Medical advancements have brought with them many novel solutions for diagnosing and treating back pain, including Lumbar Discography as a diagnostic procedure that helps pinpoint its exact source, thus opening up targeted treatment options. Today our back doctors in Bedford & Benbrook TX will explore lumbar discography in depth—how it works, the conditions it treats most frequently and its role in creating effective treatment plans.
Lumbar Discography or “Discogram”, as it’s more commonly known, is a diagnostic procedure used to examine intervertebral discs in the lower back. Specifically, contrast dye is injected into one or more discs to identify which may be causing pain for patients and allow healthcare professionals to assess structural integrity as well as determine if any disc may be a source of discomfort or pain for an individual patient.
How Does Lumbar Discography Work?
A typical lumbar discography entails having the patient lie on either their stomach or side while having their skin cleaned and numbed with local anesthetic. Fluoroscopy (real-time X-ray imaging) then guides a needle through to inject dye into their disc space under fluoroscopy’s guidance, helping identify any abnormalities or damage in it; in response, pain symptoms often reappear, giving an indicator as to which disc is causing problems.
Lumbar Discography Can Treat These Common Disorders
- Degenerative Disc Disease: Lumbar discography can be used to diagnose degenerative disc disease, in which intervertebral discs deteriorate over time and lead to chronic lower back pain. Discography provides the definitive confirmation before considering appropriate treatment options.
- Disc Herniation: Disc herniation occurs when the inner core of a disc protrudes through its outer layer, compressing nearby nerves and leading to compression and irritation. Lumbar discography can help identify which disc is responsible, providing surgeons with more targeted surgical intervention, such as discectomy.
- Failed Back Surgery Syndrome: For patients experiencing persistent back pain after back surgery, lumbar discography may be used to pinpoint which disc is causing their discomfort and thus identify whether additional surgery or alternative therapies may be required to address their problem effectively.
- Chronic Back Pain: Lumbar discography can offer invaluable insights for diagnosing chronic back pain when the cause remains obscure, even after thorough investigation and imaging tests have taken place. By pinpointing which discs produce discomfort for an individual patient, healthcare providers can tailor a more targeted treatment plan.
Treatment Options and Benefits
Once problematic disc(s) have been identified through lumbar discography, the healthcare providers at The Comprehensive Pain Institute can develop tailored treatment plans tailored specifically to address their source. Options might include physical therapy, pain management techniques, medication or surgical intervention depending on severity. Lumbar discography offers precise diagnosis that allows healthcare providers to tailor treatments directly towards where pain originates resulting in better outcomes and quality of life for patients.
Chronic Back Pain Treatments in Bedford & Benbrook, TX
Lumbar discography plays an invaluable role in diagnosing and treating lower back conditions. By accurately pinpointing the source of pain, this diagnostic procedure enables the team of back pain professionals in Bedford & Benbrook, TX at CPI to create tailored treatment plans to effectively address underlying issues.
If you’re suffering from persistent lower back discomfort that has not responded to other methods of diagnostic imaging, lumbar discography could be worth exploring as a possible treatment method – give us a call to determine whether lumbar discography would be a worthwhile treatment option for you and identify which course of action may work best in treating your condition. View our pain management locations here.
