Column Information on Treatments Available for Chronic Lower Back Pain: Finding a Treatment that Works for Your Symptoms

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04.21.2023

What is chronic lower back pain?

Most cases of chronic lower back pain are usually accompanied by intervertebral disc degeneration.

The intervertebral discs between the lumbar vertebrae lose their original shape due a combination of aging and continued stress and begin to deform. This causes a decline in the function of the intervertebral discs, and symptoms such as pain occur. This is called intervertebral disc degeneration.

When intervertebral disc degeneration occurs, the intervertebral disc cracks and the nucleus pulposus inside leaks out, causing inflammation. This is referred to as disc herniation, and in addition to lower back pain, it can also cause symptoms such as pain and numbness in the buttocks and legs.

In addition, if the degeneration and deterioration of the intervertebral disc causes instability, bone spurs may form to help support the lower back, and symptoms of spinal stenosis such as intermittent claudication may occur as a result of compression being applied to the spinal canal.

This is how the aging and degeneration of the intervertebral disc can cause a variety of lower back pain.

Symptom-specific treatment

Symptoms of disc degeneration – conservative treatment such as medication and physiotherapy

If there is only back pain, this is often treated with pain-relieving medication, heat therapy and nerve blocks.

In addition, chronic back pain can lead to a vicious cycle in which not moving the body not only interferes with daily life, but also causes muscle weakness and mental stress, which in turn increases back pain. Therefore, it is important to continuously stretch and exercise, relax the muscles, improve posture that places stress on the lower back and improve the strength of the trunk and peri-pelvic muscles.

Herniated disc symptoms – nerve blocks, PLDD, surgery

If, in addition to pain in the lower back, there are also symptoms of pain and numbness in the buttocks and legs, disc herniation may be present. In such cases, nerve blocks may provide pain relief, but in most cases, the herniated area is removed by PLDD (laser therapy) or spinal surgery, such as the herniectomy/LOVE procedure.

Symptoms of spinal stenosis: pain in the lower back, pain and numbness in the buttocks and legs, intermittent claudication.

Surgery is often recommended if symptoms such as walking difficulties occur.

Most spinal stenosis surgery is performed under general anesthesia and involves drilling away part of the lumbar vertebral arch and removing the ligamentum flavum and enlarged intervertebral joints that are pressing on the nerves.

Treatment at our clinic

The above treatment methods do not repair the cracks in the intervertebral discs, which are the root cause of back pain.

In contrast, the Cellgel method, which is performed at our clinic, can repair damage to the disc.

The Cellgel method was developed in France and has already been introduced in more than 54 countries, mainly in Europe. In this treatment, a drug is injected into the deteriorated area of the disc, which then turns into a gel that repairs the cracks. The DiscoGel also absorbs water, which reduces the pressure inside the disc and alleviates the herniation. The gel acts as a cushioning function by staying inside the disc as an implant, preventing the nucleus pulposus from leaking out. This is thought to restore the original normal function of the disc itself through its own regenerative capacity.

The Cellgel method

If you have been diagnosed with a herniated disc or other conditions and suffer from chronic back pain, consider a consultation at our clinic.

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