Back pain causes immense discomfort if left untreated. That’s why a trip to the doctor or pain management specialist is recommended if aches and pain continue.
In some severe cases, your doctor may even require a diagnostic discography. While it sounds intimidating, there’s no reason to worry. The procedure itself is painless and afterwards, it should help guide your doctor on the next steps for treatment.
What is Diagnostic Discography?
A discography, also known as a discogram, is a procedure that involves the injection of a dye into the spinal disk. The spinal disk is a soft rubbery tissue that separates the bones that form the spine.
If the spinal disk has undergone some wear or damage, this may be the reason for your back pain. A discography procedure along with an X-ray (more specifically fluoroscopy) allows doctors to see if your spinal disks are damaged. If this is the case, it may play a role in causing your pain.
Keep in mind, that doctors only perform a discography when other forms of treatment like medication fail to work.
What To Expect From the Diagnostic Discography Procedure
While nerves are normal before this diagnostic discography procedure, don’t forget the rules set out by your physician. For example, they’ll probably advise you to avoid eating and drinking before the discography. They’ll also ask you to refrain from taking medications like aspirin.
During the procedure, you’ll be lying down. Since your doctor needs you awake for the procedure, they’ll only apply numbing medication in the areas where they’ll be inserting the discogram needle. The needle then releases a dye.
This contrast dye appears in the imaging taken during the procedure, allowing doctors to diagnose your spinal disks. For your doctor to make accurate injections into the spinal disks, they’ll also rely on imaging technology, known as fluoroscopy, to guide them.
As your doctor inserts the needle into the regions of your back, they’ll ask you the level of pain you feel as they do so. Generally, if you experience pain at the injection site, this most likely means that your spinal disk is damaged. Alternatively, insertion in an unaffected spinal disk will cause zero to minimal pain.
The Results of a Diagnostic Discography with an OKC Expert
From the imaging that your doctor obtains, there are several things to note. If the spinal disk is normal, the dye will remain in the area of insertion. However, if the disk is damaged, the dye will appear spread out and dispersed in the images.
Doctors cannot solely rely on a discography to diagnose a patient’s back pain. Sometimes a cracked spinal disk may not be the reason for pain. That’s why doctors also rely on MRIs and CT scans to diagnose a patient and come up with the appropriate treatment. If necessary, doctors may recommend surgery depending on their diagnosis.
A discography to diagnose back pain is an effective way to pinpoint the underlying cause of it. It’s an excellent resource in combination with other tests to determine the ideal solution and next steps to help alleviate your back pain. For more information on expert diagnostic discography services in OKC, contact Oklahoma Spine & Pain Management‘s pain management specialists in Oklahoma.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Your doctor will use a local anesthetic to prepare the injection location before inserting a needle into your spinal disk using X-ray guidance. Then, they will inject a contrast liquid into the disk, which also becomes visible on the X-ray. Your doctor will observe the liquid’s behavior within the disk through the X-ray images. If needed, they will repeat the procedure for other disks. If the contrast liquid brings back your usual pain, that means that a specific disk is the source of your pain.
Book a ConsultationThe diagnostic discography costs around $2450 to $3530 per session. The cost usually gets affected by the following factors:
- Your health insurance policy
- Location and the clinics you choose
- Additional services such as X-ray and CT scans
Conducting lumbar provocative discography, along with a subsequent computed tomography (CT) evaluation, is considered medically necessary in the preoperative evaluation of back pain stemming from discogenic causes, making it a potential for insurance coverage. However, for definitive confirmation, it is recommended to seek guidance from your medical insurance provider.
Book a ConsultationThe procedure of a diagnostic discography is as follows:
- Prepare the injection site with a local anesthetic.
- Use fluoroscopy guidance to insert a thin needle into the spinal disks.
- Inject a contrast liquid into the disks.
- Observe the liquid’s behavior on X-ray.
- Repeat the procedure for other disks if necessary.
- Examine the pain response and confirm which disk is causing the pain.
A discography procedure is more of a diagnostic tool rather than a treatment option. It helps to pinpoint the root cause of back or neck pain. A discography helps confirm whether an abnormal spinal disk is causing the pain. While it’s not a treatment itself, this procedure helps guide further treatment options on the basis of the results. Since discography is not always reliable in pinpointing the source of pain, other tests like MRIs and CT scans are necessary.
Book a ConsultationIf a spinal disk is causing your neck or back pain, you will feel pain while receiving the injection. This pain is similar to the pain that you already experience daily. However, if your spinal disks are normal, you will only feel mild, tolerable pain during the injection. It is important to remember that the pain levels during this test vary from person to person and depend on their pain tolerance.
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