Ozone Discolysis

It is a novel treatment, which could be considered as natural medicine, however it has to be applied by an specialized doctor. The pioneers in the use of this treatment are the Italian spinal surgeons, who have demonstrated its effectiveness in thousands of patients [1-5] and have conducted multicentric studies to prove it. [1].

The results are comparable to those of surgery, good in 80% of the patients, with the advantage that it is done ambulatory(the patient goes home the same day), with local anesthesia and practically without any pain. This procedure can also be used in the herniated cervical disks. It has the advantage over the laser diskectomy that it can be used very effectively in extruded disks.

Treatment consist of three stages:

1. Application of ozone injections on the paravertebral muscles, as an outpatient.
   
   
2. The discolysis, which is the injection of ozone inside the intervertebral disk in trouble. This is done ambulatory(the patient goes home the same day), in the hospital, under sedation and local anesthesia, with strict radiological control, that ensures the proper placement of the ozone in the center of the disk.
   
   
3. Application of ozone injections on the paravertebral muscles the following week, as an outpatient.

How it works ?:

The ozone is a strong oxidizing agent, when injected in the paravertebral muscles it induces the production of antioxidant enzymes, which in time neutralize the toxic byproducts liberated by the ruptured pulpous nucleus which are producing the swelling of the nerve. Its injection in the disk speeds up the polyglucosids degradation in the degenerated pulpous nucleus, conducing to its reabsorption and dehydration and thus reducing the volume of the herniated material which has been responsible for the nerve compression.

The results of the ozone discolysis are not seen immediately, as it occurs frequently with surgery, but in a few days, as it is the accelerated natural resolution of swelling and diminishing of disk volume, which takes some time. However it has the enormous advantage over surgery that it does not alter the anatomy, situation that frequently conducts to the formation of adherences, which can become an even greater problem that the same disk herniation. In addition, the complications of the ozone discolysis practically are inexistent.

Contraindications:

There are two diseases, Fauvism and Hyperthyroidism with active nodules, where the use of ozone is absolutely contraindicated, due to the harmful effect that it has on these diseases

In some patients, with bulging disks, with an intact annulus(outer ring), it is possible that the use of the laser is the best approach to the problem, as the effect on the volume of the disk is immediate and is also an ambulatory procedure and has minimal complications associated.