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DISC DISEASE MANAGEMENT

Neck & Lower Back Pain

We make sure that sufficient care is provided to the children so that they are able to lead a normal life.

Concept of Disc Disease

Disc disease is referred to as the pain in the lower back and in the neck. To make it simpler, disc disease refers to the signs and symptoms back or neck pain as a result of the wear & tear on a disc of the spine. In some of the cases, the disease also causes numbness and weakness along with hot shooting pains in the arms or the legs which are known as the radicular pain. This disease is actually a degenerative disorder which worsens with the increase in age. Thus, age has an important part to play in the disc disease which typically includes a low-level chronic pain with irregular episodes of more severe pain.

How do we help to manage disc disease?
Dr.Vanchilingam Hospital specialises in disc disease management with the key focus on the management of the acute and chronic pain associated with the disc disease.

Non Surgical Methods
Our hospital aims at disc disease management with the non-surgical methods of treatment which are as discussed below.

  • Pain Medications
    Effective pain medications are exactly what we begin with our process of disc disease management. We administer the use of over the counter pain medications such as aspirin, naproxen, ibuprofen etc. which relieves inflammation that contributes to stiffness, discomfort and nerve root irritation. For severe pain, we make use of the prescription pain medications such as muscle relaxants or some narcotic painkillers which are extremely effective in the treatment of acute pain.
  • Tens Units
    A TENS unit is nothing but a very small transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation device which sends electric pulses through the body that readily interferes with the pain signals and helps in its minimization. The small device is able to directly transmit signals over the skin which is connected with the help of wires to the electrode pads that are worn on the skin by the patient. Our expert doctors control the device with a remote to control the range of frequencies for different levels of pain.
  • Ultrasound
    In case of acute pain in the back, we make use of ultrasound for warming the area for the purpose of bringing in blood flow and healing nutrients in the region of pain.

Surgical Methods
Apart from our specialization with the non-surgical methods of disc disease management, we also help the patients with the surgical methods as well. While dealing with disc disease, we most commonly encounter cervical radiculopathy, lumbosacral radiculopathy and cervical myelopathy which are caused due to intervertebral disc prolapse. For the treatment of these diseases and other associated disease, our trained doctors make use of the surgical methods which are as listed below. The surgical methods we use are as follows.

  • Spinal Fusion Surgery
    This a standard surgery used for the disc disease management in which two vertebrae are grafted or fused together. The main goal of the fusion surgery is to help in the reduction of pain by the elimination of motion at the spinal segment.
  • Artificial Disc Replacement Surgery
    This surgery involves the removal of a complete spinal disc so that the natural height of the disc space is maintained and then an artificial disc device is implanted in its place.
  • Laminectomy
    Laminectomy is a surgical method in which a part of the lamina that is the vertebral bone is removed and the back part of the muscles are pushed aside instead of cutting which keeps the parts of the vertebra adjacent to the lamina intact. This surgery is also referred to as decompression surgery which results in the enlargement of the spinal can that helps in the releasing of pressure on the spinal cord or the nerves providing relief.
  • Microscopic Discectomy
    It is an open lumbar surgery which helps in the removal of the part of the disc that has been damaged. The removal of the damaged disc relieves the pressure created on the nerve tissue which in turn helps in the alleviation of pain.
  • Endoscopic Discectomy
    It is also lumbar surgery but is a minimally invasive surgical procedure which is conducted with the help of a tubular device. The surgery of endoscopic discectomy is designed to relieve the pain caused as a result of the herniated discs that create pressure on the roots of the nerves. In this method, the pain caused by the surgery is minimum since it is a least invasive surgery.