Alternative Herniated Disc Treatments In Raleigh, NC

The discs in your spine are the shock absorbers between your vertebrae (spinal bones). They have a tough outer covering called the annulus fibrosus that encases a soft, gel-like substance called the nucleus pulposus. 

A disc herniation happens when the outer covering is ruptured and the gel escapes the disc. This causes the disc to put pressure on and irritate the spinal nerve roots or spinal cord, leading to pain around the area of the disc (localized pain) and causing pain, tingling, numbness, or weakness to radiate to the arms and legs (radicular pain).

Herniated discs are sometimes referred to as slipped or ruptured discs. However, they are not the same as a disc bulge or protrusion, where the gel-like material is still contained within the disc.

Medical illustration showing a normal or healthy spinal disc and a herniated spinal disc side by side.
Anatomy of a normal spinal disc vs. a herniated spinal disc side-by-side.

More conservative treatment options include acupuncture, physical therapy, prescription medications, and high-dose epidural steroid injections. While steroid injections can temporarily help the pain, they can cause severe side effects and reduce your body’s ability to heal.

If none of these work, the next course of treatment is usually back or neck surgery that cuts away a portion of the disc. However, this approach can leave the disc weaker and more likely to be injured again. The final option is often an extremely invasive spine surgery (spinal fusion) in which two vertebrae are permanently joined together with hardware.

Studies have shown that in the majority of cases herniated discs (also known as slipped or ruptured discs) the pain will go away on its own. The key is staying comfortable and being able to remain active while that happens.

However, a smaller percentage of people experience severe and longer-lasting pain. 

Our nonsurgical treatments for herniated disc problems can offer relief from lower back, buttock, and leg pain and numbness and tingling in the feet or legs. Downtime is a fraction of what it is with surgery and generally requires little or no opioid pain medications or time off of work.

Regenexx PL-Disc: Avoiding the harmful side effects of epidural steroids and back surgery

2304 Wesvill Court
Ste 320
Raleigh, NC 27607

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Doctors

Co-founder Krishna Bhat, MD is dedicated to providing compassionate care to those in acute and/or chronic pain caused by a variety of conditions. He has been in private practice and board certified in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation since 2006. With his open communication style, Dr. Bhat both informs and makes patients comfortable with the personalized treatment plans he develops. His communication skills and experience have also aided the practice in establishing its strong network of allied healthcare professionals (surgeons, physical therapists, chiropractors, massage therapists, acupuncturists, etc.) that are often included in the comprehensive treatment plans he develops for patients. He enjoys sharing his experiences and knowledge of pain management with office colleagues as well as patients. He is enthusiastic about the opportunity to provide the highest level of care and treatment to patients with regards to regenerative medicine.

Dr. Bhat graduated from University of California, Davis in 1996 with a bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences. He completed medical school at the American University of the Caribbean in 2001. During his final year of residency in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, he served as the Chief Resident for the program. He was instrumental in advancing the training program for the residents and thrived in his mentorship role. Dr. Bhat is an active member of the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Pain Society of the Carolinas, International Pain & Spine Intervention Society, and Interventional Orthobiologics Foundation.

Leisure interests include traveling, spending time with his family, watching his daughters participate in extracurricular activities/athletic events, and playing golf, tennis, and billiards.

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Co-founder Jasbir Dhaliwal, MD is a double board-certified and fellowship-trained interventional pain medicine physician. While his medical training and experience included surgical skills, he opted to specialize in non-surgical approaches to patient rehabilitation and pain management. As a fellowship-trained interventional pain specialist, his philosophy is to use the most innovative techniques to deliver quality pain management. Dr. Dhaliwal is dedicated to the comprehensive care and treatment of acute and chronic pain including arthritic, spinal and nerve pain and many other conditions. His breadth of medical training serves him well in determining the most appropriate types of treatment (rehabilitative, medication, surgical) for each patient.

Dr. Dhaliwal graduated from State University of New York at Buffalo with a bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences and Biochemical Pharmacology. After receiving his medical degree at Ross University School of Medicine he completed a year of General Surgery internship at Albert Einstein School of Medicine in the Bronx. He completed a residency in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at SUNY Upstate Medical Hospital in Syracuse, New York where he served as Chief Resident during his final year of residency. After residency, Dr. Dhaliwal completed a one-year ACGME accredited pain management fellowship with the Department of Anesthesiology at SUNY Upstate Medical Hospital in Syracuse, NY.

Dr. Dhaliwal is a member of American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, International Pain & Spine Intervention Society, Pain Society of the Carolinas, American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, American Society of Pain & Neuroscience (ASPN) and Interventional Orthobiologics Foundation.

Dr. Dhaliwal’s interests outside of medicine include exercising, playing basketball, running and spending time with his wonderful wife and two children.

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Areas Treated

Cervical Spine (Not Upper Cervical or CCI)*, Elbow, Foot & Ankle, Hand & Wrist, 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).

Below are MRI images of the outcome of a patient who had a Regenexx PL-Disc procedure to treat a subligamentous disc herniation. After the procedure, their pain dropped quickly, and they returned to their normal activities within weeks.

Scroll the arrow to the right to see the MRI of the disc before the Regenexx PL-Disc procedure — the white/lighter area indicates damage. Scroll to the left to see the MRI of the disc after. The images are two years apart from the original treatment date.

Herniated disc before and after MRI images 1

Herniated disc before and after MRI images 2

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Join Chris Centeno, MD, founder of Regenexx, to learn how Regenexx procedures can help treat your herniated disc 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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