Alternative Herniated Disc Treatments In Summit Woods, OH

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

500 East Business Way
Summit Woods, OH 45241

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Doctors

Dr. Brannan was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio and attended St. Xavier High School and the University of Cincinnati. He takes a hands on approach to all patient care, where the focus is on a thorough history and physical exam, followed by a detailed review of imaging and past interventions, to fully assess the patient’s condition.

His special interests include clinical spine medicine, sports medicine, rehabilitation, and electrodiagnosis, including various non-surgical treatment options for patients with acute and chronic pain. Dr. Brannan also focuses on physiatry, which involves diagnosing and treating orthopedic and neurological disorders.

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

Emily E. Dixon, D.O., earned her Bachelor of Science with honors from the University of Missouri in 2003. She then graduated from Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine in 2007. Dr. Dixon subsequently moved to Cincinnati where she completed her residency in Family Medicine in 2010. She then completed her sport’s medicine fellowship with Beacon Orthopedics & Sports Medicine in 2011.

Dr. Dixon has provided physician coverage for several local middle school, high school and college athletic programs. She has been a team physician at Xavier University since 2010. She has provided team coverage for USA Gymnastics and Perfection Gymnastics. She is also faculty for the TriHealth Primary Care Sports Medicine Fellowship which trains physicians who have completed medical school and residency, and wish to pursue subspecialty training in sports medicine. Dr. Dixon has taught musculoskeletal ultrasound at both a local and national level with the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine. She is a member of the AAFP, AMSSM and ACSM.

Dr. Dixon has special interest in diagnostic and therapeutic musculoskeletal ultrasound, orthobiologics, care of the female athlete, medical conditions associated with athletics, concussion, and osteoporosis and fragility fractures. Her education and experience make her trained to treat both adult and pediatric sport-related injuries, and nonsurgical orthopedic conditions.

Dr. Dixon was born and raised outside of Kansas City, MO. She is a Kansas City Chief’s football fanatic, and University of Missouri athletics fan. She and her family are also fans of FCC Cincinnati and Xavier University. She was a competitive soccer player and is still active (along with her husband and 2 daughters) in Pilates, cycling, hiking, swimming, snow skiing, and several other athletic activities. Dr. Dixon and her husband, Chris, recently summited Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, on 7/31/21.

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Areas treated: Elbow, Foot & Ankle, Hand & Wrist, Hip, Knee, Shoulder

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

Older man working on laptop, smiling, looking at screen, drinking tea.

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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