I have previously written about a number of different types of injections for back pain relief from trigger points to epidurals, all of which I have tried. Some other types which I have not tried are an injection that dissolves a herniated disc, an ozone injection and recently an a lactic acid jab is the latest technique to ease back pain.
The Mayo Clinic wrote that Chymopapain is injected directly into a herniated (“slipped”) disk in the spine to dissolve part of the disk and relieve the pain and other problems caused by the disk pressing on a nerve. It seems quite widely available in the US but I cannot find it being used in the UK.
According to the Daily Mail, Good Health section, the injection uses a drug produced from bacteria which then digests the tissue that’s ruptured out of the disc. The tissue then shrinks so it no longer compresses the nerves.
Researchers say that the jab might even be as good as surgery, and Arthritis Research UK said that ‘if it works, an injection to dissolve a herniated disc in order to reduce pain is a good idea’.
The injection is put into the centre of the soft disc material under general anaesthetic which then dissolves the main compounds found in the inner disc. In a trial in Japan, patients had significant improvement in leg pain after three months.
According to the Pro Health Clinic who offer Ozone injections Medical Ozone injection therapy has built a reputation for achieving results when all other treatments have failed. The treatment is used to relieve pain, repair, strengthen and regenerate the following structures: joints, cartilage, spinal discs, muscles, ligaments, tendons, meniscus, and bursa.
The treatment was named ‘Prolozone Therapy’ because it involves the injection of medical ozone and nutrients to proliferate cells in a weak or damaged region of the body. To proliferate cells means to multiply and increase the number of them.
Prolozone Therapy proliferates chondrocyte and collagen cells. Cartilage is formed mainly of chondrocytes. Spinal discs, muscles, ligaments, tendons, meniscus, and bursa are formed mainly of collagen. The treatment increases the number of these cells through activating chondroblasts and fibroblasts, which are the pre-curser building blocks to chondrocytes and collagen.
Medical Ozone injection therapy has the ability to provide complete relief of symptoms, even in severe conditions that have been present for many years. The treatment is naturally anti-bacterial, so deemed one of the safest injections on offer within medicine. It works on any type of pain problem you may have.
Finally, the acid jab that my beat back pain. In The Daily Mail article they wrote that once-in-a-lifetime jab may treat back pain. In a new trial, injections of lactic acid — a syrup-like substance formed in sour milk and found naturally in our bodies — are being given to 120 patients with lower back pain caused by disc problems.
The researchers say that the jab will make the discs, which sit between the bones (vertebrae) of the spine, tougher and more resilient — and could remove the need for surgery for many.
Around eight in ten people have back pain at some point, and up to one in four cases is caused by disc problems.
Lactic acid is a natural by-product of energy production in the body — it builds up in the muscles after exercise and is thought to be what makes them ache.
Its use in alleviating back pain is based on the idea that it encourages the development of collagen, which makes the disc tougher and resilient. Orthopaedic surgeons have long reported that patients experiencing back pain related to disc problems often have less pain as they get older, as with age the collagen in the discs becomes tougher and so the discs are able to provide more support to the spine.
But these changes take decades, and the theory is that the lactic acid injection has the same effect — but in weeks.
Animal studies have shown that just one month after the injection, the centre of the discs had been replaced by dense fibrous tissue, as the collagen solidifies.
A small trial on 15 patients at the Stockholm Spine Centre in Sweden found no serious safety issues and MRI scans suggested the discs did become more solid after the jab.
In the new trial in hospitals in the Netherlands, Spain and Russia, patients will have the jab or a placebo. The researchers say they expect the benefits to be felt within four to 12 weeks and will hopefully last the patient’s entire life.
Hopefully the last injection I have written about will soon be available to anyone suffering from back pain. If you have had any of these injections I have listed I would love to hear from you.
Source: Mayo Clinic, Daily Mail, Arthritis Research UK, Pro Health Clinic
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