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• Intervertebral Disc Pain

Intervertebral Disc Pain

If you are one of the millions of people who experiences intervertebral disc pain on a daily basis, there is hope for recovery. Most of the time, damaged intervertebral discs will heal with time and the proper treatment, so you don’t have to assume that damaged or degenerated discs mean a lifetime of back or neck pain.

For those just beginning their research into intervertebral disc pain, the path to healing begins with an accurate diagnosis of the pain. Degenerative spine disorders are often difficult to describe to a doctor because these disorders cause referred pain, which means that pain appears in a region far away from the site of damage. So, while a herniated or bulging disc might be pressing on a nerve root that’s very close to the spinal cord, those nerve roots branch out and exit the spinal column to form a network of nerves in other areas of the body. Signals of pain, therefore, can be transferred throughout the length of the nerve, which means disc pain symptoms could actually appear anywhere in the body such as the arms, legs, feet, and hands.

Many physicians and orthopedists use a diagnostic survey called the Oswestry Low Back Pain Disability Questionnaire to help pinpoint the nature of a patient’s intervertebral disc pain, its severity, and its location. Questions on the Oswestry Questionnaire include:

• Does pain medication provide you with complete relief from disc pain?
• Does pain medication provide you with partial relief from pain?
• Can you completely take care of yourself (washing, dressing, etc.) without pain?
• Does pain prevent you from lifting heavy objects?
• How far are you able to walk without lower back disc pain?
• How long are you able to sit without pain?
• How long are you able to stand without pain?
• When you take pain medication, how long are you able to sleep for?
• Would you say that your pain alters your social life or prevents you from having a social life?
• Has traveling become impossible because of your back disc pain?
• Have your homemaking/job activities been altered because of your pain?

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These questions are designed to help you articulate your intervertebral disc pain. If you feel that your disc pain has not responded to standard treatments and you’re searching for alternatives, contact the experts at Laser Spine Institute (LSI). We are at the forefront of endoscopic technology and we offer a variety of minimally invasive procedures to treat degenerating discs. Contact us today for a free review of your MRI or CT scan.

Please note: Laser Spine Institute currently does not perform endoscopic procedures on the thoracic spine.