What type of treatment is available for disc herniation?
Nucleoplasty, also known as percutaneous discectomy, is a minimally invasive procedure for treating patients symptomatic with low back and leg pain caused by a herniated disc. It involves removing tissue from the disc to relieve pressure on the affected nerve. When should I consider Nucleoplasty? Candidates for nucleoplasty include men and women who have chronic back pain (at least 6 weeks) and debilitation due to vertebral body fracture or disc herniatiion. Patients often have limited mobility and cannot perform routine daily activities, such as bathing, dressing and walking. Nucleoplasty is usually performed after conservative treatments (bed rest, back brace, oral pain medications) have failed. Most patients are elderly (average age 70 years), but younger patients with osteoporosis, due to metabolic disorders or long-term steroid treatment, may also benefit from nucleoplasty. What should I expect BEFORE Nucleoplasty? For nucleoplasty, physicians need to correlate clinical findings w
