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Alternative Herniated Disc Treatments In Franklin, TN

100 Covey Drive Franklin, TN 37067

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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

100 Covey Drive
Franklin, TN 37067

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Doctors

Dr. Rupert became a physician to integrate biomechanical principles in the practice of medicine. He enjoys caring for patients, developing treatment pathways, and educating self-care guidance to prevent further injury. He has moved through many states during his engineering and medical training but settled in Middle Tennessee and now has over 15 years of involvement in local schools, sports, and service organizations.

With his medical degree, Dr. Rupert has trained in general surgery, anesthesiology, and interventional pain medicine. His work experience involves basic sports medicine, spine research, and product development. Since finishing his fellowship, Dr. Rupert has fostered medical innovation with new tools and techniques and has written several publications for applying novel (now common) applications of implantable neuromodulation for chronic nerve injury. Dr. Rupert also holds engineering degrees in Aerospace Engineering and Biomechanical Engineering. As both student and teacher, he integrates these core principles into his evaluation of physical problems. He has also been a guest speaker and educator at many local, national, and international conferences.

Dr. Rupert is married with three children who all contribute to his ongoing education and different perspectives of the world. He and his wife are always looking for adventures to explore and serve. They share a host of pets, he and his daughter are apiarists, and they have fostered many animals in need. Dr. Rupert loves to see his children growing from well-rounded children into young adults. Together they enjoy creating, building, and fixing anything to learn the greater similarity of different systems. He enjoys soccer, yoga, and any family adventure. Dr. Rupert has been fortunate to be a leader in so many roles and enjoys serving others, as a physician, a Rotarian, and he generally keeps a keen eye out for those in need.

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Areas Treated

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

How To Treat a Herniated Disc Without Surgery

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.

Treatment for herniated discs may include a Regenexx PL-Disc Procedure. The PL stands for platelet lysate, which is a highly specialized derivative of PRP.

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.

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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Please note our procedures are only covered by self-funded health plans at this time.

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What about health insurance or medical benefits? What may be covered or reimbursed depends on the details of your plan. Insurance typically covers evaluations and diagnostic testing (if recommended) but most do not cover Regenexx Procedures. Some Employer specific Regenexx Benefits plans do also cover Regenexx Procedures. Your plan’s representative can help verify your benefits, out-of-pocket costs, and coverage.

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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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Learn More About Herniated Discs

How to Heal a Herniated Disc Naturally

Alternatives to Back Surgery for Herniated and Bulging Discs

Herniated Disc Recovery Time: More Whole Body Inflammation Predicts Poor Recovery From a Herniated Disc

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