The Discseel® Procedure
Naturally derived, non-surgical, and minimally invasive.
The Discseel® Procedure is a naturally derived, non-surgical, and minimally invasive procedure designed to treat chronic back and neck pain caused by damaged or torn spinal discs, also known as annular tears. This is an effective alternative to spine surgery that has provided many patients with relief from back pain.
Through the natural aging process, spinal discs eventually develop annular tears. These are tears in the outer layer of the spinal disc, which may allow the nucleus pulposus to leak out. This leaking irritates surrounding nerves, causing back pain as well as other painful symptoms in the legs and feet.
Using fibrin, the Discseel® Procedure not only seals torn spinal discs to stop leaking and irritation of nerves, but it allows the body to generate the growth of new tissue in the spinal discs, restoring the damaged disc to a healthy state.
Learn about the Discseel® Procedure. Click the video to watch.
How the Discseel® Procedure Treats Lower Back Pain
The Discseel® Procedure is a revolutionary and minimally invasive procedure designed to treat chronic lower back pain resulting from damaged or torn spinal discs. To heal spinal discs, a natural biologic called Fibrin is injected into the disc, which seals the tears and stimulates the body to begin healing. The Discseel® Procedure is a truly effective alternative to a spinal fusion.
Most physicians with experience treating back pain know patients who are worse or no better after undergoing spine surgery. In an effort to provide an effective option for patients who fail to get relief from spine surgery or want to avoid spine surgery, Dr. Workman has partnered with Dr. Kevin Pauza, inventor of the Discseel® Procedure, to become a trained Discseel® physician.
This procedure was developed by reevaluating decades-old spine treatment protocols and improving upon them. Discseel® Procedure providers recognize that spine surgery methods do not address torn spinal discs, despite this being one of the most common causes of back pain. Without the ability to heal torn spinal discs, surgery will be ineffective for some patients.
Torn and leaking discs cause inflammation, making nerves sensitive to even the smallest mechanical forces. Therefore, sealing leaky discs stops the underlying cause of inflammation and improves symptoms from their origin. Sealing discs makes sense because this treats the cause instead of simply treating symptoms.
Spinal fusions are indicated for rare spinal instability caused by cancer or trauma, but not for treating pain. It’s easy to see how lower back pain often begins with small annular tears. Those annular tears increase, leading to disc degeneration, herniation, bulges, and desiccation (dehydration).
The Discseel® Procedure uses Fibrin to repair discs, decrease pain, and allow increased activity. Studies confirm that Fibrin strengthens discs almost immediately – something surgical procedures cannot do.
Pain Conditions Treated by The Discseel® Procedure
The Discseel® Procedure is an alternative to spinal fusion and other spine surgeries for treating back pain caused by damaged spinal discs. The most common conditions treated by this procedure include:
- Chronic lower back pain
- Degenerative disc disease
- Annular tears
- Herniated discs
- Sciatica
- Leaky Disc Syndrome
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Dr. Workman is a nationally-recognized, board-certified interventional pain physician with more than 25 years of experience with spinal disc therapeutics and diagnostics.
How the Discseel® Procedure is Performed
The entire Discseel® Procedure process has been refined into four steps that are completed in just one visit.
It’s the simplest, most complete and most effective option for treating back and neck pain caused by annular tears.
Consultation
During your in-person consultation, you’ll speak directly with Dr. Workman, discussing your prior tests and procedures, prior injections, or even surgeries if you’ve had surgery.
You’ll be examined and you’ll have as much time as you’d like to ask questions.
This is a good opportunity to receive detailed answers to all your questions that other physicians haven’t explained to your satisfaction.
Annulogram™
The Annulogram™ is a pain-free test that identifies subtle tears in your discs that MRI or discography can’t.
We test every disc in the region to identify even the most subtle disc tears. This allows us to be proactive, addressing small tears before they lead to large herniations or degeneration.
The Annulogram™ is so important that it’s a necessary part of the Discseel® Procedure.
Treatment
The Discseel® Procedure takes approximately 40 minutes and is performed in an outpatient facility. You will be offered mild sedation.
During the procedure, X-ray fluoroscopy is used to inject contrast mixed with antibiotic into each disc in the region to identify disc tears.
Next, Fibrin is injected into the tears of your annulus fibrosus, making Fibrin in the disc and sealing your torn discs. Fibrin seals the disc tears and promotes tissue growth over the following months, thus sealing and healing the discs.
Recovery
Following your Discseel® Procedure, you will rest in recovery for 30 minutes. Most people experience temporarily increased and different symptoms before improvement.
We’d like you to walk with assistance the following day and increase your activity as tolerated. After this, we recommend increasing your activities in 10% increments until you are at 100% of your desired activity.
Most patients experience full relief about 3-6 months post procedure.