Dr. Lombardi has co-authored the chapter Percutaneous Diskogenic Pain Treatment in the book Decision Making in Spinal Care; D. Greg Anderson, Alexander R. Vaccaro. Thieme, 2006-2013.
In the past decade the term “Minimally Invasive” has become very popular. It basically means that a particular surgical procedure causes less “invasion” and therefore “damage” to your body THAN another surgical procedure. Please note that the term is comparative in nature. Following this line of reasoning, a surgical procedure that requires an inch incision to treat the problem is minimally invasive compared to a procedure that requires a 3 inch incision.
“ MINIMALLY INVASIVE SPINE SURGERY IN A SENSE, IS A TERM THAT COMPARES TWO SURGICAL PROCEDURES OF DIFFERENT SIZES AND THEREFORE THE AMOUNT OF DAMAGE THEY CAUSE TO THE NORMAL SPINE”
“ Last January, I took a bad fall on the ice resulting in constant sciatica. An MRI revealed two herniated discs. I had two spinal injections, physical therapy, chiropractic care-none of which helped. I couldn’t sit, stand or sleep without extreme pain. Two different surgeons from well-known hospitals told me I had no choice but traditional surgery which will also include fusion…. I traveled from Illinois to California and had my procedure with Dr. Luis Lombardi….the results were nothing short of miraculous. My husband was skeptic before the surgery and now he is a believer. He had to practically carry me into the clinic before the procedure because I could barely walk. When I awoke afterwards, I had no pain. It was the best feeling in the world. That evening, we went out to dinner and afterwards I had my first night of sleep with no pain in 8 months. It is now over 2 years later and I am walking several miles every morning and able to care for my family again. Every time I think about all of this, I consider myself the most fortunate person to have found you. “
In a Herniated Disc, the pulp in the center of the disc pushes through the tears and accumulates under the annulus which “bulges out” and makes contact with the nerve root causing leg pain. If the accumulation of pulp continues, the annular fibers tear completely and disc material “pours out” onto the nerve root, this is the so-called extruded herniated disc.
In a painful disc, the pulpy center loses water, becomes bridle and starts producing inflammatory substances. These inflammatory substances start eroding the inner aspect of the annulus producing tears. The pulp in the center of the disc pushes through the tears and accumulates under the annulus becoming a herniated disc
A normal disc is composed of 2 parts: a pulpy center called Nucleus and a fibrous envelope called Annulus. In a normal disc the Nucleus provides shock absorbing properties and the Annulus provides resistance. Small pain sensitive fibers are located in the outer third of the back of the disc.
