Ozone therapy in non-surgical treatment of herniated disk
Written by: the ozonoterapia is an innovative treatment applied successfully in numerous ailments, especially in the disc herniation and knee osteoarthritis and hip.
The Institut Catala d’Ozonoterapia Unit ozone Therapy Hospital Chiron Barcelona is considered a reference center at national and international level, having practiced more than two thousand discolysis with ozone as an alternative to surgery in patients with low back pain (back pain ) with or without sciatica ( leg pain ) by disc herniation or degenerative disc disease. The Ozone Unit of Barcelona Chiron Hospital was opened in November 1987, becoming the first Ozone Unit that was created in Spain.
Until a few years ago herniated discs were treated by surgery, perodesde 2003 Ozone Unit of the Hospital Chiron Barcelona plays an intradiscal ozone treatment with 80 % positive results. Respect the functionality of the spine and achieve a rapid recovery of the patient is the purpose of this minimally invasive technique. When a herniated disc occurs, part of the disc ( nucleus pulposus ) moves backward, which irritates or compresses a nerve roots causing pain in one leg or lower back in the case of the lumbar disc herniations.
The injection of a given volume and concentration of ozone in the disk is called discolysis and is performed by neurosurgeon, Dr. Pablo Clavel, in operating room under sedation and radiological control.
The patient remains hospitalized only about 4 or 5 hours. Ozone is injected into the drive accelerates the degradation of polysaccharides in the nucleus pulposus thereby decreasing the volume of herniated materials. This form of therapy is combined with injections into the paravertebral musculature will be made on an outpatient basis and act as analgesic and anti-inflammatory decreasing contracture reflexively activates to protect the area of the hernia.
This technique is indicated in any type of disc herniation either lumbar or cervical spine and also in cases of low back pain for degenerative disc disease as an alternative to surgery ( fusion or fixation ).
In all cases where, after the diagnosis by MRI of a herniated disc and after the realization of conventional treatment with painkillers, antiinflammatory, etc. the patient does not improve or improvement is deemed insufficient, may indicate treatment by ozone discolysis before scheduling a conventional surgery.
The elderly who have back pain can benefit also of ozone therapy by paravertebral injections of ozone, which by acting as a potent analgesic and anti-inflammatory pain will decrease and therefore the need for medications thereby improving the quality of life of these patients.
