Chemical RadiculitisChemical radiculitis is a controversial diagnosis which might affect some patients who have experienced a ruptured disc in their spines. Radiculitis (also called radicular pain) is a process defined as pain and neurological symptoms produced by the inflammation or irritation of a spinal nerve root, by the proteins which might leak from an annular tear in a ruptured intervertebral disc.What is Chemical Radiculitis?
The soft inner core of an intervertebral disc contains certain types of proteins which might leak out of the disc if a rupture or
annular tear
occurs. Sometimes, these proteins might come in contact with a spinal nerve root, causing irritation and inflammation of the neurological tissue. A particular protein, called tumor necrosis factor-alpha, is thought to be responsible for doing most of the damage to the sensitive nerve material, since it is a known contributor to inflammatory processes and even apoptotic cellular death.
Chemical Radiculitis TreatmentsTypically, this condition is first treated non-surgically using epidural injections consisting of various steroids, anti-inflammatory drugs, long term anesthetics and flushing solutions designed to nullify the chemical reaction caused by the proteins. These injections might relieve pain is some patients, but rarely permanently cure the condition. Physical therapy, chiropractic and acupuncture are also common therapy modalities, but besides acupuncture, it is not clear what the others are trying to accomplish…Herniated disc surgery is sometimes performed, but generally offers poor curative results. Chemical Radicular Pain AdviceRadicular pain is always a problematic condition to treat and generally leads to a long term symptomatic condition. The usual reason for this occurrence is the misdiagnosis of the actual source of the pain. Pinched nerves, sciatica and chemical radicular pain are often blamed on a disc herniation or spinal osteoarthritic process, when all along, they are caused far more often by simple ischemia. Remember, nerve tissue is particularly susceptible to the effects of oxygen deprivation, even at low levels of ischemia. Moderate levels of ischemia can compromise the very integrity of the nerve, causing severe and chronic pain. For most radicular pain conditions, I typically recommend knowledge therapy before any physical treatment modality. This method demonstrates far better curative statistics than any of the medical or complementary herniated disc treatments and usually results in complete and permanent resolution of symptoms. The best part is that knowledge therapy has no risks, which can not be said for epidural injections or herniated disc surgery…Chemical Radiculitis to Herniated Disc 7/10/08 Revised 7/17/11 |
Sensei Adam Rostocki
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