Spinal disc herniation is one of the relatively common diseases. The disc actually has a flexible structure and is located between the vertebrae, which provides flexibility to the spine and our ability to bend and straighten.
The disc has a two-part structure including a jelly core (nucleus) and a firm capsule (annulus), and if too much pressure is applied to it, the annulus may protrude or tear, and due to the closeness of the disc to the nerve roots that are coming out. The spinal canal of this protrusion may cause pain and nerve symptoms such as tingling and murmur or burning and cold feeling in the area of the involved nerve by putting pressure on the neighboring nerves (radiculopathy).
Depending on the severity of the pressure on the nerve root and the place where the disc protrudes, various symptoms may appear, from low-intensity shooting pains to very severe pains, or numbness and heaviness in the area of the involved nerve, or muscle weakness, and even urinary disorders. and feces
The treatments used may be different according to the symptoms and the time since the symptoms appeared.
The use of anti-inflammatory drugs and steroids, rest and avoiding activities that put pressure on the spine, physical therapy, special exercises to increase the muscle strength of the abdominal muscles or neck muscles and reduce the pressure on the disc, including therapeutic measures. They are primary. Of course, in certain types of discs that only include less than 5 percent of the discs, surgery is needed.
Another part of the treatment that may be considered if the symptoms do not improve after conservative treatments (rest, medicine, physiotherapy) are minimally invasive or interventional treatments (spine intervention)..
In this part of the treatment, according to the findings of imaging and nerve and muscle tape, and of course, most importantly, the patient's examination, the involved nerve roots are identified and are proportional to various factors such as the degree of hydration of the disc, the level of involvement, the duration When the symptoms have passed or the symptoms are chronic, different treatment methods such as epidural injections, use of radio frequency waves (RF nerve ablation) or ozone discectomy are used..
Interventional procedures are performed in the hospital and of course only with local anesthesia and without anesthesia in completely sterile conditions.
Due to the need for high precision, these procedures are performed under the guidance of a fluoroscope. Also, after performing these operations, there is no need to be admitted to the hospital, and only a few hours are observed to ensure the patient's condition and then he is discharged.
Author: Dr. Hossein Arjamand