What to Expect During and After Your Discseel® Procedure

Did you know that nearly 100 million Americans experience low back pain each year? While there are many roads to low back pain, issues in the intervertebral discs in your spine account for more than their fair share of the overall problem.

If you have disc-related low back pain and you want to explore all of your treatment options, Dr. Naveen Reddy and Dr. Maziar Massrour want to draw your attention to a minimally invasive procedure called Discseel®.  At Apex Pain Specialists, we pride ourselves on staying abreast of the latest innovations in addressing spine issues and Discseel certainly qualifies.

Why discs are often the culprits behind back and neck pain

Your spine is formed by 33 vertebrae that are separated by 23 intervertebral discs that fulfill several important functions including spacing, shock absorption, and range of motion.

These discs feature a tough outer layer of fibrous cartilage called the annulus fibrosus, which surrounds a gel-like interior called the nucleus pulposus.

With aging and use, these discs can lose moisture and become more brittle, a condition we call degenerative disc disease, which affects most people after the age of 40. As a result, the discs can flatten out, tear, bulge, and leak, all of which can lead to painful conditions like sciatica and herniated discs.

How Discseel works to relieve disc-related back and neck pain

The first step of the Discseel procedure is a fact-finding one during which we identify damage in your discs. To do this, we perform an annulogram that allows us to locate even the smallest tears in the annulus fibrosus of each disc.

During the annulogram, we inject a contrast dye that highlights annular tears that might be leading to leaky disc syndrome. As the name suggests, with leaky disc syndrome, contents of your disc(s) are leaking out and irritating nearby nerve roots, causing back and/or neck pain.

At the same time as we identify the damage in your discs, we’re able to switch to repair mode, which is where the Discseel procedure really shines. To repair the annular tears in your discs, we inject fibrin, which is an FDA-approved biologic that seals your disc back up. The fibrin forms a mesh over the damage that can not only plug a leaky disc, but also provides the framework for true regeneration and healing in your disc.

After your Discseel procedure

Not only is the Discseel procedure effective in combating back and neck pain, it’s minimally invasive and we can perform it on an outpatient basis, which means you’re free to return home that same day.

We want you to take it easy for a few weeks after your Discseel procedure. You should avoid strenuous activity, such as heavy lifting, for four weeks.

Your discs need time and space to heal and, in most cases, require 3-6 months before they’re completely healed. During this time, you can add activities little by little as your treated discs get stronger. Rest assured, we’ll be with you every step of the way and we’ll guide you on your activity levels as you progress.

Once healing is complete, the great news is that we’re essentially hitting the reset button on your damaged discs with Discseel so you should enjoy long-lasting relief from your back or neck pain.

To learn more about Discseel, we invite you to call our office in Chandler, Arizona, at 480-820-7246 or book an appointment online today.