hi all-dreamwolf said he was going to try 'nucleoplasy' for his back ...i would like to know what it is and who does it or where can i get this from if it wil help my back at the T 8-9 9-10 HNP and bulge at t-7-8. is this a non-invasive procedure and what kind of results can someone expect to get from it? I would rather not have op there as i did that already on my C 5-6-7 with bone from my hip, and 11 screws and 4 titanium plates. I got a torn rotator cuff in rt shoulder from the op as the n/s took out bone spurs intraoptically from the top of my shoulders also in feb and i cant think of anything bad enough to call the pain. I am still not fully recovered from this op and believe that i am not a good candidate for anymore surgery. This operation on my cervical swapped one pain for another as far as i am concerned. The metal plates hurt me on the right side but i do not think that i can take another operation to take the metal out. i do not want to go through that again on my t section although i am in daily pain with this part of my back. I also have a severe lateral recess L5-L3 S1 on the right leg mainly. any information would be greatly appreciated, thank you, Mistyone

Hi Mistyone,
The best place to find info on nucleoplasty is to go to www.google.com. (http://www.google.com.) Enter nucleoplasty and you will come up with lots of info, articles and the website for the company who developed the instrument they use. I'm not sure if it's a viable option for your specific problems, but it's basically a minimally invasive procedure where an instrument is inserted into the nucleus of a herniated disc, in an effort to decompress the disc. (Very brief synopsis!) It's still surgery - but without an incision. Still requires rest and healing time. Good Luck researching!!
Carol

If you go to: www.nucleoplasty.com (http://www.nucleoplasty.com)
They have a list of all the doctors who have had the training to perform the procedure, and their contact info. The site also explains the procedure in detail.

Good luck,
Ken

The procedure is not bad. I am having my second one done in a couple of hours. My first disc was done 2 weeks ago. Please, find you find a doctor who does this ask them if they use coblation technology. It makes such a difference. Most people on this board who had nucleoplasty with coblation have had a lot longer recovery times and in a lot more pain. I had the coblation nucleoplasty and was up and around that night. Some people on this board have told me they were not even able to shower the first few days because of the pain. Good luck!

- KIm