Discogram & Back Pain Diagnosis

Locations
Treatments
- Overview
At Spire Healthcare we offer a full range of treatments, tests and scans

Specialties
View all

Treatments
Prices

Tests and scans
Conditions and symptoms
View A-Z

Private GP service

See a private GP at a time to suit you.

Book now
Consultants
- Overview
You can expect outstanding patient care from our talented consultants and dedicated nursing team
- Find a consultant
- How we work with consultants
Book to see a leading medical expert today

Book online
Patient information
- Overview
Before visiting us find out more about our approach to looking after you and your loved ones

General information
Giving feedback
Your care
- Coming into hospital
- Patient feedback
What's happening?
- News and events
How to book
- Overview
At Spire Healthcare we have a variety of options available for funding your treatment and aftercare

Funding your treatment
Finance options
- Medical loans
- inSpire
Make a payment

Pay any outstanding bills for your care at Spire Healthcare.

Pay now
Spire GP

Questions about: Back pain investigations (discography)

Our advisors can help: Make an enquiry

There are many possible causes for back pain.

Discography is a simple 45 minute test that allows your doctor to confirm whether a damaged disc (soft pads between your bones) is causing your pain, and identifies which one would need to be repaired.

This test is usually only done if other treatments have failed and back surgery is being considered by your doctor. It can be an important step towards you resuming a full and active life.

Back pain and related symptoms can interfere with our lives. As well as being one of the main reasons people take time off work, back pain can prevent you:

taking part in exercise or sport
playing with your children and family
driving
using computers for work or leisure.

Our highly trained and caring clinicians understand that ongoing (or chronic) pain can gnaw away at us, affecting your enjoyment of life.

Discography can identify which of the discs between the vertebrae (bones) in your back is causing you pain, and it is often used before back surgery. The discs are small, soft pads that act as shock absorbers for the bones.

Your doctor will recommend this if other tests, including CT and MRI scans, have not pinned down the exact discs that need to be treated.

The test takes around 45 minutes and you will be sedated and have a local anaesthetic. This means you’ll be awake but won't feel anything while a fine needle is inserted into the area of your back that is causing problems and X-ray images are taken. The sedation will give you a calm feeling.

We pride ourselves on our clinical excellence, you'll be looked after by an experienced multi-disciplinary care team.

A fixed price for this treatment may be available on enquiry and following an initial consultation.

If available, you can trust Spire Healthcare to provide you with a single, fixed price so there are no surprises¹. Interest free finance may be available through our carefully chosen partner, Zebra Health Finance Ltd².

We're here to help you with making these important choices, so you're then free to concentrate on your treatment and on getting back to being you.

¹ Please read our patient terms and conditions for full details of what's included and excluded in your fixed price.

² Interest free finance (0% represented APR available) through Zebra Health Finance Ltd.

Our patients are at the heart of what we do and we want you to be in control of your care. To us, that means you can choose the consultant you want to see, and when you want. They'll be with you every step of the way.

All of our consultants are of the highest calibre and benefit from working in our modern, well-equipped hospitals.

Our consultants have high standards to meet, often holding specialist NHS posts and delivering expertise in complex sub-specialty surgeries. Many of our consultants have international reputations for their research in their specialised field.

You will have a formal consultation with a healthcare professional. During this time you will be able to explain your medical history, symptoms and raise any concerns that you might have.

We will also discuss with you whether any further diagnostic tests, such as scans or blood tests, are needed. Any additional costs will be discussed before further tests are carried out.

We've tried to make your experience with us as easy and relaxed as possible.

For more information on visiting hours, our food, what to pack if you're staying with us, parking and all those other important practicalities, please visit our patient information pages.

Our dedicated team will also give you tailored advice to follow in the run up to your visit.

You'll be given a local anaesthetic to numb the skin on your back. Your doctor will then insert a fine need into the affected area. They may insert more needles if they have to look at more than one disc.

You might feel uncomfortable as the needles will be going into an area that is already causing pain but tell the doctor immediately if you feel pain in your leg during the test.

A second needle will be inserted through the first one to inject contrast or X-ray dye into the centre of the disc. This provides a clearer image. You might be asked to rate the level of pain on a scale of 0-10 while this is happening.

X-ray images will be taken for your doctor to analyse later and the needles will then be withdrawn and the test is over.

After this, you will be taken to your room or comfortable area where you can rest and recuperate until we feel you’re ready to go home.

You might have bruising, swelling and pain at the injection site(s). We’ll give you painkillers to help with this.

Please contact the hospital or your GP immediately if you feel unwell, develop back pain that does not settle or gets worse, or if you develop a fever or a high temperature.

Your surgeon will review the results and discuss them with you and the possible implications for treatment or further tests at your next follow-up appointment. If you are not under the care of an expert Spire consultant for your back pain, we’ll forward them quickly to your GP or NHS consultant.

Important to note

The treatment described on this page may be adapted to meet your individual needs, so it's important to follow your healthcare professional's advice and raise any questions that you may have with them.

Get in touch

3740

True

treatment

How do you intend to fund your treatment?

Type the detail of your enquiry

Title

First name

Surname

Email address

Confirm email address

Date of birth

Phone number

Postcode

Select a hospital

Marketing Information

Spire would like to provide you with marketing information about products and services offered by Spire and by selected third-party partners. If you do not consent for us to process your personal data for marketing activities, we will still be able to contact you about your enquiry.

Please tick the box(es) to confirm your consent to receive marketing information from Spire:

SMS

We may contact you by email, SMS or phone about your enquiry. If we try to contact you by phone (mobile and/or landline) and you are not available, we may leave you a voicemail message. We may also use your details to contact you about patient surveys we use for improving our service or monitoring outcomes, which are not a form of marketing.

I have read, understood and agree to the Privacy Notice.