Treatment for Spine
At Balog Regenerative we care about your pain and that’s why you’ll receive comprehensive care for the diagnosis and treatment of your spine pain. Below are several treatments we offer for your spine pain.
Cervical Steroid Injections
What is a Cervical Epidural Steroid Injection?
The procedure is done with the patient lying on their back. Intravenous sedation is administered and an area of the neck is desensitized using a local anesthesia through an injection.
Using an x-ray device known as a flouroscope, the physician navigates a larger needle to the affected area of the neck. The needle is then guided into the epidural space, the area where the spinal nerves traverse.
The contrast dye needle is injected through the epidural space and securely positioned near the inflamed nerve roots.
Once the procedure is complete, the patient is provided food and drink in the recovery room to restore strength. They are then given take-home medications and post-treatment care instructions. While some of the patients that undergo this procedure requires only one injection, some require two or three procedures (usually done weeks apart) for significant pain relief.
What is Intracept?
The Intracept procedure is a minimally invasive procedure performed on the basivertebral nerve. This is a nerve located in the vertebrae. The basivertebral nerve is responsible for applying innervation to the end plates of the vertebral body. When the Intracept probe burns that nerve, pain signals are blocked from reaching the vertebral plates.
What does the procedure look like?
To perform the procedure, the physician inserts a specialized probe into the vertebrae through a small incision in the lower back. The incision is 5-6 millimeters, no larger than the Intracept probe. Once the probe is positioned at the the basivertebral nerve, the nerve is disabled with radiofrequency energy (heat). This process is known as basivertebral nerve ablation.
The basivertebral nerve is responsible for applying innervation to the end plates of the vertebral body. When the Intracept probe burns that nerve, pain signals are blocked from reaching the vertebral plates.
Intracept is a minimally invasive, outpatient procedure. This means the recovery period is rapid, the patient often recovering within days. The procedure requires no implants or augmentation to the spine’s structure. Due to the minimally invasive nature of the Intracept procedure, the patient is usually able to resume normal life with immediate pain relief.
What are Vertebroplasty & Kyphyoplasty?
Vertebroplasty is a minimally-invasive outpatient procedure utilized to secure spinal degeneration and compression fractures in the spinal cord. Due to the onset of osteoporosis or degenerative effects of cancer, vertebrae that have been fractured or cracked are injected with a bone cement. The bone cement hardens, and the fracture is then stabilized to support the compromised spine or spinal column. According to the case, one or multiple vertebrae may need to be treated. This procedure is known to drastically alleviate and manage back pain and allows the patient to return to an unaffected routine. Kyphoplasty is a form of vertebroplasty which includes an additional step of inserting a balloon into the cavity or affected area before filling with the cement.
What does the procedure look like?
The patient lies on their stomach while being prepared for the procedure, then receives a medication to relax their spinal nerve. The skin and tissue of the back is desensitized by a local anesthetic, which also desensitizes the spinal tissue and skin. During the procedure a small x-ray device, called a fluoroscope, is utilized to project an image and help the physician track the exact position of where the needle is located. This is to more accurately guide the needle tip to the location of the compromised vertebra or vertebrae.
After using the fluoroscope to verify the location of the needle, the physician then secures the needle in place. Using the same needle, the physician injects the bone cement to the vertebra. The bone cement enters and fills the fractured spaces in the vertebra. An additional injection may be considered to adequately fill the fractured vertebra or vertebrae. The cement should harden within the following hour, securely if not completely fortifying and sustaining the injured spinal cord.
Once the procedure has been completed, and the needle used in the injection has been removed, the entrance point of the injection is cleaned and dressed. The patient is then asked to lie down for a few hours for monitoring as the bone cement is being set to harden. The physician will then provide post procedure prescription and medical care instruction to help with the recovery.
What is Spinal Cord stimulation?
SCS, also known as spinal cord stimulation, utilizes electrical impulses to relieve persistent pain of the back, arms and legs. The treatment is founded on the commonly accepted basis that electrical pulses block pain signals from being accepted by the brain. 
Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) patients include people who are affected by neuropathic pain, and for those who fail to respond to more conservative treatments.
all pain is not equal
With two proven superior therapies, only Balog Regenerative gives you multiple ways to treat your pain and achieve improved outcomes. Whether your pain is precise or pervasive, Dorsal Root Ganglion (DRG) and BurstDR™ stimulation* give you opportunities to receive better relief. Choose the most effective therapy that’s tailored to your pain, because all pain is not equal.
If you suffer from chronic pain in any of the areas listed, please contact Balog Regenerative today to set up a consultation to take back your life!
What does the procedure look like?
The injection area is an
esthetized, and one, or multiple, insulated wire leads are slid inside either an epidural needle or through a small incision into the area surrounding the spinal column. This is also known as the epidural space.
An electrode located at the end of the wire lead generates an electrical pulse, triggering the nerves and blocking the pain signals. The patient is then encouraged to provide feedback to assist the physician to identify the most effective location for the lead in alleviating pain. These leads are connected to an external trial stimulator, which will be utilized for about a week, determining if spinal cord stimulation will be effective.
