The facet joints, found on both sides of the back of the spine, can become painfully irritated or inflamed. A facet joint injection may help diagnose the source of a patient’s pain. It can also relieve pain and inflammation.
Radiofrequency (RF) Lesioning is a procedure using electrical impulses to interrupt nerve conduction on a semi-permanent basis. The nerves are usually blocked for 6 to 12 months. The procedure disrupts nerve conduction (especially conduction of pain signals) and it may reduce other related symptoms (numbness, tingling, or burning). Approximately 70-80% of patients will get good block of the intended nerve. This should relieve the pain that the blocked nerve controls. Once a nerve is blocked, it sometimes becomes clear that there is also some pain generated from different areas.
Since nerves cannot be seen on x-ray, the needles are positioned using bony landmarks that indicate where the nerves usually are. Fluoroscopy (x-ray) is used to identify those bony landmarks. A local anesthetic (like Novocain) is injected to numb superficial tissue. The special RF needle is then inserted under X-ray guidance. For most patients, the insertion of the RF needle will cause a dull pressure, not pain. After confirmation of the needle tip position, a special needle tip is inserted. When the needle is in good position, as confirmed by x-ray, electrical stimulation is done before the RF Lesioning. This stimulation may produce a buzzing or tingling sensation or may be like hitting your “funny bone”. You may also feel your muscles jump. You need to be awake during this part of the procedure so you can report to the doctor what you feel. The tissues surrounding the needle tip are then heated when electronic current is passed using the Radio Frequency machine, for 90-120 seconds. This “numbs” the nerves semi-permanently.
Spinal cord stimulation (also called SCS) uses electrical impulses to relieve chronic pain of the back, arms and legs. It is believed that electrical pulses prevent pain signals from being received by the brain. SCS candidates include people who suffer from neuropathic pain and for whom conservative treatments have failed.
Nucleoplasty is a minimally invasive treatment for contained herniated discs. In nucleoplasty, advanced radio-frequency devices are used to remove soft tissue in open and minimally invasive spinal surgery. Tissue is ablated and coagulated through molecular disintegration, with only minimal thermal damage to surrounding tissue.
In some cases, nucleoplasty is the answer to quick, lasting relief — but without the drugs or major surgery associated with other methods.
Although it is surgery, the procedure is relatively simple — more like getting a vaccination or steroid injection. It’s minimally invasive.
Directed to the precise source of the pain, the radio waves work to gently dissolve small amounts of unwanted spinal disc tissue, thus reducing the pressure in the disk. It’s the pressure that can cause lower back and upper leg pain.
Nucleoplasty disc decompression is considered a “conservative” approach to pain management, much on the order of pain drugs, epidural steroid injections and physical therapy, he said, as opposed to radical approaches requiring more invasive surgical techniques.
To understand what a contained herniated disc looks like, one should think of a bicycle tire with a bulge in it. When a bulge or “herniation” appears in the shell of a disc, severe pain can result. This is because the disc is surrounded by sensitive nerve roots.
When the bulge becomes large enough to come in contact with these nerve roots, the sensation of pain can radiate throughout the lower back and upper legs.
So, in much the same way that a bulging tire can be reduced by releasing some of the air, a herniated disc can be treated by relieving pressure inside the disc.
The procedure begins with a local anesthetic and light sedative. With the patient awake, small amounts of raidio wave energy are released into the damaged disc through a catheter-like device that is about the thickness of a dime.
The energy creates a reaction at the molecular level that dissolves some of the spongy tissue inside the damaged disc. Then, as pressure inside the disc is reduced, the herniation in the shell retracts. Irritation to the nearby nerve roots is eliminated, and pain is relieved.
Typically, the entire nucleoplasty radio wave injection procedure takes 20 to 30 minutes, and the patient is ready to walk out of the clinic in about an hour.
According to clinical studies, the results are about the same as those of traditional disc surgeries — but with a big difference. “With nucleoplasty, the patient does not experience the trauma, lengthy recovery period, high cost, or most other potential complications,” the doctor said.
Based on these studies, he said, approximately four out of five nucleoplasty patients have seen successful results as measured by patient satisfaction scores, reduced pain, absence of narcotics use, and return to work.
This diagnostic procedure, also called discogram, is used to determine whether back pain is caused by one or more spinal discs. The procedure involves pressurizing suspect discs with an injection of sterile liquid to induce pain. Discography helps the specialist plan a course of treatment.
This procedure is designed to help relieve back pain caused by pressure on the spinal nerves. Using a small incision, we remove tiny pieces of bone and excess ligament tissue from your lower back. The goal is to relieve pressure on the nerves, which can help reduce pain and improve your mobility.
Stabilink is a technique that involves placing a small device into the spine to provide immediate support. It helps stabilize the spine while allowing you to maintain natural movement. This can be particularly helpful if your spine needs extra support after a previous surgery or injury.
Facet fusion is a surgical procedure to relieve chronic pain from the small joints in your spine called facet joints. During the surgery, your doctor will remove damaged tissue and use bone grafts to fuse the joint, promoting new bone growth for stability. This helps reduce pain and improve function. The procedure is done under anesthesia, and you’ll need some time to recover and possibly do physical therapy afterward. It’s considered when other treatments haven’t worked.
This minimally-invasive treatment is used to repair spine fractures caused by osteoporosis or cancer. It stabilizes the spine, providing rapid back pain relief and helping prevent further weakening of the spine.
This minimally-invasive procedure treats spine fractures caused by osteoporosis. It is designed to provide rapid back pain relief and help straighten the spine.
