Disc Tear Management Without Surgery In Annapolis, MD

Spinal discs act as shock absorbers between the vertebrae (spinal bones) in your neck and back. They have a tough outer covering called the annulus fibrosus and a softer, gel-like center called the nucleus pulposus.  The annulus can tear from wear and tear or trauma and can cause mild to severe pain, depending on the location. And although many are asymptomatic, they are more likely to be painful if you’re under age 50.

Annular tears can be overlooked as a cause of pain and are often lumped in with degenerative disc disease (DDD). The only reliable way to find out if a tear is causing your back pain is via discogram. During a discogram, pressure is injected into the disc. The doctor uses this pressure to see if the disc is painful.

In many cases, given enough time and rest, torn discs will heal on their own. However, the area will be more prone to repeat injury and degenerative disc disease (DDD). 

If the pain and other symptoms don’t lessen over time, physicians often recommend a high-dose epidural steroid injection that can temporarily help the pain. But this can also lead to severe side effects and reduce your body’s natural ability to heal itself. 

If the steroid injection doesn’t work, the next common orthopedic option is spinal fusion, a procedure in which two vertebrae are screwed together, or fused. Spinal fusions have been shown to be no more effective than placebo surgeries (also known as sham surgeries), while complications occur in 25% of fusion patients and often lead to further issues, including adjacent segment disease (ASD).

That’s why we’ve developed a different approach.

166 Defense Highway
Suite 300
Annapolis, MD 21401

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Doctors

Dr. Zamfirov, also known as Dr. Zed, was born and raised in Bulgaria. He played soccer professionally and he was selected to play for the Bulgarian Junior National Team. Early in his sports career he decided to become a physician for athletes and to treat their sports injuries. He received his MD degree from the Plovdiv Medical University in 1987. He then completed his Orthopedic Surgery Residency and specialized in sports trauma and knee surgery. For over eight years he served as a physician of the Bulgarian Olympic Canoe team, several professional soccer teams in Bulgarian soccer division “A”, and as a consulting physician of the Bulgarian National Soccer team. During his orthopedic practice in Bulgaria Dr. Zed has treated and operated on many internationally known athletes, Olympic and World champions.

In 2000 he and his family moved to the US. Here, he completed his Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Residency at Georgetown University/ National Rehabilitation Hospital in Washington, DC where he received extensive training in the field of interventional pain management. Since 2007 Dr. Zed has been providing comprehensive care for thousands of patients in his offices in Maryland. 

Dr Zamfirov is the founder of All Star Pain Management and Regenerative Medicine which opened its doors on February 1st, 2017. Dr Zed was a pioneer in providing regenerative medicine in Maryland and has gone on to become a physician licensed to provide Regenexx injectates to offer his patients research based cutting edge treatment in Regenerative Orthopedics. Dr. Zed is a member of the medical staff at Baltimore Washington Medical Center and Anne Arundel Medical Center.

His areas of special interests include regenerative medicine for orthopedic conditions, fluoroscopically guided spinal injections, non-operative spine care, pain management, sports medicine, neuromodulation.

He still plays soccer in an indoor league at Howard County. He also loves fishing and skiing.

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Areas treated: Cervical Spine (Not Upper Cervical or CCI)*, Hip, Knee, Lumbar Spine, Shoulder, Thoracic Spine

Areas Treated

Cervical Spine (Not Upper Cervical or CCI)*, Hip, Knee, Lumbar Spine, Shoulder, Thoracic Spine

*This provider is NOT authorized by Regenexx to treat the C0-C1 or C1-C2 levels of the neck or CCI (craniocervical instability).

During Regenexx’s outpatient procedures, custom concentrations of your body’s natural healing agents are injected into the exact areas of damage in the spine. Treatments use only your own blood to make super-concentrated platelet-rich plasma (PRP) or your own bone marrow concentrate (BMC), which contains stem cells.

Best of all, your downtime will be a fraction of what it is with surgery and generally requires little to no opioid pain medications or time off of work.

Am I a candidate?

Watch a real Regenexx spinal procedure performed by a certified Regenexx physician:

Our goal is to use the least invasive, least expensive procedure to get the desired results. Your Regenexx physician will work with you to determine whether that would be a platelet procedure or a BMC procedure.

At Regenexx, we are dedicated to giving you the information you need to make an informed decision about your best treatment option.

During your initial appointment, your Regenexx doctor will use our four-part SANS (stability, articulation, neuromuscular, and symmetry) evaluation to identify the underlying causes of your pain. Your doctor will examine your injury through a full range of motion and may use ultrasound to observe the inner workings in real time. 

Once the evaluation is completed, your doctor will determine if Regenexx is right for you and will discuss your customized treatment plan based on your specific needs.

Am I a candidate?

Join Chris Centeno, MD, founder of Regenexx, to learn how Regenexx procedures can help treat your back pain without surgery and lead to a faster recovery.

During this free webinar you’ll learn:

  • How procedures using bone marrow concentrate (BMC) and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) compare to surgery and other spine pain treatment options
  • Procedure expectations
  • Answers to the most common questions about regenerative medicine treatments
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