Discogram

Discography

The intervertebral disc is an important structure which helps provide flexibility to our spine. It is comprised of a strong outer layer, the annulus, which is rather like a radial tire, and an inner gel, the nucleus, which acts as a sort of shock absorber or cushion between the bones of the spine. With injury or age, these discs can become damaged. One of the reasons we lose height as we age is that the intervertebral discs lose their water and with that, their height.

An injured disc can be a source of pain. The only way to tell if a disc is the source of your pain is to perform a discogram. When doing a discogram, we insert a needle into your disc and then inject dye, thus pressuring the disc. During the procedure, you tell us if you feel pain. If you do feel pain, we will then ask whether what you feel is the same or different from the pain you normally feel and also how intense is the pain on a 0-10 scale. Based upon this information, we can assess what procedure, if any, might be used to help treat your pain.

Discograms are provocative tests, meaning that we attempt to replicate rather than remove your pain.

You may be sore for several days after the procedure. This discomfort is usually adequately treated with ice on and off for twenty minutes or with a cooling pad.