Discogenic Pain

Discogenic pain is a condition in which the discomfort comes from the actual intervertebral discs. Spinal discs do not have any nerves or blood vessels, so how can they possibly cause pain? The answer is theoretical, but may be a possible answer for some unresolved back pain conditions.

discogenic pain

Causes of Disc Pain

There are 2 primary causes of what might be considered discogenic pain, as well as other contributing factors.

The background contributing factors include degenerative disc disease (DDD )and herniated discs. DDD causes the discs to dehydrate and lose height. This is a normal part of the aging process, and there is considerable disagreement whether this process is a disease at all. Regardless, the drying out of the disc provides an increased chance for the outer wall to rupture. Herniated discs occur when the disc bulges from pressure that is applied to the outer fibrous disc wall. This pressure might also cause a rupture in the disc wall.

If the disc wall is ruptured, there is a good chance that the nucleus of the disc will leak out. This material is made of a protein that is believed to be an irritant to surrounding nerve tissue. The protein will be absorbed by the body slowly, over several years. This is the speculative reason why some disc pain goes away after a number of years. The protein is absorbed, and the disc extrusion will become calcified. Realistically, this is not true discogenic pain, since the pain is caused by nerve involvement with disc tissue.

True discogenic pain is thought to come from the cartilaginous end plates of the discs. These plates are the areas that secure the disc to the vertebrae, as well as provide nourishment to the disc tissue. What exactly causes this area to experience pain is not completely understood. There are tiny nerves that regulate the function of the discs, and these are the most likely source of discomfort.

Recommendation for Disc Pain

Most disc pain can be successfully treated with back pain drugs, epidural injections, or some form of natural pain relief. As always, using drugs is less desirable than holistic pain treatments. Surgery is sometimes considered, but should always be a final option. There are far too many risks involved in spinal surgery to warrant these procedures for anything short of a necessity. The good news is that most discogenic pain goes away all by itself. �Time heals all wounds� is the old saying, and in the case of disc pain, it is usually the truth.

Discogenic Pain to Home page 8/21/06 Revised 5/27/07