Ozone therapy is the medical technique that uses ozone for therapeutic purposes. It is already part of the national health systems and conventional medicine in many countries, due to the health benefits of ozone.
In Spain it is not yet a treatment so considered, due to its novelty and lack of knowledge, but as its advantages and effectiveness are known and contrasted, both for patients and for health professionals, ozone therapy will gain a place of importance in the therapeutic protocols of many pathologies.
Ozone therapy in disc herniation
Treatment with ozone therapy is particularly effective in pathologies of the vertebral area, especially in herniated discs.
Disc herniation occurs when the intervertebral disc moves towards the nerve root and compresses or pinches the nerve. In turn, neurotoxic substances are secreted that irritate the nerve root and inflammatory and vascular phenomena that affect the surrounding tissues, which cause the pain associated with the hernia.
This is where ozone acts, improving the oxygen supply to the affected area and eliminating pain and inflammation, as it neutralizes and inhibits the production of neurotoxic substances and modulates the immune response. Ozone also desiccates the protruding part of the disc, which leads to its reduction or even disappearance.
What does ozone therapy treatment consist of?
There are several techniques to apply ozone locally for disc herniation, but the most effective and the most used is the paravertebral injection. Its main advantage over other techniques is its effectiveness, with a success rate of 90%, since it is an outpatient treatment without side effects and very well tolerated by the patient.
To obtain good results it is essential to put yourself in the hands of an experienced ozonologist doctor, who knows well the physicochemical and medical properties of ozone and establishes the appropriate treatment plan for each patient. This is crucial, since the application of incorrect protocols, volumes, doses or concentrations of the gas make the treatment ineffective.
Advantages of choosing ozone therapy
As has been demonstrated in numerous studies, ozone therapy in certain cases is a first level technique to treat disc, inflammatory and vertebral degenerative pathology, and is called to have a preponderant place in the treatment of these before resorting to surgery.
When to use ozone therapy in back pain
- Most cervical, dorsal and lumbar disc protrusions and herniated discs.
- Degenerative osteoarthrosis of the spine.
- Degenerative stenosis of the vertebral canal
- Facet syndromes
- Post-surgical fibrosis: patients who have undergone spinal surgery frequently present it. It consists of painful scars in the operated area. Ozone therapy achieves an 85% reduction of scars and a parallel clinical improvement.