Celling Treatment Centers

Herniated Disc Treatment Options

Herniated discs are common causes of spinal pain.

A herniated disc occurs when the soft center of the disc extrudes (herniates) outwards. When this occurs, the herniated portion of the disc may press upon the spinal cord or a nerve.

When herniated discs occur in the neck (cervical herniated disc), they often, but not always, are associated with pain, numbness or tingling into the arm & hand. They can also cause pain in the back of the shoulder and/or between the shoulder blades.

When herniated discs occur in the upper or middle part of the back (thoracic herniated disc), they may result in not only pain in the upper of middle back but also pain between the shoulder blades or around the chest.

Herniated discs most commonly occur in the lower back (lumbar herniated disc) and may be accompanied by painful sciatica. Weakness in the raising up the big toe may occur. Atrophy of the calf muscles may also occur.

Large herniated discs that result in loss of bowel or bladder control are surgical emergencies.

Conservative Treatment Options

Most people with a herniated disc will improve in 6-8 weeks and do not require any surgery to remove the herniated part of the disc.

Chiropractic and physical therapy can be effective and is the initial treatment of choice for many people.

Epidural steroid injections are often used to treat the pain and inflammation that occurs. These are often very successful. They do not remove or dissolve the herniated disc. They simply treat the inflammation. Over time, the body can smooth down the herniated disc so that it no longer pinches the nerve.

Surgical Treatment Options

For those who do not respond to more conservative treatment options, surgery can safely remove the herniated disc and provide relief for pinched nerves and back pain.

The primary goal is to remove the herniated disc fragment so the pinched nerve is relieved and the back pain resolved. Most patients notice an immediate relief in leg pain and tingling. Numbness often takes longer to resolve.

Traditionally, removal of a herniated disc, i.e., a discectomy (-ectomy = removal) was performed through a laminectomy but this resulted in painful scarring.

Contemporary Treatment Options

Today, a laminotomy can be performed to remove the herniated portion of the disc. A laminotomy uses a small hole in the bone, if you will, to access the spinal canal and remove the herniated portion of the disc.

There are many ways to perform a laminotomy. Most spine surgeons use a limited incision to minimize scar tissue formation and facilitate quick recovery.

Minimally invasive spine surgeons use tiny incisions to insert small tubes and then use cameras and micro instruments to see and remove the herniated disc fragment.

These procedures have many confusing names – arthroscopic discectomy, endoscopic discectomy, laser discectomy, microscopic discectomy, percutaneous endoscopic discectomy, lumbar endoscopic spine surgery (LESS), minimally invasive spine surgery (MISS), minimally invasive spine (MIS) surgery, laser spine surgery, endoscopic spine surgery – to name a few.

The goal of all of these minimally invasive discectomy techniques is to remove the herniated disc through muscle sparing approaches that minimize scar tissue and provide quick recovery.

Celling Treatment Centers Advantage

True endoscopic discectomy cannot repair the tear or hole in the outer part (annulus) of the disc that results from the herniation of the disc's nucleus. This is an extremely important point. Without repair of the annulus, the disc may herniate again or the hole left behind simply fills with scar tissue and may result in continued back pain. Celling Treatment Centers uses a combination of minimally invasive surgery techniques to endoscopically remove the herniated disc and repair the annulus of the disc.

Another challenge is the experience of the spine surgeon. It seems everywhere you look today there is a minimally invasive or laser spine surgery advertisement. Patients should always check the credentials of their potential surgeon to determine if the surgeon actually has experience with minimally invasive surgery and is not just using the term to attract new patients to the practice. This holds true for both orthopedic spine surgeons and neurosurgeons.

Celling Treatment Centers is experienced in ALL methods of minimally invasive spine surgery – arthroscopic, endoscopic, laser microscopic and percutaneous. We have pioneered several innovations in minimally invasive spine surgery including laser disc repair – a procedure that not only removes the disc herniation but also repairs the tear in the annulus so the disc will not re-herniate and provides stem cell therapy for disc regeneration.

Our Chief Surgeon has performed over 1000 minimally invasive spine surgeries and is one of the only minimally invasive spine surgeons in the United States experienced in minimally invasive thoracic discectomy.

 Stem cell therapy for spine problems such as disc pain, spinal stenosis, herniated discs, painful discs, bulging discs, spondylolisthesis, sciatica, spine arthritis and degenerative disc disease can reduce inflammation and provide spine arthritis pain relief.

RegenaDISC - the Smart Choice for spine disc regeneration and herniatd disc repair.

Celling Treatment Centers serves all of Canada and the United States including Arizona, California, Florida, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, New Jersey, New York, Texas, including Atlanta, Billings, Boston, Calgary, Chicago, Corpus Christi, Dallas, Edmonton, Houston, Jacksonville, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Mesa, Miami, Midland-Odessa, Montreal, Orlando, Ottawa, Palm Springs, Phoenix, Quebec, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, Scottsdale, St. Petersburg, Tampa, Toronto, Vancouver and Winnipeg.