Your spinal column is an amazing structure made up of vertebrae (bones) stacked one on top of another. Between each segmental level starting in your neck and running all the way down to your lower back are intervertebral discs that act as a durable and resilient cushion to protect your spine while allowing for a great range of motion. These discs also provide protection to the spinal nerves and can absorb considerable force applied to the spine.
However, a disc can become herniated due to age-related degeneration or a forceful injury to the back. When this happens, the outer layer of the disc (annulus) is torn and the inner portion (nucleus) ruptures out. This can cause the herniated disc to press on or irritate nerves, which leads to pain, numbness, or weakness.
If you have a painful disc herniation or bulge and you don’t want to undergo surgery, or if surgery has failed, non-surgical regenerative medicine treatments provided by Dr. Warren J. Bleiweiss at Alternative Disc Therapy are powerful options that can help relieve your herniated disc-related pain.
Regenerative Treatments for Disc Herniation
At Alternative Disc Therapy, we offer several non-surgical treatment options specifically designed to relieve herniated disc-related pain:
Ozone Injection Treatments
Ozone is a naturally occurring, colorless gas that consists of three atoms of oxygen (O3). When it is injected , it works to relieve the pressure on the spinal nerves by shrinking the herniated portion of the disc. Unlike surgery, ozone-oxygen injections do not reduce the height of the disc or alter its normal anatomy, but it does improve the long-term health of the disc by stimulating the cells in the annulus, which increase in number and have the potential to repair the tear present in the herniation. It also signals your body’s own stem cells to mobilize to the affected area:
- Ozone also improves the cells’ ability to cope with oxidative stress
- Ozone also decreases inflammation
- Ozone also improves blood flow to the area
- Ozone also increases lymphatic drainage
Ozone disc injections do all this without altering your anatomy or creating major trauma in your body, like invasive surgery does. It treats disc herniations just as successfully as surgery, but without the related risks or side effects.
Best of all, ozone disc injection therapy is a same-day outpatient procedure that requires little or no downtime like spine surgery, because it has no known significant side effects or long-term complications. Following the procedure, you can return home to rest and resume your normal activities by the next day. Typically, you can begin light exercise within a week and progress to normal exercise within two weeks, at which time you will have a follow-up evaluation appointment with Dr. Bleiweiss.
Stem Cell Treatment
Stem cells are unique cells present in your body that have the innate ability to help your body repair itself naturally. When you are injured, regenerative stem cells migrate to the area of your body that is affected to help repair the damage. As such, stem cells can potentially repair a damaged disc, restore its function, rehydrate the disc, and ultimately alleviate pain.
Although your supply of stem cells tapers off and some stem cells become dormant or less responsive as you age, Dr. Bleiweiss offers treatments using autologous bone marrow-derived stem cells and directs them to areas such as damaged joints, where they can help repair and heal.
Total Spine Health Treatments
In addition to ozone and stem cell treatments, Dr. Bleiweiss’ protocols include numerous treatments that help maintain optimal spine health throughout your life. For example, you can receive therapies that boost your immune system and improve cellular health, which in turn contribute to total spine health and avoidance of herniated discs.
Regenerative Medicine Near Me in Caldwell, New Jersey
Triple board-certified physician Dr. Warren J. Bleiweiss pioneered the oxygen-ozone injection treatment for disc herniations in North America over a decade ago and has since performed this procedure routinely with reliable and positive outcomes. He has helped countless patients who come from all over the United States and Canada by relieving their herniated disc pain. It is proven to be as effective as surgery but with none of the risks and complications associated with an invasive procedure.
To learn more about regenerative medicine treatments for herniated disc pain and whether you are a suitable candidate, call our practice today at (973) 403-3334 and arrange a consultation with Dr. Bleiweiss. Or, if you prefer, schedule your appointment online using our interactive request form. For our patients’ convenience, we also offer telemedicine appointments.
