Discography for low back pain

Discography is a medical procedure that involves injecting a dye into the jellylike center of a spinal disc to help diagnose back problems. With discography, a doctor evaluates the amount of pressure needed to inject the dye into the disc, whether it causes pain that is the same as your regular pain, how much dye is used, and how the dye looks on a CT scan.

Most people have changes to their spinal discs as they age, but these changes usually do not cause any symptoms. If your doctor suspects that a disc is causing symptoms such as back pain or pain down your leg, he or she may suggest discography to help find out whether disc changes are actually causing your symptoms.¹

Discography has for the most part been replaced by simpler and more effective methods for basic testing. It is sometimes still used in hard-to-diagnose cases or before surgery. Discography may increase the risk for having disc problems.² If your doctor recommends discography, experts recommend that you get a second opinion before you agree to have the test.

Citations

1. Carragee EJ, Hannibal M (2004). Diagnostic evaluation of low back pain. Orthopedic Clinics of North America, 35(2004): 7–16.
2. Carragee EJ, et al. (2009). Does discography cause accelerated progression of degeneration changes in the lumbar disc: A ten-year matched cohort study. Spine, 34(21): 2338–2345.