Originally published February 5 2006
Neurography provides hope to those suffering from unidentified pains
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
UCLA neurosurgeon Aaron Filler, M.D. has created a technique called magnetic resonance neurography (MRN), which will allow physicians to image the nerves of the body to determine pain sources which were unidentifiable before this technology was developed.
Low Back Pain Back pain can be acute or chronic.
The intensity can range from mild to severe and can be described as sharp or dull, aching, burning or stabbing.
Acute low back pain is usually caused by trauma or sudden, strenuous activity.
Chronic low back pain is diagnosed when symptoms last longer than three months.
Inactivity, lack of physical activity, family history of back pain, cigarette smoking, having an occupation that requires heavy lifting or exposes the spine to heavy vibration and personal history of arthritis and some other chronic medical conditions increase the risk of low back pain.
Sciatica One specific type of low back pain is called sciatica.
It's commonly caused when one of the spinal discs presses on the spinal nerve roots that eventually become the sciatic nerve (a condition called a herniated disc).
Patients describe a radiating pain from the buttocks down the back of the thigh and into the leg.
The pain may especially be severe while sitting, sneezing or coughing.
Sciatica-like pain can also be caused by a condition called piriformis muscle syndrome.
Some researchers estimate piriformis muscle syndrome may cause up to 6 percent of cases of sciatica.
For more severe pain, doctors may recommend prescription medications or injections of steroids or anesthetics into the source of the pain.
Magnetic Resonance Neurography for the Spine Each year, about 1.5 million Americans undergo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for sciatica.
However, only about 20 percent of patients are found to have a herniated disc that is severe enough to require surgery.
MRN uses standard MRI equipment that has been tweaked with additional software and hardware, enabling doctors to isolate the nerves from other tissue.
In a recent study, Filler reported the use of MRN in 239 patients with sciatica in whom a conclusive cause couldn't be identified and treatments failed to provide relief.
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