What is a Discography, and How Can It Help Identify Spinal Pain?

A discogram, sometimes referred to as discography, is an imaging test used to determine the cause of spinal pain. Your doctor may be able to tell whether a certain disk in your spine is generating your back pain with the aid of a discogram. Spinal disks are cushions that resemble sponges that sit between the spine's vertebrae. A discogram at a pain management clinic in Dallas involves injecting dye into the soft center of one or more disks. The injection occasionally mimics the back pain. The dye also enters any surface cracks in the disk, which could be visible on a CT scan or X-ray. 

What is a Discogram Procedure?

Discograms, also called discography for back pain, are imaging tests that aid in the diagnosis of chronic (long-term) back pain. This procedure can help your doctor determine whether your symptoms are caused by a worn or damaged spinal disk. The bones that form your spine let you have discs between every vertebra. The spinal bones are prevented from rubbing against one another by these spongy, cushion-like disks that absorb shock. A frequent reason for chronic (long-term) back discomfort is damaged disks. We specialize in interventional pain procedures in Texas, designed to take spinal diseases, joint problems, and nerve pain under consideration.

Usually, healthcare professionals diagnose spinal pain using other imaging techniques—such as CT (computed tomography) scans or MRI (magnetic resonance imaging)—but they could need a discogram if:

• After attempting physical therapy and medication—conservative measures—you still experience back pain. Spinal disc tests in Mesquite, TX, can also be used by surgeons to confirm which discs need to be removed prior to spinal fusion surgery.

• Healthcare providers could sometimes talk about cervical or lumbar discograms. These terms describe the same process but clarify which part of your spine requires pictures. You require a cervical discogram if your upper back or neck aches. If you have lower back pain, a lumbar discogram is necessary.

• It is important to remember that damaged spinal discs do not always result in back pain. Thus, medical professionals find discograms controversial. Many medical professionals, however, think a discogram might assist in confirming suspected results on a CT or MRI scan.

How to Prepare for the Procedure? 

You may need to stop taking blood thinners for a period of time prior to the spinal discography procedure. Your medical team will give you advice on potential medications. The morning before the test, you won't eat or drink anything. An imaging-equipped hospital or clinic room performs a discogram. You might spend up to three hours there. Depending on the number of disks inspected, the actual test can take anywhere from 30 to 60 minutes.

A provider will guide you to an X-ray room where you will rest on an examination table when your appointment starts. They will set cushions to maintain you on your side. The majority of interventional pain doctors in Texas use intravenous (IV) sedation during a discogram. They will insert an IV and give you tranquilizer medications to help you relax, usually in your hand or arm. Throughout the procedure, they will monitor your oxygen levels, blood pressure, and heart rate.

Your provider will once you are at ease:

• Local anesthetic will help you to numb a tiny area on your back.

• Under the guidance of an X-ray (fluoroscopy), your provider will insert a needle between your skin and a spinal disk.

• After taking out the needle, insert the contrast agent into your spinal disk.

• If the disk sustains damage, you may experience typical back pain. Your doctor may ask you to describe the discomfort and specify where it hurts during this procedure.

• Repeat steps one through three on additional disks if needed.

• To help halt any bleeding, apply a bandage over the injection sites.

• During the discogram operation, your provider will employ fluoroscopy to create images. They might later have a CT scan or an MRI.

• Your provider will be better able to accurately diagnose by utilizing several imaging tests. Typically, a discogram takes about an hour to complete.

Prior to the Procedure

• Though you are awake during the operation, you could get a drug to help you be calm or less anxious. Your healthcare team may also prescribe an antibiotic to help you avoid infection.

• The procedure will involve you lying on a table, either on your side or on your stomach. A member of your healthcare team may administer a numbing drug to ease the discomfort of the discogram needle insertion after your skin has been cleaned.

• Your medical team at the low back pain treatment clinic in Mesquite will use a technique called fluoroscopy to monitor the discogram needle as it enters your body. Fluoroscopy makes placing the needle in the center of the disk under examination safer and more precise.

• The disk is then dyed. Next, an X-ray or CT scan checks to verify the distribution of the dye. The disk is unbroken if the dye remains at its center. The disk shows some wear-and-tear change if the dye expands beyond the center of the disk. Your discomfort could have several possible causes.

• Typically, if a disc is causing your back discomfort, you will feel pain during the injection that matches your daily back pain. If a disk is not painful, you will feel little discomfort during the injection. During the discogram, the doctor will ask you to rate and explain your level of discomfort.

After the Procedure

The procedure room observation will last between thirty and sixty minutes. Following that, you will be free to return home. Someone will have to drive you. For several hours following the surgery, most individuals experience some discomfort at the injection site or in the low back. Twenty minutes at a time using an ice pack in the region could help. You should keep your back dry for 24 hours. If you are from Richardson, see back pain doctors in Richardson immediately if you have, 1 to 2 weeks following the surgery, significant back discomfort or a temperature.

Results

Your healthcare practitioner will review the images and details you supplied about the pain you experienced during the procedure. Your healthcare provider will be able to determine the source of your back pain with this knowledge. This data will help your healthcare team to plan for surgery or direct your treatment.

Since a disc with wear-and-tear changes may not cause pain, healthcare practitioners typically do not depend just on the findings of a discogram. Spinal pain responses during a discogram might also range greatly. When developing a therapy plan for spinal pain, results of a discogram are often coupled with those of other tests, such as an MRI or CT scan and physical examination.

How Much Discomfort is a Discogram?

Your back pain specialist in Dallas should inject the contrast solution into a damaged spinal disk; you will most likely experience some discomfort. Most people say their daily symptomatology matches quite closely the degree of pain. Despite the temporary discomfort, this sensation aids your doctor in pinpointing the worn disks. Additionally, you may experience persistent pain for a few days. Should such discomfort occur, ice the region several times daily and take over-the-counter painkillers.

Conclusion