The clinic offers image-guided treatment for spine and joint pain, introduced by Dr. Stefan Ben-Shushan, an interventional radiologist.  The method is used to treat a wide range of problems such as herniated disc, cartilage wear, spinal stenosis, back pain, and oncological pain.   

The clinic’s fields of activity:

• Bone scans
• Heart scan 

Interventional Radiology

This method – the image-guided injection of steroids and anesthetic into the precise location of the pain -  has been used for several years now in the USA and Europe.  It is based on the concept that spine and joint pain derives from the inflammation accompanying the disease, and not necessarily from actual structural changes;  that is to say,  the pain results from the inflammation generated by the structural changes, and not the structural changes themselves.

This was proven in a study conducted in the USA.  When 100 healthy people, with no pain symptoms, had a CT scan performed on their spine, it was found that 30% of them had a herniated disc.   The condition caused them no pain, however, because there was no accompanying inflammation.
 
The new service is intended for people suffering from back and joint pain which is not relieved by painkillers, chiropractics, or injections, but who nevertheless do not wish to undergo surgery because of the long recovery period, hospitalization and risks that are involved in any surgical procedure.

The service is also intended for people who cannot undergo surgery because of background illnesses such as heart and respiratory diseases, use of blood thinners, etc., or location of the pain in areas that are problematic for surgery, such as the cervical spine, owing to its proximity to the cerebral blood vessels.
 
The CT imaging guiding the doctor as he performs the injection enables him to pinpoint the exact location for the injection with optimal precision.

The anesthetic injected gives immediate relief from the pain, and the effects of the steroids are felt after 24 hours, for a period of up to two weeks.

This method differs from former methods in the degree of precision it ensures, and one injection is usually sufficient to significantly reduce pain. 

The procedure takes about 20 minutes.   The patient must then remain under observation for half an hour, during which his blood pressure and pulse are taken, and he is discharged home with no side effects, with instructions to rest for two days.   70% of the patients will no longer feel any pain, while the other 30% will need another injection or two.
 
The service also provides a non-surgical solution for people suffering from spinal stenosis - narrowing of the lumbar or cervical spinal canal.  This condition, common in people aged 60 and over, causes pain which radiates to the arms or legs and impedes functioning.

Also included are treatments for vertebral fractures resulting from osteoporosis, metastasis or hematological diseases. 

In the procedure, which is performed under local anesthetic, with the patient fully awake, a balloon is inserted into the intervertebral space and inflated, in order to restore the collapsed vertebra to its original form.  The balloon is then removed, and acrylic cement injected into the resulting cavity, fixing and preserving its structure.

The service also offers steroid injections into joints such as the knee and thigh joints.  In this procedure, a needle is inserted into the joint, using an x-ray to visualize the precise location of the tip of the needle.   Once the needle is in the proper space, a contrast agent  is injected to verify the position of the needle on the X-ray.   Then the mixture of local anesthetic and steroid is injected into the epidural space.

This image-guiding procedure enables greater precision, and improves the chances of success.