Discography

You suffer with back pain which you would like to have treated at the Rugpoli. In order to determine the right treatment for you, the medical practitioner wants to know if the intervertebral disc is the underlying cause of your symptoms. This page further outlines what this treatment entails.

Intervertebral disc

An intervertebral disc is located in the vertebral column in between two separate vertebrae. Intervertebral discs are made up of a ring of fibrous cartilage with a jelly-like core. They are quite elastic and help with shock absorbency.

Treatment objective

The aim with discography is to determine whether an intervertebral disc is the underlying cause of your pain. With this examination the pain is increased, so it can worsen for a while. On the basis of the examination results the medical practitioner can make a diagnosis that will determine future treatment.

Treatment

You lie on your front on the treatment table. First the medical practitioner will disinfect your skin where the injection will be administered with iodine. Under x-ray control the medical practitioner inserts thin needles into two or three intervertebral discs. You are not allowed to see the monitor or ask questions about where the injection is administered. The medical practitioner then injects a contrast agent together with a small amount of antibiotic (Kefzol) into the intervertebral disc. The medical practitioner will ask you to indicate what you can feel. The needles are then removed.

Treatment duration

The treatment takes about 15 minutes

General information

 For information about any side effects and risks and other instructions, we ask you to read the information ''before your visit'' and ''after your visit'' carefully.