The approach of the doctor at Park West Pain Management to back pain is first to diagnose what is causing the low back pain, and to then offer the best modalities to treat the pain at the source.

Provocative discography is a procedure that is used to help diagnose discogenic pain (pain coming from the disc). Often it is unclear if pain is coming from the discs, or which disc is actually causing pain. This procedure gives the clinician an actual picture of the disc with an injected contrast agent, so defects such as tears and degeneration can be seen. Just as importantly, the procedure helps the physician determine whether or not the patient has concordant pain (the same pain the patient has at home) and if the disc is the source of the patient’s pain.

The results of this test determine the appropriate course of further treatment. Surgeons commonly send patients for this procedure to make their surgery more precise in both the lumbar and cervical spine. Ask your surgeon about discography prior to spinal fusion.

Provocative discography remains the only diagnostic test that provides both anatomical and functional information about a suspected abnormal disc. It is a complementary test in patients whose painful symptoms are not explained by the findings of non-invasive imaging modalities such as MR imaging or CT.