Study Sticking Needles and Threads into the Discs of Awake Patients and What It Proved

Posted by brian self on

There have been many studies indicating that the disc and its associated pathology are identified as a primary cause of low back pain and lumbar radiculopathy. Hirsch stimulated various lumbar tissues in awake patients with the use of carefully placed needles. (5) Stimulation of the posterior portion of the annulus produced low back pain in many individuals. Furthermore, he was able to eliminate the pain by the injection of a minute volume of local anaesthetic into the annulus. Smythe and Wright placed nylon threads into various lumbar tissues while performing lumbar spinal operations. (6) During the postoperative period, they pulled on the threads and asked the patients to describe the location of any pain produced. The annulus fibrosus was the most common site of low back pain, and the compressed nerve root was responsible for sciatic pain. Tension placed on a normal nerve root resulted in no pain. Falconer and associates published their observations made during exploration of the lumbar spine under local anaesthesia. (7) Murphy reported similar results in his small series of surgical cases. (8) Both authors concluded that the annulus and nerve root were the pain generating tissues. Wiberg in 1950, operating on 200 patients using local anaesthesia of the skin and muscles only, reported that pain emanated from the disc. (9) Kublisch operated on 193 patients using local anaesthesia and drew certain conclusions about the likely origin of back and leg pain. (10) Sciatica could only be produced by stimulation of a swollen, stretched, or compressed nerve root. Back pain was produced in the majority of cases by stimulating the outer layer of annulus fibrosus and the posterior longitudinal ligament. If the disc is a major source of low back pain then applying specific target therapy for the treatment of disc pathology should improve patient outcomes. Which is what spinal decompression doctors have known for more than 10 years now. A doctor who recently purchased a DOC decompression table and who has already ordered another one recently said, “I can’t believe I didn’t add spinal decompression sooner. With the results we are seeing I am finding myself doing less chiropractic and more spinal decompression treatments and my patients are happier than ever.” If you have considered adding a spinal decompression table to your practice but have questions like “Which table is the best decompression table, What kind of technique support is offered to ensure I am getting the best results and keeping my patients safe, what programs do you offer to ensure a steady stream of new patients, what warranties do you offer and what else do I need to know before purchasing a spinal decompression table” then go to our website to find out more. www.DecompressionPros.com With hundreds of satisfied clients we will walk you through it every step of the way. Whether it’s which table to buy or which programs will make your phone ring with new patients we can help. Call us anytime or email us your questions at support@decompressionpros.com
5. Hirsch C. An attempt to diagnose the level of disc lesion clinically by disc puncture. Acta Orthop Scand 1948;18:132-140 6. Smythe MJ. and Wright V. Sciatica and the intervertebral disc. An experimental study. J Bone Joint Surg (Am) 1958;40:1401-1418 7. Falconer MA; McGeorge M, Begg AC; Observations on the cause and mechanism of symptom production in sciatica and low back pain. J Neuro Neurosurg Psychiatry 1948;11:13-26 8. Murphy F. Experience with lumbar disc. Clin Nerurosurg 1973;20:1-8 9. Wiberg G. Back pain in relation to the nerve supply of the intervertebral disc. Acta Orthop Scand 1950;19:211-221 10. Kublisch S, Ulstrom C, Michael C. The Tissue of Low Back Pain and Sciatica: A Report of Pain Response to Tissue Stimulation During Operations on the Lumbar Spine Using Local Anesthesia. Orth Clinics of North Am 1991; 22:181-187

Share this post



← Older Post


Leave a comment

Please note, comments must be approved before they are published.