Problems with discs in the spine are both common and a cause of much pain and disability. People with disc damage are often told that nothing can be done, that this is "mechanical" and there is no treatment.

​

At LSC we routinely treat damaged discs. There are several ways to improve this for patients, some of which are outlined below:-

​

1.  Annulus modification - This technique, known as "biacculoplasty" reduces the pain fibre        supply to the disc and thereby reduces pain.

​

2.  Chemonucleolysis - reduces the pressure inside the disc by dissolving and removing             some of the nucleus and allowing the disc to heal

​

3. Coblation - This technique also reduces the pressure inside the disc, by passing a radio-        frequency probe into the nucleus, coagulating some of the tissue and removing this

​

4. Disc-FX - This combines decompression of the centre of the disc, with modification of the      annulus

​

5.  Regeneration - there are experimental gels which may be injected into a damaged disc, to confer some more support and stability and help pain. 

​

All of these treatments are available and selecting the appropriate one for the particular problem a person has is complex. This task is undertaken by the specialists at the LSC and all the procedures are performed as an out-patient. 

​

For a detailed understanding of these techniques, or to review the scientific literature, please see the references below, or click here to contact us. 

​

If these treatments are not appropriate, or have been tried and have not given enough relief, surgical options are also a possibility. Whilst we would all chose to avoid surgery if possible, when pain persists, worsens or causes disability through nerve malfunction, it can be appropriate. For more information click here to look at the surgical options.

​

Refs:

1.   6-Month Results of Transdiscal Biacuplasty on Patients with Discogenic Low Back Pain: Preliminary      Findings

Int J Med Sci. 2011; 8(1): 1–8.   Published online 2010 Dec 14. 

Haktan Karaman,1,✉ Adnan Tüfek,2 Gönül Ölmez Kavak,2 Sedat Kaya,3 Zeynep Baysal Yildirim,2 Ersin Uysal,4 and Feyzi Çelik2

"At the sixth month, 57.1% of patients reported a 50% or more reduction in pain"

2.      Surgical Treatments for Lumbar Disc Disease in Adolescent Patients; Chemonucleolysis / Microsurgical Discectomy / PLIF with Cages

Yonsei Med J. 2005 Feb 28; 46(1): 125–132. Published online 2005 Feb 28.

Sung-Uk Kuh,1 Young-Soo Kim,2 Young-Eun Cho,1 Young-Sul Yoon,1 Byung-Ho Jin,1 Keun-Su Kim,1 and Dong-Kyu Chin1

"The clinical success rate was 91% for chemonucleolysis"

3       Percutaneous Disc Decompression Using Coblation (NucleoplastyTM) in the Treatment of Chronic Discogenic Pain

Pain physician 5(3):250-9 · August 2002

"satisfactory clinical outcomes for treatment of protruded lumbar intervertebral disc"

4.      Annulo-Nucleoplasty Using Disc-Fx in the Management of Degenerative Lumbar Disc Pathology: How Long Can the Effect Last?

Global Spine J. 2018 Jun; 8(4): 365–373. Published online 2017 Oct 3. 

Naresh Kumar, FRCS (Orth & Trauma), DM (Orth),1 Aye Sandar Zaw, MPH,1 Nishant Kumar, MS (Ortho),1 Dhiraj Sonawane, MS (Ortho),1,2 Hwee Weng Dennis Hey, FRCSEd (Orth), FAMS (Orth),1 and Aravind Kumar, FRCS (Orth & Trauma)3

"78% achieving excellent/good outcomes at 2-year follow-up"

5.      Biomaterials for Intervertebral Disc Regeneration and Repair

Biomaterials. 2017 Jun; 129: 54–67. Published online 2017 Mar 15. 

Robert D. Bowles, Ph.D.1 and Lori A. Setton, Ph.D.2

"promising alternatives for clinical treatment of intervertebral disc disorders."

​