New Treatment for Ruptured Disc

Those who suffer from acute back pain due to a ruptured disc need to find relief. People often try to avoid getting traditional open or fusion back surgery because in the past, this method of back surgery was known for being painful and requiring long recovery times. Open back surgeries and fusion surgeries also only provide lasting relief in less than 50% of cases. New treatments are now available that can help fix ruptured discs and relieve the back pain.

New minimally invasive techniques can be used to relieve the pain and fix the problem of a ruptured intervertbral disc. The spine is made up of vertebral bones and discs that are separated with ligaments and tissue. As people age, they often lose some of the moisture in the tissue that separates the discs. The result can be ruptured discs that slip out of place. Sometimes the disc causes pain when it presses on nerve roots exiting the spinal cord. In the past, the treatment for ruptured discs involved open back surgery. In this highly invasive procedure, a large incision was employed during surgery. As a result, the post-operative recovery time was long and painful. Fortunately, there are new arthroscopic techniques that are much less invasive and less painful. Surgeons who practice these techniques can provide almost instant relief from back pain with minimal recovery time, minimal scarring and minimal blood loss..

The arthroscopic method used to treat a ruptured disc involves making a small incision in the back, usually no larger than a half inch. The surgeon then inserts an instruments through a narrow stainless steel tube to remove parts of the problem disc. A laser can also be employed to slightly de-hydrate a disc so that it reverts to its original proportions. This smaller incision heals quickly and the post-operative pain is minimal. These procedures can often be performed as outpatient surgery, which allows it to be much less expensive than traditional surgery. More information about minimally invasive back surgery is available at