Intradiscal Procedures
If your discogram shows that your intervertebral disc is the source of your pain, we have a variety of procedures, other than surgery, to treat that problem. These procedures can focus on either the annulus, the “radial tire” outer portion of the disc or the nucleus, the “shock absorber” or “jelly filling” inside the disc.
Procedures focusing on the annulus include the Biacuplasty procedure and the IDET (Intradiscal Electrothermal therapy) procedure.
All these procedures use heat. Biacuplasty and the IDET procedures treat the low back component of low back pain rather than the pain going down the leg. Dr. Helm has recently authored a review of all of the literature for these procedures, showing that there is high-quality evidence for these procedures.
The newest procedure is Biacuplasty, which uses a technique called cooled radiofrequency to treat the painful disc. Biacuplasty allows you to return to work, if you have a desk job, several weeks after the procedure.
Learn more about Biacuplasty here.
Nucleoplasties are directed at treating chronic leg pain. Among the technologies available are the Viking procedure (heat), Coblation (vaporize), the Dekompressor (extraction) and the LASE procedure (vaporize). No evidence exists to demonstrate one approach is better than the others.
For contained disc protrusions, up to about 5 mm, these approaches offer a safe, effective means of treating radicular pain without the risks of surgery.
Learn more at www.transdiscal.com.
At Pacific Coast Pain Management Center, Dr. Helm, and associates will use contemporary techniques to diagnose and treat your pain. If you live in the Laguna Hills or greater Orange County area, call today to schedule your consultation with one of our specialists.