall to help block the pain signals.

Potential Risks of Surgery for a Degenerated Disc

spine-health — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 00:03:12 -0800

Patients who have not found pain relief through conservative care and have suffered diminution in their quality of life and ability to function because of a symptomatic degenerated disc should educate themselves and discuss the benefits and risks of each type of surgery with their physician. When possible, obtaining a second opinion from a similarly-credentialed surgeon may be useful to get as comprehensive a perspective as possible on what surgery entails, and to confirm that non-surgical approaches have been exhausted, leaving surgery as the next appropriate step.

Pain Generated by the Spinal Disc

spine-health — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 00:00:27 -0800

Before discussing how the spinal disc can cause back pain and/or leg pain (sciatica), it is useful to first understand the role of a healthy disc in the spine and the anatomy.

The intervertebral disc has several important functions, including functioning as a spacer, as a shock absorber, and as a motion unit:

All About the Charité Artificial Disc: Now Approved for Use in the U.S.

spine-health — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 00:00:24 -0800

The Charité artificial disc

On October 26, 2004 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the Charité™ artificial disc for use in the US. This device treats severe, chronic low back pain by replacing the damaged or worn out spinal disc in the lower back with an artificial disc. The device is made by DePuy Spine, a division of Johnson and Johnson, Inc.

Artificial Disc for Cervical Disc Replacement

spine-health — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 00:00:23 -0800

An artificial cervical disc is a device inserted between two cervical vertebrae after an intervertebral disc has been surgically removed in the process of decompressing the spinal cord or a nerve root. The intent of the device is to preserve motion at the disc space. It is an alternative to the use of bone grafts, plates and screws in pursuit of a fusion following such a disc removal, which necessarily eliminates motion at the operated disc space in the neck.

What Are the Indications for Artificial Disc Replacement?

spine-health — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 00:00:22 -0800

Artificial disc products that are in development or in use are typically intended for use in patients with the following indications:

Diagnosis of degenerative disc disease (typically at a single level)
Are between the ages of 18 and 60
Suffer from low back pain as the major complaint (rather than leg pain)
Have not responded to a minimum of six months of conservative treatments (such as physical therapy, pain medications)
read more

Juvenile Disc Disorder

spine-health — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 21:54:10 -0800

Juvenile disc disorder, or juvenile discogenic disorder, represents a condition where the endplates of the disc spaces are not strong enough to withstand the pressures generated within the disc spaces. This leads to disc herniations into the vertebral bodies (called Schmorl’s nodes) and causes back pain at an early age.

This condition is sometimes referred to as Scheuermann’s disease, or Lumbar Scheuermann’s disease, but the preferred medical terminology for this condition is juvenile disc disorder.

Spinal Cord and Spinal Nerve Roots

spine-health — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 21:50:15 -0800

The spinal cord comes off the base of the brain, runs throughout the cervical and thoracic spine, and ends at the lower part of the thoracic spine. Therefore, spinal cord injury or damage may accompany trauma or diseases of the cervical spine or thoracic spine.

Spinal Discs

spine-health — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 21:50:15 -0800

The vertebral disc in the spine is an interesting and unique structure. Its primary purpose is to act as a shock absorber between adjacent vertebrae. Spinal discs also act as ligaments that hold the vertebrae of the spine together and as cartilaginous joints that allow for slight mobility in the spine.

Sacroiliac Joint Dysfunction

spine-health — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 21:30:17 -0800

Understanding the Clinical Diagnosis of a Herniated Disc

spine-health — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 21:26:50 -0800

Insights and Advice About Herniated Discs

spine-health — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 21:26:50 -0800

Treatment Options for a Lumbar Herniated Disk

spine-health — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 21:26:50 -0800

Summary of Cervical Herniated Disc Treatment Options

spine-health — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 21:26:49 -0800

The "Degenerative Cascade" of a Degenerating Disc

spine-health — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 21:23:07 -0800

More Disc Disease Info:

Living with Degenerative Disc Disease

spine-health — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 21:23:07 -0800

Low back pain self care

The vast majority of people with low back pain and/or sciatica symptoms from lumbar degenerative disc disease will be able to successfully manage their pain and avoid surgery.

Pain from Degenerative Disc Disease

spine-health — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 21:23:07 -0800

Degen. Disc Disease Info:

Pain Medications

spine-health — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 21:23:07 -0800

There are multiple medications that can help relieve low back pain associated with degenerative disc disease. Any medication, including many non-prescription (over-the-counter) drugs, should be taken under a physician’s care, direction, and supervision. Many of the pain medications below should not be taken by people with certain health conditions (e.g., diabetics should not use oral steroids since the medication increases blood sugar levels). Patients should ask their physicians and pharmacists about potential side effects of any medication.

Common Symptoms of Degenerative Disc Disease

spine-health — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 21:23:07 -0800

Along with MRI scan results that show disc degeneration, there are some common symptoms that are fairly consistent for people with low back pain from degenerative disc disease.

Degenerative Disc Disease: Physiatrist Viewpoint

spine-health — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 21:23:06 -0800

More Disc Disease Info:

Degenerative Disc Disease: Chiropractor Viewpoint

spine-health — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 21:23:06 -0800

As a chiropractor, the first issue I would assess is to determine the position that creates the least amount of pain, or, the patient’s biased posture. After determining if they are biased (or improved) in flexion or extension, I would then base my chiropractic treatment around their biased posture.

Understanding Disc Pain

spine-health — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 21:16:22 -0800

Pain generated by the spinal disc is quite often misunderstood–partly because health professionals often do not agree on what spinal disc pathology is, and partly because the disc problems are not always well explained to (or understood by) patients.

Discogram to Diagnose Low Back Pain

spine-health — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 21:16:21 -0800

Similar to an SNRB and facet joint block, a discogram is a test to determine the anatomical source of lower back pain for the patient. This procedure is most frequently used to determine if degenerative disc disease is the cause of a patient’s pain (discogenic low back pain). Discograms are also performed to assist in preoperative planning for candidates for a lumbar spinal fusion.