If the patient and physician determine that the amount of pain relief is notable, the system may be permanently implanted. At the end of the trial implantation, the leads are removed.
If the trial implantation proves successful, the permanent implantation can be administered by the physician. After the patient is anesthetized or sedated, the initial step is to insert one or more permanent leads via an epidural needle or through a small incision. The leads are inserted into the area of the epidural space predetermined in the trial implantation.
An implantable pulse generator, or IPG battery, is planted under the skin. It is commonly placed in the abdomen or the buttocks. The leads are then connected to the IPG.
Using an external wireless programming device, the implant’s electrical pulses are programmed. The patient can program the device themselves to adjust the stimulation level, turn the system on or off, and toggle the implant through different programs. Patients may still experience some discomfort and swelling at the incision area for a number of days.
What is a Discography?
The discogram, also known as diskogram, is a test procedure to examine back pain and evaluate and determine which abnormal disc (or discs) in the spinal cord is the source of the patient’s back pain. Spinal discs are cushions with a touch protective cover between the vertebrae of the spinal cord. Through discography a specialist can determine a course of back pain treatment.
What does the procedure look like?
Using the flouroscope, the physician locates the target disk. A needle, referred to as a guide needle, is inserted into the anesthetized track traversing to the fringes of the disc. A smaller needle is inserted into the guide needle to access the disc’s core. This procedure may be done to several discs, depending on how many discs are injured.
Once each needle is secured in place, each disc is pressurized and injected with contrast dye. The patient may experience either pain or an increase in pressure with every injection. If the patient experiences pain the physician will ask them to differentiate the current pain from the pre-existing pain of the condition. The pain being similar is an indicator of a diseased disc. After each disc is tested pictures are taken through the fluoroscope.
When the procedure is complete, the needles are withdrawn. The entrance wounds are then cleaned and the patient is given a CT scan to generate more images of the interior part of the disc or discs.
Usually a discography is accomplished in an hour or less to complete. The patient may still feel soreness from the affected area for a few more days after the procedure. The physician often advises the patient to take ibuprofen or acetaminophen, and to place an ice pack on the affected area for a few minutes each day until the pain subsides.
What is a Dorsal Root Ganglion?
The DRG (dorsal root ganglion) is a bundle of nerve cells located at the side of the spine, where the spinal nerve root exits becoming a peripheral nerve.
What does the procedure look like?
Often before a permanent procedure is performed, a trial procedure is done to determine the effectiveness of the treatment with the patient. This trial typically lasts 5 to 7 days. To connect the trial stimulator, leads are temporarily implanted through the skin and using an epidural needle are placed into the epidural space. The leads are then positioned within the epidural space and the physician then stimulates the dorsal root ganglion. The physician will determine which particular DRG targets to stimulate based on the location of the patient’s pain. When the leads are properly placed, they are then connected to an external trial stimulator battery.
Throughout the trial, patients are able to control their device to alleviate pain. The patient is able to turn the device on and off as needed, and can adjust the stimulation up or down for comfort. The implant is programmed with multiple different programs they can use to help eliminate pain.
At the conclusion of the trial, the temporary leads will be removed and the patient and physician will determine if a permanent device should be implanted.
If the physician determines that the trial was successful, a permanent stimulator may be implanted.
Two small incisions are made to complete the procedure and permanent leads are implanted into the predetermined location in the epidural space. The leads are then connected to a computer/battery unit called the internal pulse generator (IPG). Once the leads are connected, the IPG unit is implanted into the upper buttock region. This takes around 30-40 minutes to complete. When the procedure is completed, the IPG is programmed with an external control unit given to the patient to control the system. The patient is then instructed on how to utilize the control unit and adjust the settings on the IPG. Once the patient is instructed they are released.
What is a Lumbar Spinal Stenosis?
Lumbar spinal stenosis, or LSS, is a narrowing of the spinal passage caused by vertebrae disc degenerations as a result of aging. This condition can also appear in younger patients due to developmental issues. Changes in the shape of the spinal canal can cause nerves in the lumbar spine to compress, causing pain in the lower back and body.
What does the procedure look like?
The Vertiflex Superion insterspinous spacer is an FDA approved, minimally invasive device designed to restore space between the patent’s vertebrae. This device was created to provide patents with a safe alternative to traditional surgery, and provides patients with a viable option when conservative treatments have failed and invasive surgery is too aggressive. The Superion implant relieves pressure on nerves affected by lumbar spinal stenosis. Because this procedure is so minimally invasive, sensitive tissues are preserved and the procedure is fully reversible. Unlike spinal fusion, motion in the lower back is preserved. The Superion spacer is put in place using a small tube, minimizing tissue damage and blood loss. This allows a quick and comfortable recovery.
The Superion implant is designed to hold the compressed vertebrae further apart, relieving any pressure on nerves and reducing inflammation. The Superion is available in an assortment of sizes, so the implant will be sized to fit the individual patient.