A total of 90% of the population in the Federal Republic suffer from back pain. In many cases, the pain is chronic and often a clear cause can not even be determined. However, about 30-40% of back pain patients who have not yet been able to identify a trigger for their pain could benefit from the discovery of a new disc disease. “Isolated disc pain” is what orthopedists call this “new discovery,” which was presented at the German Orthopedic Congress in Berlin in November 2003.
Intervertebral disc with feelings
Until now, physicians and doctors assumed that the intervertebral disc can cause discomfort but cannot itself hurt because it has no pain fibers of its own. New research has since confirmed the existence of so-called intradiscal pain fibers, which are formed when the disc is worn and pre-damaged.
In addition, disc wear leads to the release of pain-forming hormones that transmit pain impulses to the brain via the nerve pathways of the spinal cord. Experts also see this phenomenon as an explanation for the fact that many patients are still not pain-free despite intervertebral disc surgery.
Diagnosis with pain medication
If back pain does not respond to conventional treatment over a prolonged period of time and the physician does not recognize any signs of disease when symptoms persist, this may indicate isolated disc pain.
Another suspicion of this diagnosis is when local anesthetics are injected into the nerve roots or vertebral joints and the pain does not improve afterwards. Then a so-called memory pain test is made, in which X-ray contrast medium is injected directly into the disc tissue. A healthy disc would not hurt during this treatment: in the case of intradiscal pain, the patient complains of sudden pain.
Therapy with microlaser
Treatment with microlaser is currently the only effective treatment. This laser therapy differs from conventional laser techniques in that the fiber that guides the laser beam into the body is only 0.2 millimeters thin. The needle through which the fiber is inserted is only 0.65 millimeters thick. This makes the microlaser particularly gentle on tissue.
The laser fiber is pushed into the skin of the disc. The energy of the laser shrinks the disc tissue and also welds small tears in the tissue. In this way, the disc tissue becomes more stable overall. At the same time, the small nerve tracts that have grown into the tissue are interrupted and the production of pain hormones is stopped.
During the examination, the patient lies on his side and has previously received anesthesia. The examination lasts 45-60 minutes and can be performed as an outpatient or inpatient procedure.
After the treatment
Patients can usually move well again just a few days after laser treatment if they wear a light girdle for support. Even office work can then be resumed. Of course, carrying and lifting heavy loads is still prohibited for some time.
In any case, targeted physiotherapy is recommended after the treatment. Sporting activities can usually be resumed after 3-6 weeks. The microlaser therapy is paid for by private health insurance companies. Cost absorption by statutory health insurers must be discussed before the start of treatment.
