Discography

An effective, non surgical, pain relief procedure, discography helps chronic pain patients find relief from pain in the disc. A vertebral disc in the spine helps find balance in the body and carries the body's weight. Some times the disc degenerates due to overuse, age or accidental injury. This leads to a sharp and constant pain in the spine. Severe disc degeneration may cause pain when the spine presses on nerve roots or forces more load onto the facet joints in the back of the spine.

Discography is a very specific tool used by a pain management specialist to determine the root cause behind the back pain.It is an interventional diagnostic imaging test that helps determine whether the intervertebral disc is the cause for the chronic pain. In a discography, a contrast liquid is injected into the center of one or more spinal discs using x-ray guidance. This injection may temporarily reproduce the patient's back pain symptoms. As part of the procedure, an x-ray or CT scan also may be performed to obtain pictures of the injected disc. It also guides treatment of abnormal discs. It is the most accurate type of diagnostic tool for patients suffering from vertebral malfunctions.