What is a Discogram?
A discogram is a test used to evaluate back pain. Your spine is composed of a series of discs that rest between each vertebra. These discs help to protect and absorb shock and pain. They also provide flexibility to our spines. However, these spinal discs can become damaged through age or injury, leading to intense back pain.
Understanding Discograms – What is a Discogram Procedure?
A discogram procedure is used to identify the source of chronic pain or injury in your spinal discs to identify the cause of any back pain. During a discogram, a dye is injected into the spinal discs. This contrasting dye is highlighted under an X-ray to determine the particular disk that is proving to be the source of injury.
How do you know if a Discogram is right for you?
If you are experiencing back pain and have gone to various other measures, such as an acupuncturist or chiropractor, and have not witnessed any back pain relief, you might want to try a discogram. A discogram is extremely helpful for those who have not determined the exact pain. A discogram is very beneficial for determining the exact location or disk that is causing the chronic pain. While a more expensive procedure, it can save a lot of time, hassle, and money in the process of troubleshooting where your back pain is coming from.
What are the results of a Discogram?
A discogram is not a treatment but more of a procedure to determine the level of treatment needed to resolve said back pain. Oftentimes, this could be a more intensive procedure such as surgery. With the help of a discogram, however, doctors can better determine the exact location of pain, thus resulting in the likelihood of a more positive outcome from surgery.
Are there any risks or side effects of Discograms?
While a discogram is relatively safe, there are some risks and possible side effects associated with the test. Some people are sensitive to the dyes. It is advised to let your medical provider know if you have an allergic reaction to anything before the injection. Another slight risk is the possibility of a disk space infection. This is less than 1/10 of a 1% chance of this occurring, making discograms a very safe procedure.
Contact Discogram Specialists in OKC at Oklahoma Spine & Pain Management
Discograms are not as complicated a procedure as it seem. It is a valuable and easy way for people to find and resolve the back pain that has plagued them for years. Dr. Darry Robinson in OKC is a pain management specialist who can help you determine if a discogram is right for you! Contact us at Oklahoma Spine & Pain Management today.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
A discogram involves inserting a needle into your disc. So, if your disk is causing you back pain, then you will feel pain on a scale of 0 to 10. Although, this pain is similar to what you feel every day due to your back pain. But if your disk is normal, then you’ll only feel a little pain during the discogram.
Book a ConsultationA discogram is necessary when MRI tests fail to show a herniated disc. A discogram helps to confirm whether the patient’s pain symptom is caused by a disk problem or not. An MRI test cannot do this. A discogram can show and examine intervertebral discs because this test involves injecting dye into the center of the injured disc. The dye itself makes it easier to view the disk on an x-ray.
Book a ConsultationA discogram lumbar spine, also known as lumbar discography, is a minimally invasive presurgical test that helps to determine whether an intervertebral disk in the lower spine is the main primary cause of back pain joined by leg pain (sciatica). The result of a discogram lumbar spine helps doctors to decide whether a patient needs to go through lumbar spinal fusion surgery or not. This test is usually used in conjunction with other specialized sensitive imaging tests such as CT scans and MRI scans.
Book a ConsultationDuring a discogram procedure, a liquid is injected into the center of one/more spinal discs using the help of an X-ray. In the beginning, this injection temporarily brings back the patient’s back pain symptoms and helps to identify the correct source of back pain. With this procedure, specialists will treat abnormal intervertebral discs, which are sponge-like cushions located between the vertebrae of the spine.
Book a ConsultationGenerally, discogram or discography (lumbar, cervical, and thoracic) ranges from $2,500 to $3,500 for a single procedure in Oklahoma. The discogram has two costs associated with the test:
- Test cost is termed as a “technical fee.”
- A spine surgeon or radiologist reading and interpreting the test result is termed as a “professional fee.”
These are the two bills that you’ll usually get during a discogram.
Book a ConsultationDiscography is performed with local anesthesia. Hence, it takes less than an hour to complete it. In this procedure, the doctor will mark the painful spinal disk area while you are lying face down on an operating table. They will insert a needle under fluoroscopic imaging (i.e., live X-ray) until it reaches a disc. With the help of sterile liquid, the doctor will inject the dye inside the disc, which reproduces the pain. If there’s pain, then it means that a particular disk is the source of your pain. If there is no pain/symptoms, then the doctor will inject a group of discs to test and identify the actual source. After the discogram is positive for a spinal disc, the doctor might perform a spinal fusion procedure where they will remove the painful disk and the adjacent vertebrae to alleviate pain.
Book a ConsultationA cervical discogram is a procedure that helps to figure out the source of your neck pain. In this procedure, the doctor will inject contrast dye into the intervertebral discs of your cervical spine and locate the source of your neck pain. If the injection temporarily reproduces your neck pain, that’s the correct damaged disk that is causing you pain.
Book a ConsultationHere are the 2 main conditions that scream that you need to get a discogram test:
- Your persisting back pain despite many treatments, medication, and physical therapy.
- If you are going through spinal fusion surgery, the disk from your body needs to be removed.
Yes, discograms can be used to detect herniated discs. The contrast dye injected into the disk during a discogram will reveal an abnormal shape or leakage of the disk material if a herniation is present.
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