Paincare Florida

Percutaneous Cervical Disc Nucleoplasty

PAIN TREATMENT

Percutaneous Cervical Disc Nucleoplasty: Pain Management

Dealing with persistent neck pain can be frustrating and exhausting. Your pain may be accompanied by tingling in your arms or muscle weakness from bulging or herniated discs. Traditionally, surgery was recommended for neck issues, but the good news is that with many advancements, procedures like Percutaneous cervical disc nucleoplasty are available. This minimally invasive procedure targets the pain source with less risk and minimal recovery time.
Let’s explain how this treatment works, what conditions it treats, and how it effectively relieves disc-related discomfort.

How Cervical Nucleoplasty Works

Your spinal discs cushion the vertebrae in your neck. When these discs bulge or rupture, they can press on nerves, causing pain, tingling, or weakness in the neck and arm. The goal of treatment is to reduce the disc size to relieve pressure on the nerves and alleviate neck pain.
As patients skip surgery and opt for less invasive options, percutaneous cervical nucleoplasty (PCN) has proven to be a successful alternative.[1] Cervical nucleoplasty uses a small needle or cannula and radio-frequency energy to dissolve the disc’s center (nucleus), reducing the pressure and volume to relieve pain.[2] Cervical instability is not typically an issue after PCN, as it addresses disc-related problems without compromising the stability of the cervical spine. [3]
PCN is an outpatient procedure done under local anesthesia to relieve neck pain. It involves inserting a small needle through a tiny incision into the affected disc, guided by a live X-ray.[2] Afterward, you can go home with minimal restrictions and resume activities like walking and gentle exercise, typically returning to light-duty work or school within a few days.[2]

Conditions Treated with Cervical Disc Nucleoplasty

If you’ve suffered from neck pain due to a cervical disc issue and have tried conservative treatments like physical therapy, medication, or injections without success, nucleoplasty could be a great next step.

Percutaneous cervical nucleoplasty is commonly used to treat:

  • Herniated discs [2]
  • Bulging or slipped discs [2]
  • Ruptured discs [4]
  • Radicular arm pain [5]
  • Degenerative disc disease [5]
  • Pinched nerves (cervical radiculopathy) [5]
  • Chronic neck (cervical) pain [6]

Benefits of Percutaneous Plasma Disc Nucleoplasty

Percutaneous cervical disc nucleoplasty stands out among other cervical treatments because it’s minimally invasive. Unlike traditional open surgery, only a tiny incision is required to pass the cannula through.[5]
Compared to open surgery, the advantages include less soft tissue injury, no hospital stay, less blood loss and faster recovery.[5] PCN’s less invasive nature also means less postoperative pain and less risk of complications like infection.
The targeted approach of this procedure only focuses on the cause of your neck pain, leaving surrounding tissues and nerves untouched. The radiofrequency procedure reduces disc pressure and alleviates symptoms associated with neck and arm pain, including numbness and weakness.[7] Cervical nucleoplasty provides safe, long-term relief from several months to two years.[5] These benefits make nucleoplasty a viable option for patients seeking an effective and less invasive solution to cervical disc pain.

Avoid Major Neck Surgery with PCN

Percutaneous cervical disc nucleoplasty is a minimally invasive alternative to more intensive neck surgeries. It can replace or delay procedures like:

Cervical Discectomy: Removes part or all of a damaged disc to relieve nerve pressure, requiring a larger incision and longer recovery.

Neck Fusion Surgery: Fuses vertebrae to stabilize the spine, often performed after discectomy, with a more complex recovery.

Artificial Disc Replacement: Replaces a damaged disc with an artificial one, preserving motion but requiring more invasive surgery.

Cervical Laminectomy: Removes part of the vertebrae to relieve spinal cord pressure, with a longer recovery time than nucleoplasty.

Cervical Laminectomy: Removes part of the vertebrae to relieve spinal cord pressure, with a longer recovery time than nucleoplasty.

Finding the best pain care physician for your cervical nucleoplasty ensures a successful outcome. Pain management specialists excel in providing minimally invasive surgical solutions for chronic neck pain with a comprehensive, patient-centric approach designed to deliver effective treatment, personalized care and faster recovery times. Whether you’re dealing with chronic neck and arm pain or just cervical discomfort, pain specialists are experts at addressing the pain at the root, not just masking it.
Don’t wait any longer for neck pain relief! With the latest in minimally invasive techniques like nucleoplasty, you can skip long, painful surgical recoveries and get back to the life you love- pain-free!

Resources:

  1. de Rooij, Judith D. MSc*,†,‡; Gadjradj, Pravesh S. BSc*,§; Soria van Hoeve, John S. MD*; Huygen, Frank J. MD, PhD†; Aukes, Hans A. MD¶; Harhangi, Biswadjiet S. MD, PhD*. Percutaneous Nucleoplasty for the Treatment of a Contained Cervical Disk Herniation. Clinical Spine Surgery [Internet]. 30(9):p 389-391, November 2017. doi: 10.1097/BSD.0000000000000583 Accessed September 08, 2024. Available from: https://journals.lww.com/jspinaldisorders/fulltext/2017/11000/percutaneous_nucleoplasty_for_the_treatment_of_a.2.aspx 
  2. Yang B, Xie J, Yin B, Wang L, Fang S, Wan S. Treatment of cervical disc herniation through percutaneous minimally invasive techniques. European Spine Journal [Internet]. 2014;23(2):382. doi:https://doi.org/10.1007/s00586-013-3063-3 Accessed September 08, 2024. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3906466 
  3. Li J, Yan D, Zhang Z. Percutaneous cervical nucleoplasty in the treatment of cervical disc herniation. European Spine Journal [Internet]. 2008;17(12):1664-1669. doi:https://doi.org/10.1007/s00586-008-0786-7 Accessed September 08, 2024. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2587670/ 
  4. Lim WJ, Hur JW, Ahn SY, et al. The Efficacy of Percutaneous Cervical Nucleoplasty for Cervical Herniated Disc Disease in Patients with Upper Extremities Radiating Pain. Department of Neurosurgery, Cheongju St. Mary’s Hospital. The Nerve [Internet]. 2016; 2(2):66-70. Published October 31, 2016. doi: https://doi.org/10.21129/nerve.2016.2.2.66 Accessed September 8, 2024. Available from: https://www.thenerve.net/m/journal/view.php?number=78 
  5. Divera J, Pravesh Shankar Gadjradj, Aukes H, Groeneweg G, Caroline Margina Speksnijder, Frank Johannes Huygen. Long-Term Clinical Results of Percutaneous Cervical Nucleoplasty for Cervical Radicular Pain: A Retrospective Cohort Study. Journal of Pain Research [Internet]. 2022;Volume 15:1433-1441. doi:https://doi.org/10.2147/jpr.s359512 Accessed September 08, 2024. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9123892/ 
  6. Klessinger S. The Frequency of Re-Surgery After Cervical Disc Nucleoplasty. World Neurosurgery [Internet] 2018; 117:e552-e556. Accessed September 08, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wneu.2018.06.075. Available from: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1878875018312907 
  7. Cesaroni A, Nardi PV. Plasma disc decompression for contained cervical disc herniation: a randomized, controlled trial. European Spine Journal [Internet]. 2009;19(3):477-486. Accessed September 08, 2024 doi:https://doi.org/10.1007/s00586-009-1189-0  Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2899766
Scroll to Top