COVID-19 Update: We offer virtual telehealth and in-clinic appointments. Safety Procedures
  • Conditions
    Conditions We TreatChronic pain has many causes, and we have broad expertise in treating a wide range of conditions. Before beginning any treatment, however, we focus closely on identifying the precise nature of your pain. Pinpoint diagnosis provides the foundation to deliver maximum relief with minimum risk.View All
    • Back and Neck Pain
      • Back Pain Overview
      • Neck Pain Overview
      • Disc Degeneration
      • Disc Herniation
      • Sciatica (Lumbar Radiculopathy)
      • Cervical and Thoracic Radiculopathy
      • Spinal Stenosis
      • Facet Joint Syndrome
      • Spondylolisthesis
      • Compression Fractures
    • Arm and Leg Pain
      • Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS/RSD)
      • Peripheral Neuropathy
      • Diabetic Neuropathy
      • Joint Pain: Shoulder, Hip, Knee
      • Phantom Limb Pain
      • Piriformis Syndrome
      • Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
    • General Body Pain
      • Chronic Abdominal Pain
      • Pelvic Pain
      • Postherpetic Neuralgia
      • Fibromyalgia
    • Head and Face Pain
      • Migraine Headache
      • Cervicogenic Headache (Whiplash Syndrome)
      • Trigeminal Neuralgia
    • Cancer Pain
    • Sports Injury
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  • Treatments
    Treatment SolutionsNura combines pinpoint diagnosis with multi-point treatment to zero in on the source of chronic pain and attack it from every angle. Designed to provide real and lasting relief, precise pain management focuses your treatments exactly where they’re needed – dialing down your pain while dialing up your long-term health and well-being.View All
    • Interventional Procedures
      • Therapeutic
        • Epidural Steroid Injections
        • Epidural Lysis of Adhesions
        • Epidural Blood Patch
        • Sympathetic Nerve Blocks
        • Peripheral Nerve Blocks
        • Trigeminal Ganglion Block
        • Radiofrequency Ablation
        • Intradiscal Heat Therapies: IDET and Biacuplasty
        • Joint Injections
        • Trigger Point Injection
        • mild Procedure
        • Minuteman Minimally Invasive Spinal Fusion
    • Interventional Procedures
      • Diagnostic
        • Medial Branch Block
        • Selective Nerve Root Block
        • Discography
        • Electromyography (EMG)
      • Spinal Fracture Repair
        • Vertebroplasty
        • Kyphoplasty
    • Neuromodulation
      • Neurostimulation
        • Spinal Cord Stimulation (SCS)
        • Dorsal Root Ganglion Stimulation (DRG)
      • Targeted Drug Delivery
        • Spinal Pain Pump
        • Home Infusion Service
    • Medication Management
    • Physical Therapy
    • Behavioral Health
    • Occupational Health
    • Chronic Pain Program
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  • Conditions
    • Back and Neck Pain
    • Arm and Leg Pain
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Discography

This procedure, also called a “discogram,” helps your doctor find painful spinal discs to identify the source of pain in your back.

Discography allows interventional pain physicians to see a disc’s internal structure and establish whether or not it is the source of pain. Even though discography has been proven to be reliable in helping physicians make a pain diagnosis, it is done only after other tests have proven to be inconclusive in pinpointing the source of pain.

A patient who is a good candidate for discography is one who has been experiencing persistent spinal pain, is suspected of having a disc abnormality and has had non-invasive tests that proved inconclusive. The patient must be willing to undergo treatment directed at the disc.

What is a disc?

The spine is composed of 24 vertebrae. There are seven cervical (neck) vertebrae, twelve thoracic (upper and mid back) vertebrae and five lumbar (lower back) vertebrae. In between these vertebrae are discs called intervertebral discs, which acts as shock absorbers.

These discs are made up of two substances – nucleus pulposus (the disc’s center, which contains water and proteoglycans), and annulus fibrosus (this surrounds the nucleus pulposus and is made up of layer upon layer of collagen fibers). These layers are packed together tightly and make for a very tough structure that keeps the fluid in the nucleus pulposus from leaking.

Even though these discs are strong, resilient structures, they can wear out over time or become damaged, resulting in cracks, tears (called fissures) and bulging. When this happens, pain may occur.

How is discography performed?

Patients are given an IV and a local anesthetic applied to the skin to help them relax. Fluoroscopy (x-ray imaging) will be used to help the doctor direct the needles into the targeted discs. A contrast dye will be injected to make the disc’s structure more visible on an x-ray monitor. Through this, the doctor is able to see whether or not the disc is torn, bulging, leaking or otherwise damaged. To see how it works, let’s watch a discography done in the lumbar spine.



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Edina Clinic

7400 France Avenue South
Suite 100
Edina, MN 55435
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Coon Rapids Clinic

2104 Northdale Boulevard NW
Suite 220
Minneapolis, MN 55433
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appointments, scheduling, preauthorization & billing

2104 Northdale Boulevard NW
Suite 220
Minneapolis, MN 55433
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Business Fax: 763.537.6666

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